Brain Awareness Week

March 16^th through the 22^nd is Brain Awareness Week! This global campaign started 25 years ago as an education initiative to raise awareness for brain health and science.

In honor of Brain Awareness Week, we’re sharing interesting information about the human brain and the reasons why it’s important to protect it.

Fun facts

The brain is a part of your body’s central nervous system, and functions by sending and receiving huge amounts of information. It’s the most complicated part of your body, and there are aspects of it that still have doctors and scientists stumped. It’s capable of some pretty incredible things, some you may not know about yet.

Fun facts about the brain include:

• An adult brain weighs about 3 pounds. (Sperm whales have the largest brain on earth, weighing 20 pounds.)
• About 75% of your brain is made up of water, so dehydration, even in small amounts, can negatively affect how your brain functions.
• The human brain grows until you’re about 18 years old, and triples in size the first year of life.
• The human brain contains around one hundred billion neurons.
• The idea that a human only uses 10% of their brain is false. (We actually use all of it, and you use even more than 10% when you sleep.)
• Cholesterol is a key factor in learning and memory.
• Your brain uses 20% of the oxygen and blood in your body.
• The neurons in your brain move information at different speeds, the fastest being 250 mph.

Protect your brain

A not-so-fun-fact about the brain is that 1.5 million Americans suffer from traumatic brain injuries.

Because of this, one of the biggest concerns when it comes to brain health is injuries. A hematoma, hemorrhage, and skull fracture are all different types of brain injuries, but the most common is a concussion. Concussions occur when the brain moves rapidly inside the skull as a result of a blow, bump, or jolt to the head or body.

Generally, you can judge the severity of a concussion by the severity of its symptoms. Signs of a concussion can show up immediately or in the following days after an injury and include nausea, headache, fatigue, confusion, mood changes, and memory loss.

Prevent head injuries with these helpful tips:

1. Always wear a seatbelt in the car, and properly install age-appropriate car seats and booster seats for children. 
2. Wear a helmet if you’re partaking in any activity where falling is a possibility. (biking, rollerblading, skateboarding, skiing, snowboarding, etc.)
3. Use handrails while going down the stairs and install childproof gates at the top and bottom of household stairways to protect small children.
4. Give children a soft surface to play on like a playground with mulch or sand.
5. Look where you walk to avoid slipping and falling on liquids or obstacles.

Head our way

If a loved one experiences any type of head injury, it’s imperative to seek medical help and do not let them fall asleep in the meantime. For more head trauma first aid tips, read the Mayo Clinic’s guidelines. 

From skull fractures to concussions, The Colony ER Hospital offers CT Scans, X-rays, and other services to diagnose and treat a variety of head injuries. Our doors are open 24/7, so we’re here for you at all times!

Disclaimer: As a service to our readers, The Colony ER Hospital and Nutex Health state no content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinicians.

Nutex Health, Inc supports you and your family’s health. You can depend on The Colony ER Hospital, or any of our concierge-level medical facilities to deliver the emergency care you deserve, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.