The health of your brain (and your entire body) is directly related to your habits more than you know. Some of your worst habits can make it hard for your brain to do its job, negatively affecting every other system in your body. Here are some of the worst practices you should nix so your brain can stay healthy and keep your whole body functioning properly.

It’s not just your body that can suffer from bad habits. Here are some of the worst practices for your brain:

• Binge drinking/Alcohol abuse.

Alcohol is a depressant, meaning it slows down your brain. Over time, binge drinking can make it harder for you to remember things and focus on the task at hand.

Heavy alcohol consumption has been linked to cognitive impairment, especially among older adults who drink heavily over many years. One study found that heavy drinkers who stopped drinking could recover lost memory skills after giving up alcohol within a year. But if you continue to drink at high levels, expect long-term damage to occur quickly and irreversibly.

• Skipping meals.

When you skip meals, your body releases cortisol, which triggers the “fight or flight” response and makes you more likely to snap at others or experience mood swings.

• Checking email/texts too often during meetings/class/etc.

When you’re constantly checking your phone during class or meetings, it’s hard to pay attention because you’re always anticipating an incoming text or email — which could be distracting or even annoying if someone texts you something irrelevant during class (like asking where the bathroom is).

• Stress

Chronic stress has been linked to depression and even Alzheimer’s disease. It can also negatively affect the prefrontal cortex, which controls executive functions such as decision-making, planning, and impulse control — so it’s important to learn how to manage stress effectively.

• Smoking

Smoking lowers blood flow to the brain and increases pressure inside the skull. It also causes nerve damage and reduces the oxygen supply to the brain.

• Consumption of Processed and Refined Foods

Processed foods contain high amounts of sodium, trans fats (which increase bad cholesterol), artificial ingredients, preservatives, and saturated fats (which increase bad cholesterol).

The excess sodium in processed foods causes water retention in your body — which can lead to bloating — and may also raise blood pressure over time if consumed regularly. These factors, combined with trans fats and saturated fats, will cause an increased risk for heart disease over time and other health problems like obesity and diabetes by increasing inflammation in your body.

Eating foods high in saturated fat because they taste good, then regretting it later because they don’t feel so good when our bodies process them into cholesterol and other toxins that can damage the heart and arteries over time.

• High Sugar Consumption

Sugar is very addictive, and overeating of it can cause blood glucose levels to spike. This can lead to low energy levels and fatigue. Sugar makes you feel hungry sooner after eating, which means you’re likely to eat more than you would typically if you weren’t consuming sugar.

• Lack Of Exercise

A lack of exercise can decrease brain volume, which means your brain won’t work as well as otherwise. Exercise also helps boost mood, reduce stress levels, and improve sleep quality — all things that help keep your brain sharp in old age.

• Drug Abuse

Using illicit drugs like cocaine or methamphetamines (speed). These drugs disrupt normal communication between nerve cells in your brain by blocking receptors on them or stimulating them too much — causing abnormal signals to be sent between cells that can result in hallucinations or paranoia (if taken in high doses).

• Skipping breakfast

Skipping breakfast is linked to an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. A study published in the journal Neurology found that people who ate breakfast regularly were less likely to develop dementia than those who skipped it. Breakfast eaters also had lower diabetes, heart disease, and stroke rates. The reason behind this connection is that skipping breakfast can cause blood sugar levels to drop, which can lead to mood swings and fatigue, as well as cognitive problems like memory loss.

• Keeping a messy desk

A messy desk isn’t bad for your productivity; it’s also bad for your brain health. The constant clutter creates stress and anxiety, which negatively impacts your ability to focus and process information effectively — both key ingredients for retaining new memories and learning new skills. Studies have shown that having an organized workspace boosts creativity and productivity, while a cluttered space makes it harder to focus on tasks because it takes up more mental energy than you.

• Staring at screens all-day

We’ve already discussed the dangers of staring at screens all day long, but it’s worth repeating here because most people don’t realize how much damage they’re doing to their brains by looking at digital devices.

Research shows that constantly staring at devices can cause eye strain, headaches, and fatigue — all symptoms associated with poor circulation in the eyes that occur due to too much screen exposure. These symptoms will eventually lead to vision problems like blurred or double vision if left untreated.

The point of this article is to shed light on what your bad habits are without judging you for having them. The best way to improve yourself is to be aware of what bad practices you have so you can stop doing them.

Whether it’s social media addiction or using your phone in bed before sleep, these habits can wear your brain down and make it less productive.