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(阅读时间⼤约为3分钟。Approximate reading time 3 minutes)
我们总以为脑力是⼀个与生俱来的东西，就如同我们的鼻子和手⼀样，没什么可以改变的。但现代科学已经把这个理论推翻了。其实你的⼤脑所具有的潜力是你一生都无法完全开发的。不管你年龄多大，你都可以⽣长新的脑细胞，组建新的神经链接。也就是说，只要你肯尝试和努力，你的⼤脑可以变得更强更快。今天和⼤家分享5个基于我的研究和经验的贴士。
We always consider our brain power as part of the fixed properties we were born with. As our our nose or hands, there is really not much we can do. But modern science has completely debunked this. In fact, your brain has much more potential than you can ever develop in your life time. Your brain can create new cells and new connections, and it can do this no matter how old you are. In other words, you can think better and faster, if you want to, and work at it. Today I want to share 5 tips to boost your brain power, based on research and also my experience of improving my own brain health.
1.
重视睡眠的重要性
Take sleep seriously
I used to think sleep is such a waste of time, and I would be the first one to try the pill if one is ever invented to make sleep obsolete. But the more I understand about sleep, the more worried I became about all the sleep debt I have accumulated and the more I realize how necessary it is to pay that sleep debt off.
睡眠是我们的⼤脑得以清理的时间。这个排毒的过程对于我们的脑健康极其重要。就如同⼀个充满污物的车不会开得很顺畅，⼀个得不到清理的⼤脑也不可能⾼效运⾏。
Sleep is the time when our brain gets cleaned up. This detoxification process is extremely important for maintaining brain health. Just as a car with a lot of gunk cannot run properly, a brain without constant cleaning won’t run very well either.
你知道吗？你的大脑在睡觉的时候会缩小约60%？是的！毒素和垃圾被从⼤脑里排出来的时候，大脑会缩小这么多！你有可能知道我们的身体有⼀个淋巴系统，但不是很多⼈知道我们还有⼀个“类淋巴系统”。这个是相当新的发现，以⾄于我在写这篇⽂章的时候，系统的字典都不认识英⽂的“类淋巴”这个字。在你睡觉的时候， 类淋巴系统会将液体输送到⼤脑组织里，将垃圾和毒素冲洗出来，再将其输送到身体的循环系统，最终到达肝部进⾏处理。为了让这个过程更为高效，脑细胞会⼤⼤缩小，在清理过程完成之后，它们会恢复到原来的样子。
Do you know your brain actually shrinks by as much as 60% when you sleep? Yes, that’s true. That’s what happens when the toxins are literally being flushed out. You may know we have a lymphatic system, but not many people know we also have a glymphatic system. This is so new that the system dictionary does not even recognize the word “glymphatic” as I type it. During sleep, the glymphatic system sends fluid through brain’s tissue, flushing out the waste and neurotoxins and transporting them to the circulatory system, which eventually will go to the liver to be processed. In order to do this efficiently, the brain shrinks so it is easier for the fluid to circulate through the tissue. After it is cleaned, the brain cells will return to the normal size.
睡眠对于健康的重要性，尤其是脑健康，太过重要，⼀定要重视！给自⼰尽量多的高质量睡眠。
The importance of sleep for our health, especially brain health, cannot be overstated. Take it seriously! Get as much quality sleep as you can.
2.
饮食适当
Get your diet right
饮食方面，最为重要的是减少糖的摄入。阿尔茨海默症被称为“三型糖尿病”是有原因的。紧跟着糖类的是淀粉类，这包括⾕物和根茎类蔬菜等。淀粉进⼊⼈体内就会被转换成糖份。所以，如果你不吃精制面粉，少吃其它的淀粉类食物，你就给你的大脑帮了⼀个大忙。
When it comes to diet, the most important thing you can do for your brain health is to limit your sugar intake. Alzheimer’s disease is coined “Type 3” diabetes for good reasons. Something that’s right up there after sugar is starch. That includes the starch in grain and root vegetable, etc. Starch is turned into sugar in your body. Therefore, if you take white flour out of your diet and limit other starchy foods, you are doing your brain a big favor.
多吃各种颜⾊的蔬菜和⽔果。它们所含的“多酚”对于控制慢性炎症极其有效，而慢性炎症是促发神经衰退性疾病的因素之⼀。
Include a lot of colored vegetables and fruits in your diet. Polyphenols in these plants help reduce inflammation, which is a big contributor to neurodegenerative diseases.
多吃有益的脂肪类，比如坚果，种子类，含脂类⾼的鱼，牛油果，椰子，橄榄油，草饲的⾁类，野⽣海鲜等。
Include a lot of healthy fats in your diet. nuts, seeds, fatty fish, avocados, coconuts, olive oil, grass-fed meat, wild seafood, etc.
我还推荐食用⼀些⾼质量的欧米伽三的保健品，比如鱼油或者海藻油。
It is also worthwhile to add high quality omega-3 supplements from fish oil or algae.
3.
运动，运动，运动
Exercise, exercise, exercise
运动对于健康的好处多多：增强肌⾁，骨骼，调整情绪，帮助消化，保持年轻活力，还有就是它可以让你的头脑更为灵活！
The benefits of exercise are multi-faceted. It is good for your muscle, your bone, your mood, your digestion, to stay young and vibrant. And, it is great to boost your brain power!
运动让你的心跳加速，可以输送更多的氧气到脑部。同时它也会让身体分泌适当的荷尔蒙，刺激⼤脑⽣长更多的细胞，组建更多的链接。
Exercise increases your heart rate and pumps more oxygen to your brain. It also helps release certain hormones in the body that stimulates the brain to grow more cells and make more cell connections.
