5 mental benefits of supervised fasting

A summary of the psychological benefits enjoyed by those who perform supervised fasts.

Does fasting for 5 to 21 days in a controlled environment really bring mental benefits?

This is the purpose of companies such as MiAyuno, which accompany people in medically supervised retreats and enhance all the mental benefits that fasting can bring. But... what exactly are the mental benefits of fasting under professional supervision? We will see it in the following lines.

What is fasting for?

Through investigations it has been related the fact of having low levels of serotonin with the appearance of low moods, and even with depression.

To understand this better, our intestine contains more than one hundred million neurons, and one of its functions is to produce 95% of the total serotonin produced in our body, also called the happiness hormone.

Serotonin is a neurotransmitter of well-being. For this reason, a correct functioning of the intestine, as well as a correct balance of the intestinal flora that colonizes it, is key to maintain optimal levels of serotonin and thus ensure a good mood..

In our times, in which stress and bad eating habits can affect our mood, fasting helps us to regain our internal balance.

In fact, fasting can help in cases of people with overweight and obesity, digestive problems and food intolerances, allergies, people with metabolic problems (hypertension, cholesterol ...), hormonal imbalance, chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia and those suffering moments of personal crisis, among others.

But controlled fasting, such as the one offered by the company Miayuno, also provides several mental benefits both to people with some kind of disease and to healthy people who have decided to who have decided to fast in order to take care of themselves and maintain a state of well-being over time.

The mental benefits of supervised fasting

Here we will look at 5 mental benefits that fasting can bring:

Disconnecting from your personal activity

Today we move at full speed; we do not see the days go by, we wake up and we start with our smartphones at full speed. Waking up, reading the news, unread messages from the previous day, emails, the day's agenda... then we start commuting to work, work, meetings, meals, work again... And when there are small children, picking up the kids, extra-curricular activities, etc. ..... The day flies by.

The day flies by, but when do we stop?

It is increasingly difficult to find a moment for oneself, so a fast allows us first to force ourselves to disconnect. But we don't go from a moment of full speed action to relaxation. This is the first stage of the mental break to rediscover what is around us.

1. Relaxation

Fasting also triggers this natural stress response in the body, as does exercise.as does exercise.

Once we have managed to stop, it is time to relax. This is not easy either; the fact of not eating for a limited time allows our body to have more energy to feed our mind, since it does not spend energy on digestion.

Joint activities in controlled fasting, such as yoga or hiking, accompany us to achieve relaxation.

2. Re-connect

The third mental benefit of fasting is reconnecting with oneself.

When fasting, we have to slow down the pace of our activities, so we have more time to reflect, think, sleep, read, write, etc.... It is a privileged time with oneself, time that in today's life is difficult to find. Fasting is a moment of reunion with oneself with tranquility and inner peace.

It should be added that for fasts of several days, and to ensure the complete success of the process, it is recommended to perform them outside the home in very natural environments that favor disconnection, surrounded by professionals and with medical supervision..

3. Improve mental faculties

In addition to mood, fasting appears to improve mental clarity.

Researchers have linked fasting to "increased alertness and improved mood. According to Damien Carbonnier and Jesus Dominguez in their book: My Fastingthe energy available to the brain during fasting (after 3 to 4 days) is greater than that usually available to it. A more energetic brain is a more efficient brain, and a more efficient brain more easily finds solutions to possible problems a person faces. a person faces. Therefore, many people nowadays practice fasting consciously in order to have more mental capacity.

Thus, fasting improves mental faculties when it comes to :

• Thinking
• Studying
• Concentrate
• Remembering
• Improve attitude
• Helps to have more clarity
• Improve planning
• Increases willpower
• Helps to give up addictions (tobacco, alcohol, drugs...)
• Boosts creativity
• Encourages new ideas

4. Slows down the aging of the brain

Until the 90's, it was thought that our maximum stock of neurons decreases throughout our lives, and that adults cannot generate new brain cells.and that adults cannot generate new brain cells.

Today, neuroscience researchers have discovered that new neuronal cells are created in the adult nervous system.

Researcher Mark Mattson, professor of neuroscience at John Hopkins University, currently head of the neuroscience laboratory at the National Institute on Aging, is a leading researcher in the field of cellular and molecular mechanisms. He demonstrated the benefits of fasting, which could protect the brain by preventing and slowing the effects of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other neurodegenerative conditions.

If neurogenesis improves memory and mood, and through it is possible to prevent much of the deterioration due to aging or stress and modify or delay the onset of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease.

And you, have you tried fasting yet? If you are interested in learning more about it, find out about the services of companies such as Miayuno, which can successfully accompany you in your first fast.