5 Habits Wrecking Your Brain Function

While you might be doing all the “right” things—eating clean, meditating, optimizing your sleep—certain habits act as silent wrecking balls, undoing your progress and draining your mental energy.

Here are the top 5 habits to avoid if you want your brain to thrive:

1. Chronic Multitasking

Modern life glorifies multitasking, but it’s one of the worst things you can do for your brain. Each time you switch between tasks, your brain uses up precious energy reserves. This constant toggling also releases stress hormones, making it harder to focus and think creatively.

Asprey puts it simply: “Deep work is the secret to real productivity. Train your brain to focus on one thing at a time, and you’ll be amazed at what you can achieve.”

2. Skipping Sleep

Even one bad night of sleep can decrease cognitive performance by up to 30%, according to research Asprey cites. Sleep is when your brain cleans out toxins, repairs itself, and consolidates memories. Without it, brain fog sets in, decision-making falters, and even your emotional resilience takes a hit.

“Protect your sleep like it’s your most valuable asset—because it is.”

— Dave Asprey

3. Consuming Excess Sugar

High blood sugar doesn’t just harm your body—it inflames your brain. Inflammation disrupts neural communication, slows down processing speed, and blocks neuroplasticity (your brain’s ability to adapt and grow). Sugar also leads to energy crashes, leaving you feeling unfocused and irritable. Asprey calls sugar “a brain killer in disguise.”

4. Sitting for Long Periods

Your brain thrives on movement. Sitting for extended periods suppresses BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor), the protein responsible for creating and strengthening neural connections. Without BDNF, your brain’s adaptability and learning capacity take a nosedive.

“Make movement a non-negotiable part of your day. Even five-minute stretches can help.”

— Dave Asprey

5. Ignoring Stress

Chronic stress floods your brain with cortisol, shrinking the hippocampus (the part of your brain responsible for memory and learning) and weakening emotional regulation. Stress not only impairs focus but also increases your risk of long-term cognitive decline.

“Stress doesn’t just feel bad—it rewires your brain in all the wrong ways. Tackling stress head-on is one of the smartest bio-hacks you can do.”

— Dave Asprey

Maybe Neurofeedback is The Ultimate Fix?

Even if you’ve fallen into some of these habits, there’s good news: Neurofeedback can help undo the damage. By retraining your brain’s electrical activity, neurofeedback:

• Improves focus and clarity, even after years of multitasking

• Enhances sleep quality by promoting restorative brainwave patterns

• Supports neuroplasticity to counteract the effects of sugar and inactivity

• Rebalances stress responses, reducing cortisol and building resilience

It’s like hitting the reset button for your brain, giving it the tools to recover, adapt, and function at its peak.

Avoiding these habits is the first step to optimizing your brain, but neurofeedback can take you even further. Ready to see what’s possible?

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Content written by 40 Years of Zen copyright 2024