BDNF (Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor)， 脑源性神经营养因⼦，被称作⼤脑的肥料。它是⼤脑中的⼀种蛋白质，对维持细胞健康和⽣长新细胞⾄关重要。BDNF水平太低会导致抑郁，焦虑，记忆⼒衰退和脑退化。较⾼的BDNF则可提⾼认知能力，改善记忆力。而运动会增加你的BDNF⽔平！
BDNF, Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor, is considered brain’s fertilizer. It is a protein found in the brain that is critical to maintain cell health and grow new cells. Low level of BDNF is associated with depression, anxiety, poor memory and brain degeneration. Higher BDNF is associated with cognitive improvement. Guess what? Exercise increases your BDNF levels!
4.
学点新东西
Learn something new
“你⼀旦不用，就会不能”这样的道理同样适用于我们的⼤脑。你停⽌学习的时候就是你的大脑开始死亡的时候。给自⼰来点挑战，学习⼀些你不熟悉的，从未尝试过的东西。这对于⼤脑建立以前⽆法进⾏的链接非常有帮助。⼀样乐器，⼀门新语⾔，⼀项新技能都是不错的主意。
The old saying “if you don’t use it, you lose it” applies to our brains as well. When you stop learning, your brain starts dying. Challenge yourself to learn something new, something out of your comfort zone, something you have never tried before. This is great for the brain to make connections that it could not make before. A music instrument, a new language, a new skill are all great ideas.
我刚开始⼯作时学了⼀点钢琴，后来放弃了。女儿开始上钢琴课后，我决定重新把它拾起来。所以每次女儿上课我也跟着蹭课。当然还有⼀个好处就是我可以帮她练琴。但我得承认，两年多后，我从她的陪练老师变成了对⼿，因为她已经赶上我了！不管怎么样，学习钢琴让我的头脑更为灵活，这已经⾜以让我坚持下去。
I learned a little piano when I just started working, but later dropped it. When my daughter started piano class, I decided to pick it up. So I’ve tagged along ever since for my free piano class. The added benefit was also being able to help my daughter practice. But I have to say, more than two years later, I’ve turned from her practice teacher into a rival because I cannot keep up with her any more! In any case, the fact that I’m doing it to keep my brain in good shape is enough to keep me going.
5.
远离毒素
Stay away from toxins
如今，我们⽣活中毒素的种类，数量和来源令⼈难以置信。它在我们的空⽓里，食物里，药物里（是的，医⽣给你开的那些药），家庭清洁用品里，护肤产品里。也可能在口腔中的银⾊填充物里，墙上的油漆里，浴室的霉点里。可以说毒素⽆处不在。
The number, amount and sources of toxins in our lives are truly mind-boggling these days. It is in our air, in our food, in our medicine (yes, the pills your doctor gives you), in our household cleaning items, in our skin care products. It could also be in the silver filling in your mouth, in the new paints you put on the wall, in the mold in your bathroom. It is everywhere.
我们的身体有自⼰的内置排毒系统。但这个系统绝不是为我们现在所经受的毒素轰炸所设计的。当我们身体的排毒系统不堪重负而无法应对时，我们就会感到疲劳，脑⼦混沌，记忆⼒减退，甚⾄患上非常严重的疾病。毒素不仅会让你⽣病，它还会让你迟钝，因为它会破坏身体的荷尔蒙，损伤⼤脑。
Our body has its own build-in detoxification system. But it is never designed to handle the amount of toxins we are bombarded now. When our body’s detoxification system is overwhelm and cannot handle it, we could get fatigue, brain fog, memory problem, or even very serious diseases. Toxins not only makes you sick, it makes you dumb, because it also disrupts hormones and damages the brain.
毒素确实无法完全避免，但我们还是可以尽力保护自己和家⼈：在家里使用空气净化器，在室外有必要时戴口罩，尽可能多吃有机食品，在可能的情况下尽量用自然疗法替代处方药，使用天然清洁和护肤产品。
Yes, it is pretty much unavoidable, but we can do our best to protect ourselves and our family: use air purifier in your home, wear a mask outside if needed, eat as much organic as possible, go for natural remedy instead of prescription drugs when you can, use natural and toxin free cleaning and skin care products.
和生活方式相关的最常见的两种毒素来源是酒精和烟草。酒精损害的不仅仅是你的肝，它还会杀死你的脑细胞。烟草损害的不仅仅是你的肺，它还会毒害你的⼤脑。因此，如果你经常抽烟喝酒的话，制定⼀个计划来减少和停⽌对它们的依赖。你的⼤脑会感谢你的。
The two most common sources of lifestyle toxins are alcohol and tobacco. Alcohol not only damages your liver, it kills your brain cells. Tobacco not only damages your lungs, it poisons your brain as well. So if you do these two things regularly, make a plan to work on quitting. Your brain will thank you.
我们的大脑对于我们的身份认知⾄关重要。它保存着我们的人生记忆。它决定了我们如何思考。如果你可以有⼀个更快更强大的头脑，那你是不是可以实现更多更⾼远的目标？2021年初始，我们祝愿所有的读者更健康的身体，更多的个人成长，更为强大有力的头脑！
Our brain is such a big part of our identity. It holds our memories. It dictates how we think. Imagine how much you can achieve with a faster and sharper brain. At the beginning at 2021, we wish all our readers a year of good health, more growth, and, a brighter brain!
