The human brain is one of the most complex systems in nature, but it is also relatively fragile.

The balances you need to stay in a good state of health can be altered by a wide variety of situations and, in particular, are greatly affected by the harmful habits that destroy our neurons.

Just as our nerve cells are involved in thousands of processes that influence our lives, what we do and the routines we adopt also condition the well-being of the neurons. And, since there are so many in our brain, sometimes we don’t realize that we are gradually leaving many of them behind, more than would be normal for our age.

That’s why knowing these habits that destroy neurons is important if we want to stay in good health in the present and in the future.

Main habits that destroy neurons

This list of routines and habits that damage the health of our brain contains actions and states that, by omission or commission, wear down our mental capacities, some of them in the short term and regardless of the permanent damage they cause. Let’s see what they are.

1. Stress

Stress not only makes us feel bad, it also destroys brain cells, especially if it becomes chronic.

This occurs because this state is associated with a large release of cortisol, a hormone that is used to divert resources to the biological processes that give more importance to the here and now in order to get out of urgent problems. One of the side effects of the large amounts of cortisol is that the neurons are more neglected and, in addition, the immune system is weakened .

2. Lack of sleep

There is a lot of research linking prolonged lack of sleep to neuron death and the decline of some parts of the brain, including the hippocampus.

This kind of damage produces, in the long term, memory problems , and also affects the ability to concentrate.

3. Monotony

Lifestyles based on monotony make the variety of ways in which neurons connect with each other more limited, and this causes the less used ones to end up dying. It’s as simple as that: nerve cells that cannot be harnessed disappear .

4. Taking drugs

This is one of the best known effects of drugs. Chemical addiction causes all mental functions to be directed towards obtaining a new dose, neglecting the maintenance tasks of the nervous system. On the other hand, the interference of foreign substances in the functioning of the neurons causes many of them to age and die prematurely.

5. Tobacco use

Technically, tobacco is a drug so this should not surprise us: that it is legal does not imply that it is not harmful . Its substances are capable of generating a very serious addiction and permanently damage our neurons.

6. Breathing in contaminated environments

The brain is one of the most resource-consuming sets of organs in the human body . A large amount of the toxic particles that we absorb daily will end up there, despite the fact that the blood-brain barrier protects us from many of them.

7. Dehydrate

When we notice that we are thirsty, it is important to quench it as soon as possible, otherwise our body will start drawing water from the cells of our body , causing some of them to die. And yes, from the neurons too.

8. Working with a fever

When we are ill we are particularly vulnerable, and any activity that requires effort can force our organism so much that permanent damage is produced at a microscopic level. In these situations, it is much better to let them take care of us and stop worrying about secondary issues.

Healthier living to maintain brain health

In short, there are many negative day-to-day habits that damage our neurons. Although at first we may think that a carefree lifestyle that does not take into account health harms the body and that is it, it is necessary to remember that our brain is part of that body . They are not two separate things, just as there is no fundamental distinction between mind and matter; in psychology and science in general, dualism has been discarded.

That is why a healthy life will have a positive impact on the appearance of our body and on the good state of our mental functions, even though the effects on the latter are not immediately noticed and are more concealed by the lack of a mirror in which to check their state. Avoiding these neuron-destroying habits can be a good start to living better .