Feed Your Brain
WHAT STUDIES SAY ABOUT CBD AND ITS COGNITIVE HEALTH BENEFITS
How’s your brain doing right now? If you’re like us, you’ll know that our busy lives can often leave us feeling scattered and forgetful. We might pass this off as something to joke about, but our cognitive health is essential to our overall well-being. When we talk about cognitive health, we are of course referring to our ability to think, learn and remember.
Taking care of our minds and our brain health is something we can all do. It’s just about knowing how to approach it. Interestingly, our cognitive health is impacted by many things, including lifestyle choices such as diet and stress management. Supplements like CBD have also shown promising results in the field of brain health. Let us dive into the details and see how a combination of healthy choices can help us safeguard our cognitive function.
What Affects Our Cognitive Function?
When it comes to thinking, learning, and remembering, it’s worth starting with the fact that our brains are so incredibly complex. When we talk about cognitive health encompasses all of this, plus our motor function, emotional function, and tactile function, which is how your body responds to pressure and pain.
Many things impact our cognitive health, and we are all unique in how our brains operate. That said, there are plenty of ways to take care of our brains through easy day-to-day habits. Let’s first look at what can affect our cognitive function:
- Age-related factors – The normal aging process can naturally lead to cognitive changes. Commonly this includes the ability to react or make decisions quickly. Conversely, things like experiential skills and cumulative knowledge are maintained even into advanced age.
- Injuries to the brain – A trauma to the head or brain can have effects on cognitive function ranging from mild to devastating. In severe cases, it can lead to disability in both young and old, and on the milder scale, it can result in cognitive impairment with certain tasks.
- Mood disorders – Cognitive impairment is often found among people with mood disorders such as bipolar disorder and major depression. In studies, the cognitive effects ranged from memory impairment to processing speed and decision-making.
- Diseases – Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease are two examples of diseases that can impact our cognitive health. In the early stages, people will often experience mild cognitive impairment (or MCI), which is when they or loved ones notice changes in behavior. The symptoms can worsen over time and require vigilant support to manage.
- Blood pressure – Observational studies have shown that high blood pressure may have a direct link to cognitive health. Although evidence is limited at this stage, findings to date seem to indicate that higher blood pressure can impact cognitive decline later in life.
- Substance abuse – Addiction to substances like alcohol, stimulants, and psychoactive drugs has all been linked to cognitive impairments. Although evidence is limited, studies seem to point to the link between cognitive function and chronic use of substances.
Although certain factors such as brain trauma or disease can’t be changed, there is growing evidence to support an approach that combines lifestyle factors to protect our cognitive health. What is essential, is to first get advice from your healthcare provider if you’re worried about your cognitive function. Getting the right support to identify any potential issues will enable you to plan effectively and manage your ongoing well-being. Even if you are in great health, there are plenty of reasons to look after your cognitive function and improve your longevity.
More research is showing that small lifestyle changes can make all the difference to our cognitive health. The good news is that most of these are easy to implement, don’t cost the earth, and can be worked into our existing daily routines. Most importantly, it’s a healthy alternative to routes such as prescription drugs.
It doesn’t matter what you try and do to offset sleep deprivation, you’ll still feel its effects. We all know that sleeping well is the key to everything from mood to memory function, so making sure your sleep hygiene is down, is so important. Granted, we don’t always have a spotless mind during the nighttime, and other factors can upend this, but working on your sleep habits overall will stand you in good stead and nurture your brain.
Yes, that’s right, a healthy diet can do a lot more than help your waistline. Certain nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids consistently point towards positive health benefits. So, make sure your diet includes foods like fatty fish and chia seeds. Other foods linked to brain health include antioxidant-rich blueberries, turmeric, vitamin-K-laden broccoli, eggs, oranges, pumpkin seeds, and coffee.
We’re talking brain teasers here because studies tell us that problem-solving puzzles like jigsaws, crosswords and chess may produce long-lasting brain health benefits. It’s all about working that mind-muscle and stimulating cognitive processes and let’s face it, it couldn’t be easier to integrate into your day. Think 10-minutes, with a coffee, and your favorite puzzle.
The key to our overall well-being, working out is the best way to stay on top of numerous physical and mental conditions. In the brain arena, physical activity helps to grow new brain cells and create positive changes in the hippocampus – the home of our memory, learning, and emotions. The main issue is that exercise sometimes feels like a chore, so the best approach is always to find the things you love doing. Once you’re comfortable with your exercise regime, you’ll be more inspired to keep it up.
In the short term, stress has been shown to create a deficit in cognitive function as the brain focuses on a fight-or-flight response. Cue the feeling of being unable to focus – which we’ve all experienced when under extreme pressure. Some researchers also believe that chronic stress can decrease functioning in the brain. As we know that stress has wide-ranging health impacts, it’s important to prioritize your self-care activities, recognize your red flags, and get help if you need it.
CBD for Cognitive Function
Preliminary research has some interesting points when it comes to CBD and cognitive function, which could make it another option for those looking to create a wider plan for their cognitive health. Because CBD has potential antioxidant, neuroprotective, and anti-inflammatory properties, it may help support memory and brain health overall. It also has the potential to reduce stress and anxiety, enabling you to refocus your mental reserves where you need them.
Stress and external pressures can be the route of a whole host of cognitive functions throughout our week. Combining healthy, stress-busting habits with a CBD supplement may help you reach your true Zen self. Working this into self-care rituals can boost the feel-good effects further, with products like CBD topicals, sleep tinctures, and teas.
Tip: Maintain your sleep and manage physical tension with the Cool, Calm, Collected Bundle, with CBD tea, body balm, and night tincture.
Getting on top of life’s daily challenges sometimes feels like nothing but work. Rest assured, you’re not alone in the quest, because we all have those hurdles to face. Working a CBD supplement into your daily routine could help you rebalance by helping to alleviate stress and manage anxiety.
Tip: Try the minty BALANCE Everyday Full-Spectrum CBD Tincture for daily cognitive support or GLOW Full-Spectrum CBD Care Capsules if you prefer yours capsule form.
Preliminary research suggests that CBD may offer therapeutic potential for age-related cognitive decline as well as neurological conditions like Alzheimer’s and dementia. While significant strides in research are required to make any conclusive statements, the existing data is quite compelling.
Along with all the various lifestyle habits you can employ for boosting cognitive function, if you’re interested in trying CBD, always speak to your trusted healthcare provider first. CBD can pose potential drug interactions, making this critical especially if you’re already taking medication.
As with any new supplementation, we recommend journaling your experience to see if CBD is beneficial for your cognitive function. It’s best to find a consistent routine with this goal in mind – find an ingestible product that you can take daily.
Press Pause CBD for Cognitive Function
We believe that the right routine can contribute to a healthy mind and body. Our premium, high-quality CBD can integrate with your overall plan for cognitive support, with trusted products without any toxic ingredients. The Press Pause specialty range of CBD wellness products only uses the highest quality CBD and clinically-backed formulations. To see how we can help, speak to our team for more information or browse our shop.
