Anything that helps our brain function well is important in the post – COVID world, As brain fog is now a common side effect, difficult to diagnose and treat. .
It’s no secret that coffee wakes us up in the morning, however, new research from Portugal has shown, surprisingly, that it’s actually drinking a cup of coffee that’s important.
The total experience, rather than just the caffeine contained in the cup, had the arousal effects.
ESPRESSO REDUCES ALZHEIMER’S
On a similar tangent, the American Chemical Society discovery was that certain components of an Espresso coffee helped reduce neurodegenerative disease, including Alzheimer’s. The plant flavonoid Genistein in espresso was shown to reduce the tau protein tangles – one of the first changes in the Alzheimer brain. In our healthy state, these Tau proteins help maintain brain structure, however do damage if clumped together. All of the caffeine extracts were beneficial, however the Genistein more so.
Meantime, whether it’s in your espresso martini or cappuccino, best to continue with your coffee habit!
CONSCIOUSNESS AND CAFFEINE
At the same time, the biomedical engineering department of the U.S. NYU, using brain monitoring technology MIND-WATCH, assessed brain activity.
On this brain scan, they found caffeine- induced change of consciousness states were associated with a shift of brain waves into the ‘Beta range’. The caffeine substances improved cognitive performance, increasing memory and task completion.
MUSIC BREAKS CHANGE CONSCIOUSNESS, REDUCING ANXIETY
In parallel studies, they also found that music (A.I. generated in this case ) did a similar thing, altering the brain’s level of arousal, changing subjects’ consciousness state, as well as treating anxiety.
In similar experiments on stress. In the lab, stressed subjects had music played to them for a short time, leading to changes in both measured brainwaves by MIND-WATCH, as well as reduced physiological signs of stress.
As stress is known to makes things worse for anyone with brain fog or cognitively impaired in long-covid, they need to find as many as possible ways of preventing stress. Looks like simple music breaks could do it!
For those suffering stress or anxiety, wanting natural solutions as well as tools lasting a lifetime, I recommend checking out my online course, full of exercises and tips combining modern neurochemistry with tried and tested Chinese and Ayurvedic wisdom: