The benefits of detox

What is a mental detox?
A mental detox will help preserve health and wellbeing. The processes of our brains are influenced by a range of toxins that can affect and impair the functioning of the entire nervous system. As a result, adopting healthy practices that aid mental detox can help prevent mental illness and improve mental function.

Why is a mental detox important?
Toxins are compounds that have adverse effects on cells’ function or structure. Many can damage the nervous system, making the need for a mental detox essential. The blood/brain barrier is a capillary network that protects the nervous system from harmful toxins. However, some can still pass through it and over time impair function and structure.

Toxins that can impact the nervous system and cause damage over time include:
Heavy metals: lead, mercury, calcium, arsenic, nickel and aluminium
Chemicals: formaldehyde, toluene, benzene
Drugs and alcohol
Food additives
Internally produced chemicals such as endotoxins

Optimising your brain function with a mental detox can help protect against mental health disorders as well as age-related diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.

Brain detox
To ensure a successful mental detox there is range of healthy lifestyle practices you can follow.

Exercise, both physical and mental, is beneficial for a detox. Aerobic exercise or weight training helps calm the mind and improve oxygen levels in the body’s tissues. Mental exercises in the form of study and doing puzzles such as crosswords assist with brain stimulation. It is also best to avoid stimulants such as caffeine, nicotine and other stimulants, as well as liver toxins. Along with this, relaxation of any kind, including yoga and meditation, also helps to produce beneficial results for a mental detox.

Brain food
A mental detox diet containing foods that benefit the brain can assist in improving mental clarity, concentration, motivation and memory.
Plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables are essential for good brain functioning. Omega-3 fatty acids found in oily fish such as sardines, mackerel, salmon and tuna are beneficial for improved brain function. These also assist with normal brain development in unborn babies and infants. Essential fatty acids found in flaxseeds, macadamia nuts and avocado further improve communication between the brain and cells. Wholegrains are also beneficial for a healthy nervous system.

Sleep for health
Sleep plays a vital role in detoxification. During sleep the detoxification process becomes more effective. Sleep allows the breakdown of toxic wastes to begin and other nightly processes, such as healing, repair, immune function, growth, emotional processing, memory consolidation and learning, to be attended to.

Plenty of refreshing sleep allows time to build up the body’s reserves and aids in the proper functioning of the brain and nervous system.