Brain Fundamental Functions

 Annually Seth Perler hosts an online summit about executive function. Alan P Brown's speech about the Brain's 3 fundamental needs. He shared what are the basic needs of the brain- nutrition, exercise and sleep. His research related to people diagnosed with ADHD often are not doing a good job of meeting the needs of their brains.

From a nutrition standpoint brains need protein. Snacks and meals should include protein. Nuts, hard boiled eggs, cheese, yogurt, humus, nut butters are all examples of things that can be included with other foods to create a snack or meal that will feed your brain and help prevent crashes. Your brain needs food both glucose- from complex carbohydrates and protein for the building blocks of enzymes and neurotransmitters.

Exercise helps get blood to your brain. It does not need to be a work out in a gym, but walk outside, swim, do a series of chair based exercises. These all get your body moving and help it metabolize nutrients more efficiently. When people are sedentary, not only do they run the risk of becoming overweight with all the associated health risks of that, they find their brains may not work as well. Many people believe that 60 minutes a day is a good goal and others try to get 10,000 steps a day to see if they are active enough.

Lastly, sleep. Teens and adults need at least 8 hours of sleep a night to function well. Less sleep makes the brain work at a lower capacity. A study demonstrated that with each hour below 8 per night of sleep, there is a corresponding drop in functional IQ: 15 points for the first hour and additional points for additional lost sleep. What is the number one problem with sleep- no it is not circadian rhythms that make it hard for teens to sleep, it is cell phones. Phones have no business being in the bedroom. Get a cheap alarm clock (Amazon has some for under $10). Turn notifications off. Develop a sleep routine. Go to bed at the same time every day and wake up at the same, or nearly the same time, every day. Teens who sleep until afternoon on weekends and vacations are teens who are going to have trouble getting enough sleep. Then Alan Brown threw in the one that always gets me. A lack of sleep mimics ADHD. Before an ADHD diagnosis, a sleep evaluation should be completed to ensure that someone is getting enough sleep. If not, they should try behavioral modifications to improve sleep. If you are a parent who does not want their child to be put on medication, it is the easiest thing to try.

Rate yourself- have your kids rate themselves 1-10. Be honest. First number that comes to your head.

1. Are you eating a balanced diet?
2. Are you exercising regularly?
3. Are you getting enough sleep?

If your are not doing well in any of these areas, try to make a little change to bring the number up. Add a glass of milk at breakfast. Take the stairs instead of the elevator or park in the farthest parking space rather than the closest. Put your phone down earlier and turn off notifications so that it is not going to disturb your sleep. Try to establish a sleep routine for the weekends that is not radically different from the weekdays. Start small. Try it for a couple of weeks and see how you feel. Do you have better self-control? Are you more awake for your morning classes or meetings? Do you burn out in the mid-morning or afternoons like you did? Can you concentrate better throughout the day? Once you take one step, take another small one.