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| Physical health |
Physical health
To think clearly you need a healthy brain, and a healthy brain works best in a healthy body.
Air
Your brain needs lots of oxygen, so clean air and strong lungs are important for clear thinking. Your brain consumes about twenty percent of the oxygen that your lungs deliver to your blood, even though your brain represents a much smaller fraction of your body mass. A good oxygen supply to your brain starts with deep breathing in clean fresh air. Avoid polluted air. Take any steps you can to manage asthma as well as any other allergies that affect your breathing.
The habit of smoking cigarettes impedes your breathing in at least two significant ways: it coats the lining of your lungs with soot and tar thus reducing their efficiency; and it increases the amount of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide in your lungs, further reducing their ability to absorb oxygen. For clear thinking, the habit of smoking cigarettes should be replaced by deep breathing in clean air. Even second hand smoke can be detrimental to your lung efficiency.
Whenever possible, do your thinking in environments with good air circulation. If you work in a closed room with poor ventilation, the amount of oxygen in the air tends to decrease while the amount of carbon dioxide increases. For example, the traditional business meeting in a closed room with several people exhaling carbon dioxide and possibly smoking, tends to become less productive the longer the meeting lasts.
Water
Our bodies are about ninety percent water by weight. Blood, lymph, and spinal fluid are all based on water. Every cell in your body is filled with a fluid that is mostly water. Water provides the principal medium for transporting substances around your body. Molecules move across fluid filled cells. Blood and lymph circulate around your body delivering nutrients and collecting waste. Most of the body’s fluids are recirculated, but about two litres are excreted each day. Thus, for good health and clear thinking, you need to drink at least as much as you excrete. A little extra water can take some pressure off the filtering systems. You should drink a minimum of two litres of clean water, free of contaminants and bacteria, every day.
Food
Good nutrition is a basic step towards clear thinking. Your body requires food for energy and for the maintenance of cell functions. Nutritious foods that are relatively easy to digest supply that need for energy. In particular, nerve cells and brain cells need glucose for energy. Your body also needs small, but important daily doses of vitamins and minerals.
There is still much debate about which specific foods and supplements may be most effective in boosting brain development and performance. There is general agreement that omega-3 acids found in fish and flax seed do support neural activity.
Exercise
Regular exercise helps to promote clear thinking. Exercise helps keep your body functioning properly. Exercise and muscle action support the action of the digestive system; and help with the circulation of blood, breathing, and the more sluggish circulation of the lymphatic system.
Rest
Rest is another factor that affects health and clear thinking. While the biology and psychology of sleep are subjects of continued research, few would disagree that a good night’s sleep helps you feel alert and energized. There are also indications that the regular cycles of sleep and dreaming are a factor in establishing long-term memories. The average adult needs 6 to 8 hours of sleep for optimal functioning during waking hours. (The properties of sleep are considered in more detail in section 6.3.)
Head protection
Protecting your head seems like an obvious thing to do, but according to the Brain Injury Association of America over one and a half million Americans suffer from a traumatic brain injury in any given year, and 80 000 of those people are left with a long term disability.
Your brain is a delicate structure, and although it is encased in the bones of your skull it is still susceptible to impact injuries. When your head suddenly changes direction, your brain can slam into the inside of your skull causing a concussion, and other physical damage.
The commonest causes of brain injury are automobile collisions, sports collisions, tripping and falling, and battle injuries. Automobile injuries can be reduced by driving defensively, driving a car with front and side impact air bags, and wearing seatbelts.
Head injuries from sports activity can be reduced by following safety guidelines and wearing protective headgear. Head injuries from falls around the home can be reduced by removing tripping hazards, by developing the habit of checking your footing as you move about, and by practising balance exercises with activities such as Tai-Chi. Probably the best way to minimize head injuries from combat is to use clear thinking to reduce the need for using force to resolve issues.
First aid
Simple knowledge and skills in first aid can reduce other risks to your body. Hand washing is the simplest, and often the most effective, way to prevent infections that can damage any part of your body including your brain. A very high fever lasting over several hours can lead to brain damage. Your brain can be damaged if it is deprived of oxygen for just five or six minutes, so learning the techniques of artificial respiration might allow you to save someone’s life and help preserve their brain power. Shock and heat stroke are two other relatively common conditions that can affect the brain, but the effects can often be mitigated with simple first aid.
In summary, taking common sense precautions to care for your body, head, and brain are fundamental steps towards clear thinking.
