Brain Health
What is Brain Health?
Brain Health is an increasingly important concept. And a rapidly evolving one. Brain Health as a phrase is relatively new being first officially used in Norway in 2016. Although there are multiple definitions for Brain Health, Yiliyapinya adopts the definition developed by the American Academy of Neurology in 2023 due to their robust process involving analysis of prior publications and large numbers of experts participating in surveys, focus groups, and interviews. The result was the following definition;
‘Brain Health is a continuous state of attaining and maintaining the optimal neurologic function that best supports one's physical, mental, and social wellbeing through every stage of life’.
_‘Brain Health is a continuous state of attaining and maintaining the optimal neurologic function that best supports one's physical, mental, and social wellbeing through every stage of life’. __‘Brain Health is a continuous state of attaining and maintaining the optimal neurologic function that best supports one's physical, mental, and social wellbeing through every stage of life’. _
Essentially, it’s about ensuring your brain is working as best it can to support your holistic wellbeing throughout your life.
**What Brain Health is NOT ** Let’s be clear what Brain Health is not: • It is NOT Mental Health - although Mental Health and Brain Health are deeply linked, and one influences the other. • It is NOT simply an absence of disease or neurological condition • It is NOT related to IQ
What do we need for good Brain Health?
There’s the obvious - physical activity, healthy diet, and adequate sleep - no surprises so far. The next layer of what is required for optimal Brain Health is mental exercise (using your brain in new and challenging ways), social interaction (spending quality time with friends/family), access to support services (using health and social services when needed), and regular relaxation time. Today, relaxing tends to be a forgotten or aspirational concept, however, we know that creating time in your day where you are not working, caring, doing chores, etc is crucial for your Brain Health and general wellbeing (and sorry but in a Brain Health context, watching TV or phone scrolling does not count as relaxation time!)
How do we know if we have good Brain Health?
The Centre for Brain Health at the University of Dallas in Texas has identified three core elements of Brain Health; clarity, connectedness, and emotional balance.
Clarity refers to the readiness to reason through complex situations, the ability to think deeply and strategically, and to create new opportunities and solutions.
Connectedness relates to having the capacity for fulfilling experiences and the ability to maintain meaningful relationships.
Lastly, having emotional balance means the ability to face difficult situations and handle adversity, while remaining productive and capable. If you have clarity, connectedness, and emotional balance, your Brain Health is strong.
Why is Brain Health important?
Focusing on Brain Health has enormous benefits at both an individual and population level. Improving Brain Health can improve mental health, lower rates of neurological disorders, and reduce substance abuse. At a community level, optimising Brain Health can increase academic achievement, reduce teenage pregnancies, lower rates of incarceration, decrease health care costs, and lead to higher employee productivity.
One simple action you can do to improve your Brain Health right now? Put down your phone, turn off the TV, and go sit outside. Look at the trees, contemplate the sky, breathe, and relax !