How to Increase Blood Flow to the Brain

Insufficient blood circulation to the brain can lead to many mental issues, from mild to serious. But there are many ways to increase blood flow. Your brain is only 2% of your total body weight, yet receives 15 to 20% of the total blood supply. ( 1 ) There’s a lot going on up there, so your brain requires a disproportionate amount of energy and nutrients. A steady flow of blood delivers life-giving oxygen plus glucose, vitamins, amino acids, minerals, and other nutrients your brain needs to survive and thrive. Brain blood circulation also carries away things your brain doesn’t need such as carbon dioxide, toxins, and metabolic waste products. The blood supply keeps your brain hydrated — critical since your brain is over 70% water. ( 2 ) It brings your brain the hormones and neurotransmitter it needs to function and keeps your brain at a constant temperature and pH. ( 3 ) To do all this, one liter of blood flows through the 400 miles of blood vessels in your brain every minute! ( 4 ) But when circulation is restricted, brain cells suffer and can even die. There’s solid evidence that reduced cerebral blood flow puts you at risk for brain disorders like vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s. Clearly, maintaining sufficient blood circulation to the brain is of utmost importance to brain health. Symptoms of Poor Blood Flow to the Brain Common symptoms of inadequate flow to the brain include brain fog, mental fatigue, dizziness, light-headedness, memory loss, and frequent headaches. ( 5 , 6 ) Harvard researcher Dr. Datis Kharrazian, author of Why Isn’t My Brain Working? , looks for these signs of impaired cerebral blood flow in his patients: poor focus and concentration relying on caffeine or exercise to kick brain into gear unhealthy nails […]

Click here to view full article