5 Ways Good Health is Related to Academic Success

Academic success is the key to a successful future. Academic success is directly related to a person's physical and mental well being. Being in good health is important in memory, optimal learning and achieving good grades and being successful in school. Feeling great, both body and mind, includes eating foods that support learning, getting regular exercise, getting the proper amount of sleep, decreasing stress and anxiety, and being free from chronic pain.

Eating Foods that Support Learning

Students who eat nutritious diets learn better in school. A lack of vitamins and minerals can lower concentration and focus making it difficult to learn. Vitamins and minerals such as vitamin E, vitamin B, thiamine, zinc and iodine are specifically linked to cognition and concentration. You can also consider taking supplements such as gundry md metabolic advanced that can help increase concentration and performance.

Anemia, a condition caused by not eating enough protein, and a diet deficient in iron decreases the levels of dopamine in the brain. This causes cognitive function to decrease. Eating an ample amount of protein and carbohydrates allows for optimal intuition, reasoning and perception.

Getting Regular Exercise Improves Academic Success

John Rately of the Harvard School of Medicine confirms that increasing physical fitness by engaging in exercise helps the brain to learn. Research conducted by Dr. Charles Hillman of the University of Illinois states that 30 minutes of aerobic exercise on a treadmill everyday increased problem solving by a minimum of 10%.

Dr. Betsy Hoza, professor of psychology at the University of Vermont conducted a study o the effects of moderate to vigorous exercise and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and found that 30 minutes of exercise a day helps to improve concentration, focus and motivation in students with ADHD. It also decreased the symptoms associated with ADHD such as lack of attention, impulsivity and hyperactivity.

Getting the Proper Amount of Sleep Improves Learning

According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM, the academic performance of a student in the classroom is affected by the amount of sleep that person received the night before. Sleep deprivation causes a lack of concentration, lack of cognition, lack of retention, feeling exhausted, and depression. The result of these symptoms on a regular basis leads to academic failure. Dr. Ralph Downey III, at Loma Linda University Medical Center, is the chief of sleep medicine at their Sleep Disorders Center. He states that once there is a disruption in the sleep pattern, it takes up to 3 days to re-adjust the sleep cycle.

Decreasing Stress and Anxiety Boosts Learning Outcomes

Stress and anxiety has both short term and long term effects on learning. Stressful environments, such as educational systems that are primarily focused on maximizing achievement on tests result in the rewiring of the brain's connections and disrupts the levels of neurotransmitters. The circuitry involved in executive function and memory is impacted negatively by stress and anxiety according to recent neuroimaging studies. The best learning outcomes occur when students are positively motivated and engaged. The metabolism of the brain increases when positive motivation is used regularly in the classroom. Concentration, focus and memory improve as a result of a positive, nurturing environment.

EEG (brain activity) and metabolic studies of the brain reveal patterns of brain activity synchronization as sensory information is processed. Research in brain based learning shows which specific areas in the brain are stimulated when different strategies and techniques are used. Scientists can also recognize under what conditions communication between parts of the brain which store or process information. Studies have shown that patterns of overactivity in the amygdala causes information to be blocked from accessing circuits involved with association and memory.

Freedom from Chronic Pain Improves Learning

Student athletes suffering from chronic pain show a decrease in academic success. Body and mind are connected; they impact each other. When the body is in pain, it sends constant messages to the brain through the nerves. Pain can be a hindrance and a distraction to the learning process. Pain signals are processed by the thalamus and then sent to the cerebral cortex. Pain from existing injuries in the tendons, ligaments and muscles can be alleviated by using the graston technique. This technique introduces micro-trauma to soft tissue in an effort to promote the healing of the soft tissue.

Academic success can be affected by many factors. Good health and well being is one of the most important predictors of academic success. Good health such as good nutrition, regular exercise, sleep, and decreasing stress, anxiety and chronic pain improves both short term and long term learning outcomes.