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Sun exposure, slow breathing, coffee… On his Instagram microblog, a neuroscientist with the nickname Tj Power cites the five main points of a successful morning routine for our brain:
It is time to wake up. Are you more the type to jump out of bed or spend a few extra moments under the covers? Would you rather have a coffee or just take a shower? What if we said getting sun is the first thing in the morning? This act may seem far from our normal routine, but it’s important for our brains, first thing in the morning, according to a neuroscientist known on Instagram as Tj Power. On April 8, the specialist presented his ideal morning routine in five steps.
30 minutes in sunlight
If your first instinct in the morning is to reach for the phone, then it’s time to replace this habit with 30 minutes of exposure to the sun’s rays, advises a neurologist. In a scientific article shared by a specialist, we learn that “the rate of serotonin production by the brain is directly related to the dominant duration of sunlight and increases rapidly with increasing brightness.” However, this well-known serotonin is the hormone of happiness, which especially affects mood regulation.
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Two minutes of calm breathing
The neurologist also recommends two minutes of slow breathing (less than 10 breaths per minute) every morning. According to one paper published on the National Library of Medicine website, slow breathing provides “increased comfort, relaxation. […] and decreased symptoms of agitation, anxiety, depression, anger, and confusion.
A cup of coffee
Another tip is to drink a cup of coffee in the morning. According to a review of work published in 2018, drinking three to four cups of coffee a day has many benefits, such as reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. Be careful though, it says that excessive coffee consumption is “associated with an 18% risk of incident cancer”.
Two hours of work under intense concentration
The neuroscientist then extols the virtues of “flow” in psychology, flow in French; a mental state in which a person is “fully engaged in a task,” according to a study by scientists published in 2021. The specialist advises to work. two hours, in this state of intense concentration, to complete your morning routine.
A healthy dish
The contents of our plate directly affect our mood. The neuroscientist cites a study published in 2018 confirming that the brain affects gut function and that the gut affects cognition and mental health. Furthermore, clinical evidence suggests that the microbiota, a collection of microorganisms residing in the gut, “broadly and profoundly influences gut-brain interactions (ie, mental state, emotional regulation).”
Source: Le Figaro
