How to help your brain let go and regain health during the holidays

The summer period which opens should allow the lucky ones who will go on vacation to recharge their batteries, by blowing at the seaside, at the foot of the mountains or at the bottom of a countryside. While generally a few days are enough to get rid of physical fatigue, intellectual and psychological fatigue is more pernicious. It certainly did not fail to accumulate over this very special year, during which many French people had to juggle teleworking and children, while managing the anxieties linked to the health context. What if you (also) take advantage of these holidays to pamper your brain, alone, with family or friends?

Friday guest from Without an appointment on Europe 1, Philippe Amouyel, professor of public health at the Lille University Hospital and director of the Alzheimer’s foundation, detailed some little habits to take care of your brain… without breaking your head!

Favor oily fish

A healthy brain is a brain that is well nourished by a balanced diet. “We realize that all people who consume what is called a Mediterranean diet, or Cretan diet, generally have much less memory impairment as they age and even, in some cases, less Alzheimer’s disease”, notes Philippe Amouyel.

Favor foods rich in omega-3, for example fish, and in particular oily fish such as salmon, herring or sardines. A word of advice with these: do not throw away the oil in which they have marinated, because omega-3s tend to accumulate there. Use it, for example, to dress a slice of bread or to season a salad.

Slow down your alcohol consumption

Have you missed the aperitifs in the cool, on the terrace or in the garden? Rest assured, to us too. Painfully ! But the end of health restrictions and the return of good weather should not push you to excess. “Alcohol and tobacco consumption have an impact on the brain”, emphasizes our guest. “When you take a little bit of alcohol, after four or five minutes, you have a slight feeling of relaxation, which shows that this substance goes directly into your cerebellum and into your brain. alcohol long damages the blood-brain barrier which protects our brain from all that is toxic and which has already passed into our blood “, he explains.

How to adapt your consumption without completely depriving yourself? “I would say no more than 7 to 8 glasses per week”, replies Philippe Amouyel.

Maintain intellectual activity

“During the holidays, you have to rest well, sleep well. But the brain hates rest. To be well, to be in shape, it needs to work,” continues this doctor. “Not necessarily hard work, but work that you do with pleasure.” For example by indulging in reading. If taking the 20 volumes of Rougon-Macquart in your luggage does not excite you, a few magazines, read on the beach or in a deckchair, will suffice. “As long as you read, you stimulate several dimensions: memories, imagination, etc.”, smiles Professor Amouyel.

If you’re not the type to take a nap, while the rest of the household is snoozing, you can also try your hand at crossword puzzles or sudoku. And how about a giant puzzle that we will try to complete before taking the road back?

Play board games

Play stimulates brain development, especially in children, but also in adults. If you are going with family or friends, slip one or two board games in your suitcase. “The game brings us to meet other people, to find a social bond, to recreate small societies, small groups, to have feelings with others. There are bad players, those who are good players, those who are who do not dare to get started, etc. “, lists Philippe Amouyel. “All of this creates brain stimulation which is extremely important and which has been greatly missed over the past year.”

Therefore, choose especially games that will force you to play as a team, while racking your brains to try and pull off the victory.