The Brain Deep Dive Part 3

Top 3 Things That Support Peak Mental Health

Everyone is aware of the importance of being physically healthy, but being mentally healthy is also important. It helps us be productive and provide positive results at work, in school, and other things we engage ourselves in. 

Reaching our peak mental health also helps us enjoy life and face challenges. It gives us the feeling of comfort and self-assurance. Dr. Diane Harner joined us again for the third part of The Brain Deep Dive, where she discussed the top three things to optimize your mental health. She explained in-detail why these things are essential and how they help us with our daily lives.

Get Enough Sleep

Sleeping helps our brain get rid of all the toxins we get from the day that just finished. It regulates our emotions and consolidates memories. When we are sleeping, we think about the things that transpired. Our dreams flash images and scenarios, it is our brain’s way of distinguishing if the events that occurred are important or not. Being able to sleep well refreshes us and prepares us for what the next day brings.

Are you having problems sleeping? Here are some tips you can follow to resolve your sleeping issues:

• Convince yourself to go to sleep - Make a conscious effort to go to dreamland.
  
• Change your sleeping habits - It’s time for you to make adjustments if you’re getting less than 8 hours of sleep, seven to nine hours per night is recommended for adults to function well the next day.
  
• Reduce lights - The light in your surroundings affect the production of melatonin, a hormone found in your body that regulates your sleep-wake cycle. Darkness triggers the body to produce more melatonin signals to our body to go to sleep. Light, on the other hand, decreases melatonin which keeps the body awake.
  
• Engage in relaxing activities - Yoga, meditation, listening to music, and reading are some of the activities that you can try to help both your body and mind relax.
  

Make Time for Exercise

Tiring yourself through exercising is linked to sleeping. It’s a lot easier to sleep when the body feels tired. Exercising doesn’t feel good when you’re doing it but you will feel the positive effects physically and mentally afterward.

Exercising stimulates endorphins, a chemical naturally produced by our body to handle stress and pain. It’s also referred to as “feel good” chemicals because they boost happiness and lessen the pain in our body. Exercising prevents other conditions such as dementia, depression, and anxiety. 

Establish Connections

Building good relationships with the people around you provides joy, support, and assurance. Connections are important for our mental health because it protects us from depression and anxiety.

Also, engaging in physical interactions such as hugging, kissing, and even a simple pat on the shoulder stimulates oxytocin, a hormone which is often called the “love hormone.” Oxytocin helps prevent conditions including depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and anorexia.


Dr. Harner also stated the importance of refraining from chemical substances. Those won’t be needed if you’re doing the things mentioned. These are just some tips you can follow. There’s a lot of stuff you can do to be mentally healthy. Just make sure to practice them consistently to be at your A-game.

Make sure to catch the next #SplashofColour podcast available on Spotify, iTunes, and YouTube.