Professional Well-Being Newsletter

A weekly nudge designed to help professionals enhance their brain health and mental strength.

Well-being is a journey, not a quick fix

View past newsletters below.

Debra Austin Debra Austin

The Caffeine/Alcohol Cycle Impairs Sleep

If you regularly use alcohol in the evening and caffeine in the daytime, you may be experiencing an interaction of these substances that negatively impacts the number of hours you sleep and that harms the quality of your REM sleep cycles.

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Debra Austin Debra Austin

Reduce Sugar to Protect Brain Health

Because neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease feature the failure to clear debris and toxins from the brain, and high-sugar diets can cause the same malfunction, reducing sugar intake is likely to protect brain health.

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Debra Austin Debra Austin

Cognitive Benefits of Coffee

If you enjoy coffee, research indicates that it helps you transition from rest to activity by disengaging your automated default mode network and activating the parts of your brain that help you set and achieve goals.

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Debra Austin Debra Austin

Eustress v. Distress

Chronic stress causes digestive problems, compromises the immune system, raises blood pressure, and reduces cognitive function.

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Debra Austin Debra Austin

Exercise Intensity and Depression

Moderate intensity exercise promotes mental health by decreasing depression symptoms, and it promotes physical health by reducing inflammation in the body.

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Debra Austin Debra Austin

Sugar Harms the Brain

Consumption of foods that are high in sugar: rewires the brain to prefer and consume high sugar food; has a negative impact on hippocampus functioning, and a health hippocampus is important to memory and learning; and may also contribute to mental health challenges.

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Debra Austin Debra Austin

Cognitive Load Impacts Exercise

Mentally challenging work is likely to make it more difficult to exercise and may reduce your exercise performance. You may want to consider this when planning what days and times to exercise.

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Debra Austin Debra Austin

Mediterranean Diet Lowers Dementia Risk

Foods that are likely to lower your risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease include: green leafy vegetables, other vegetables, fruit, beans, whole grains, fish, and olive oil.

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Debra Austin Debra Austin

Fructose & Alzheimer’s Disease

Consuming foods high in sugar and salt, processed meats, and alcohol cause a vicious cycle of craving for more of these same foods. Stress also increases our desire to consume these types of foods. And these foods increase our risk of developing AD.

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Debra Austin Debra Austin

Brain Benefits of Cinnamon

Ceylon Cinnamon or True Cinnamon has properties that can improve cognitive function and lower the risk of Alzheimer's disease.

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Debra Austin Debra Austin

Chronic Stress and Brain Health

Changes in the brain result in fluctuations in our mental health. Exposure to 10 days of stress causes repeated firing of brain cells in the hypothalamus, and heightened risk of mental health problems. The good news is that activation of POMC neurons is reversable.

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Debra Austin Debra Austin

Slow Down, You Move Too Fast

Make mental space for the good things you have and the positive things you want in your life by practicing: Let Be. Let Go. Let In.

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Debra Austin Debra Austin

Enhance Creativity

Creative thinking is a skill that can be strengthened. Reinterpreting an obstacle or frustrating situation can enhance creative thinking and problem-solving. Try challenging your perspective on a hardship, reframing the narrative, or viewing a setback through a different lens to enhance creativity.

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