To think clearly you need a healthy brain, and a healthy brain works best in a healthy body.
Air
Your brain needs lots of oxygen, so clean air and strong lungs are important for clear thinking. Your brain consumes about twenty percent of the oxygen that your lungs deliver to your blood, even though your brain represents a much smaller fraction of your body mass. A good oxygen supply to your brain starts with deep breathing in clean fresh air. Avoid polluted air. Take any steps you can to manage asthma as well as any other allergies that affect your breathing.
The habit of smoking cigarettes impedes your breathing in at least two significant ways: it coats the lining of your lungs with soot and tar thus reducing their efficiency; and it increases the amount of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide in your lungs, further reducing their ability to absorb oxygen. For clear thinking, the habit of smoking cigarettes should be replaced by deep breathing in clean air. Even second hand smoke can be detrimental to your lung efficiency.
Whenever possible, do your thinking in environments with good air circulation. If you work in a closed room with poor ventilation, the amount of oxygen in the air tends to decrease while the amount of carbon dioxide increases. For example, the traditional business meeting in a closed room with several people exhaling carbon dioxide and possibly smoking, tends to become less productive the longer the meeting lasts.
Water
Our bodies are about ninety percent water by weight. Blood, lymph, and spinal fluid are all based on water. Every cell in your body is filled with a fluid that is mostly water. Water provides the principal medium for transporting substances around your body. Molecules move across fluid filled cells. Blood and lymph circulate around your body delivering nutrients and collecting waste. Most of the body’s fluids are recirculated, but about two litres are excreted each day. Thus, for good health and clear thinking, you need to drink at least as much as you excrete. A little extra water can take some pressure off the filtering systems. You should drink a minimum of two litres of clean water, free of contaminants and bacteria, every day.
Food
Good nutrition is a basic step towards clear thinking. Your body requires food for energy and for the maintenance of cell functions. Nutritious foods that are relatively easy to digest supply that need for energy. In particular, nerve cells and brain cells need glucose for energy. Your body also needs small, but important daily doses of vitamins and minerals.
There is still much debate about which specific foods and supplements may be most effective in boosting brain development and performance. There is general agreement that omega-3 acids found in fish and flax seed do support neural activity.
Exercise
Regular exercise helps to promote clear thinking. Exercise helps keep your body functioning properly. Exercise and muscle action support the action of the digestive system; and help with the circulation of blood, breathing, and the more sluggish circulation of the lymphatic system.
Rest
Rest is another factor that affects health and clear thinking. While the biology and psychology of sleep are subjects of continued research, few would disagree that a good night’s sleep helps you feel alert and energized. There are also indications that the regular cycles of sleep and dreaming are a factor in establishing long-term memories. The average adult needs 6 to 8 hours of sleep for optimal functioning during waking hours. (The properties of sleep are considered in more detail in section 6.3.)
Head protection
Protecting your head seems like an obvious thing to do, but according to the Brain Injury Association of America over one and a half million Americans suffer from a traumatic brain injury in any given year, and 80 000 of those people are left with a long term disability.
Your brain is a delicate structure, and although it is encased in the bones of your skull it is still susceptible to impact injuries. When your head suddenly changes direction, your brain can slam into the inside of your skull causing a concussion, and other physical damage.
The commonest causes of brain injury are automobile collisions, sports collisions, tripping and falling, and battle injuries. Automobile injuries can be reduced by driving defensively, driving a car with front and side impact air bags, and wearing seatbelts.
Head injuries from sports activity can be reduced by following safety guidelines and wearing protective headgear. Head injuries from falls around the home can be reduced by removing tripping hazards, by developing the habit of checking your footing as you move about, and by practising balance exercises with activities such as Tai-Chi. Probably the best way to minimize head injuries from combat is to use clear thinking to reduce the need for using force to resolve issues.
First aid
Simple knowledge and skills in first aid can reduce other risks to your body. Hand washing is the simplest, and often the most effective, way to prevent infections that can damage any part of your body including your brain. A very high fever lasting over several hours can lead to brain damage. Your brain can be damaged if it is deprived of oxygen for just five or six minutes, so learning the techniques of artificial respiration might allow you to save someone’s life and help preserve their brain power. Shock and heat stroke are two other relatively common conditions that can affect the brain, but the effects can often be mitigated with simple first aid.
In summary, taking common sense precautions to care for your body, head, and brain are fundamental steps towards clear thinking.
