Daily Tip #32: Neuroplasticity Through Daily Novelty
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VARSHA: ~ What if I told you that brushing your teeth with the wrong hand could actually grow new brain cells? ~[00:00:00] What if I told you that brushing your teeth with the opposite hand could actually grow new brain cells?
~What if I told you that the, whoops.~
~Interesting. Right.~
~Interesting. Right? But there's. But here's the reality. Your brain is literally shrinking if you're doing the same thing every single day. But here's the thing, your brain is literally shrinking if you're constantly doing the same thing day in and day out, and not giving it any challenge.~
~Interesting, but interesting. ~ here's the reality. Your brain is aging faster if you're doing the same thing day in and day out without any variety.
~The good news, you can reverse this. Oops. ~ The good news, you can reverse this With something so simple, you might think that I'm making it up.
~I better put this on. Do not describe. I'll do that in a second.~
~So what's actually happening in your brain when you experience something new?~
what's actually happening in your brain when you do something different, even something as small as taking a different route to work. Or using your non-dominant hand, you activate neuroplasticity, which is your brain's ability to adapt and grow.
And here's the magic novel experiences trigger the release of BDNF, which stands for brain derived neurotrophic factor. ~Think of BDNF as a fertilizer for your brain. It supports the growth of new neurons, strengthens the communication between your nerve cells. Okay?~
Think of it as fertilizer for your brain. It supports the growth of new neurons. Strengthens the communication between those neurons and protects against cognitive decline. For years, we thought you couldn't grow new [00:01:00] brain cells as an adult, but we now know that that is absolutely not true, especially in your memory center called the hippocampus.
~But here's the catch. If you're doing the same routine day in and day out every day. It is like walking through the same path in a field. The trail is worn, so nothing new grows over the walking path. The walking path, I don't think that's right. Okay,~
but here's the catch. Doing the same routine day after day is like walking the same path through a field. You create a worn trail, but nothing can really grow over there.
Over time, those unused neural pathways weaken. ~And this is process is called, ~and this process is called synaptic pruning.
When you introduce variety or novelty, you're creating new pathways, something your brain doesn't expect. It makes your brain more adaptable, more resilient, and literally helping it grow. It's like a workout for your brain. ~Your strengthening. ~The brain's need to make new connections to adapt to your new activity.
And this could be foundational to cognitive longevity and protecting against dementia As we age, ~you know, the rates of dementia are gonna like, what is it? Like quadruple or something? I don't really know. ~They are finding that the rates of dementia [00:02:00] are increasing so more and more people are gonna have dementia and it can start even as early as your forties and fifties.
~I dunno. I have to like give more and above and beyond, just give the basics, you know? It's like what's wrong with me? ~ So this leads me to your daily habit challenge. I want you to do one new thing today,
~anything, anything in your daily routine. And it doesn't have to be anything super profound. Um. It, ~and it doesn't have to even be anything super profound. Just a small switch in your daily routine ~can help strengthen, can help work out your brain, ~can help your brain exercise and help it to grow new neurons.
So for example, when you brush your teeth in the morning, use your non-dominant hand. You could try taking a different way to work.
So do some different things that just fit seamlessly into your routine. ~Oh, whatever. Okay.~
Take a different path for your walk park in a different spot than you normally do. Listen to some new music and a genre you never experienced. Try a new spice in your cooking.
Try using your non-dominant hand for other tasks like. Stirring your coffee,
and [00:03:00] certainly it could go big time and ~try to learn, ~try to learn a few words in a foreign language. Do something new today and pick something that fits easily into your routine so you don't have to think too hard about it. And then you can continue to pick new activities that continue to work your brain in different ways.
From a functional medicine standpoint, one of the root causes of accelerated aging and chronic disease is neuroinflammation and oxidative stress in the brain. So when you keep your brains engaged, learning and growing, we're actually reducing inflammation ~and BDNF, remember that that substance that I mentioned earlier.~
~And,~
~and ~BDNF that I mentioned earlier, which is like fertilizer for your brain. Remember, it doesn't just come from novelty. There are other things that can affect it. So you also wanna make sure that your lifestyle supports it. Things that decrease BDNF or stress poor sleep. Blood sugar dysregulation and being sedentary.
So things that raise it are exercise, especially strength [00:04:00] training and aerobic training, Omega-3 and good quality sleep. And then of course, the daily habit challenge for today, novelty and learning. So if you wanna protect your brain long term, it's not just about doing new things, it's about creating an environment where your brain can thrive.
And today's Daily Habit Challenge is free. ~It's unlike, ~ it doesn't take a whole lot of effort, and you can start right now. So commit to your one new thing and drop it in the comments what you decided to do. I'd be interested to hear. I hope you found this helpful.
~And there are some free downloadables and the dis. ~ check out the description below. There are some free downloadables that you may find helpful. ~Please follow subscribe. And share. ~ Please follow, subscribe, and share. Thanks for listening or watching, and have a fantastic day.
