Mental Health Matters
Enhance your brain health with our monthly Matters of the Mind roundup of news, views, and top tips...
Welcome to your monthly edition of Something on the Brain!
To honour Mental Health Awareness Day, this month's newsletter focuses on the relationship between mental health and brain health. While mental health is typically used in reference to our emotional and psychological well-being, brain health tends to be associated with physical well-being. However, it's important to recognise that mental and physical health are closely linked – when one is affected, the other is impacted as well.
Today, we explore how you can implement small lifestyle changes that will benefit both your brain and mental health.
The Big Idea: Should We Drop The Distinction Between Mental and Physical Health?
We believe that physical and mental health should not be thought of separately. If we think about how the brain controls our body and emotions it is clear that poor mental health can have a detrimental impact on physical health and vice versa.
So why is there such a clear distinction between them? The Guardian explores this question and offers insights into the potential benefits of losing this distinction.
🧠 Brain tips and tricks
Eat a diverse range of foods - The gut microbiome has a huge part to play when it comes to the human brain and many studies have identified links between the gut microbiome and mental health. A diet consisting of different food types could lead to a more diverse microbiome, benefitting overall health. (Studies: PMID:35236957, PMID: 27110483)
Prioritise regular exercise over occasional intense workouts - Exercise can improve cognitive processes and memory, as well as have antidepressant effects. Moderate and regular exercise has shown to have a higher impact and efficacy over acute and heavy bouts of activity. (Study PMID: 31533339)
Aim for over 7 hours of sleep per night - Improving your quality of sleep could lead to improved mental health. (Study PMID: 34607184)
It’s important to us that we always use validated scientific research to support what we do. We’ve linked the above articles to their peer-reviewed research studies so you can delve more into the research, if you’d like to.
🗞 Brain health in the news
MYndspan partners with Clerkenwell Health to support the development of clinical psychedelic treatments - 1 in 4 people in the UK will experience a mental health concern in their lifetime. Our brain scanning technology will help improve the understanding of how psychedelics impact the brain
Introducing mental health gyms - Approaching mental health through a traditional fitness lens could help reduce the stigma that stops millions of adults from seeking help
Government of Canada increases funding to support brain health research - The Canadian government announces increased funding for projects developing new approaches to treat neurological illnesses, and those which study the factors that contribute to mental health challenges in young people
🎧 What to listen to
Dr Robin Carhart-Harris: The Science of Psychedelics for Mental Health - In this episode of Huberman Lab, Dr Robin Carhart-Harris discusses how psychedelic therapies can change the human brain and, in doing so, be used to successfully treat mental health conditions.
MYndspan does not provide medical advice. The content of this newsletter is not intended to substitute professional medical advice and is not to be used for the diagnosis, cure, management, prevention, or treatment of any disease or condition.
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