4. Eat right and avoid hannful habits

Follow the food guide pyramid and the Prophet's (~) healthy nutrition guidelines. In addition, there are some beneficial foods especially for the brain which will be discussed in more detail later on in this chapter. Avoid all harmful substances such as alcohol and tobacco. Allah states in His Quran: ~O you who believe! Intoxicants [all kinds of alcoholic drinks], gambling, stone altars [used for sacrificing to idols] and arrows [for seeking luck or decision] are an abomination of Satan's handiwork.

So avoid [strictly all] that [abomination] in order that you may be successful. Satan wants only to excite enmity and hatred between you with intoxicants [alcoholic drinks] and gambling, and to hinder you from the remembrance of Allah and from ~alat [the prayer]. So, will you not then abstain?~ (Quran 5: 90-91) 5. Get a good night's sleep No one can deny that not getting enough sleep affects your brain performance. Sleep restores, replenishes and rebuilds the areas of the brain and body which may become tired after a long day.

Scientists believe that sleep gives the body's cells and neurons suitable time to regenerate and restore their energy. 20 A regular sleeping pattern is especially important for children and adolescents, because growth hormone is secreted during the deep sleep period. Stages of sleep There are five stages of sleep; each one is characterized by different brainwave patterns which may be measured by an electroencephalogram (EEG). Stages 1 to 4 are collectively called non-REM sleep. During these stages, the body's metabolism slows down: the brain is least active, and blood pressure, heart rate and breathing are lower than when a person is awake. Hormones are secreted, among them growth hormone, which enables new proteins to work on renewal where required in the bones and skin. 21 Then comes the fifth stage (known as the Rapid Eye Movement or REM stage), which represents one quarter of total time spent asleep.

This is the period during which dreaming occurs. 22 We switch between REM and non-REM sleep involuntarily throughout the night. Each cycle lasts for about 90 minutes. The amount of sleep needed varies with age. Young infants sleep approximately 16 hours per day compared to adults who need as little as six hours. This difference in the amount of sleep has led scientists to deduce the actual role of sleep in one's life.

REM sleep in 20 Santrock, 2003. 21 Ibid. 22 Hobson, et al., 2000. early infancy may play a crucial role in brain development and stimulation. 23 For adults, REM sleep is important in memory function. In an experiment in the 1970s, researchers presented individuals with some information just before they went to bed. Then some of them were awakened just before entering the REM stage and the others were left to finish their sleeping cycle. The individuals who were awakened before entering REM sleep were less likely to remember the information the next morning. 24 Recent studies show that sleep is crucial for different memory functions; this is probably due to the fact that during sleep, your brain is not engaged in other sensory or intellectual activities, thus it is more capable of working on memory associations, integrations and storage. 25 When I was young, I used to have a hard time remembering poems learnt at school. My mum once told me, "Read the poem a few times thoroughly just before going to bed, then go to sleep and you will remember it the next morning." I tried it and it worked wonderfully.

Our Prophet (~) taught us that we should wake up at dawn to pray fajr (dawn) prayer, then start the day by some quiet meditation during which we remember Allah with the morning dhikr. After sunrise, we pray the duha' prayer (a Sunnah prayer), then start our working day. At this time, your body releases large doses of the hormone cortisol which helps you to wake up, and bright sunlight increases your wakefulness. «The Prophet (~) disliked sleeping just before 'isha' (the night prayer) or staying up to chat or engage in entertainment after 23 Santrock, 2003. 24 Empson & Clarke, 1970. 25 Santrock, 2003. it.» 26 At night, the pineal gland in the brain secretes the hormone melatonin, which helps to adjust our sleeping pattern. This hormone is also a known antioxidant, so during the night it protects and restores healthy cells and neurons. If we sleep just before 'isha', this will delay our night sleep time and probably cause insomnia.

Furthermore, dopamine, a neurotransmitter secreted by the brain, is supplied in the greatest quantities during the two hours before midnight. Dopamine is responsible for giving us energy, motivation and increased interest and focus. Therefore, if you sleep late you lose your dopamine reserve for the next day, and this cannot be replenished until the next night. Get into the habit of going to bed early at a fixed time, and keep to a consistent sleeping routine. Perform your prayers and recite your bedtime remembrance of Allah just before sleeping.

Do not try to plan the next day's events before going to bed: just relax and depend totally on Allah: «0, Allah, The Ever Living, The Sustainer of all that exists, I call for Your Mercy, rectify all my affairs for me and do not make me depend on myself (nor on another human being), even for an instant. (Ya ]Jayyu ya qayyoom, bi ra]Jmatika astagheethu, a!jli]J-lee sha 'nee kullahu wa la takalnee ila nafsee ta,fata 'ayn.)» 27 Avoid heavy meals in the evening: just have a light supper and drink milk or (even better) buttermilk, as our Prophet(~) used to do. Perform ablution just before going to bed, Prophet Muhammad (~) said: «Whenever you go to bed, perform ablution as you do for prayer.» 28 26 Al-Bukhari. 27 l:[akim (a sound hadith in Fortification of the Muslim). 28 Al-Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawood and Tirmidhi. Napping or relaxing for a few minutes in the middle of the day can replenish your energy. The midday siesta is mentioned many times in the Qur' an.

One verse in particular points to it as a regular habit: ~O you who believe! Let your servants and those who have not reached puberty ask leave of you at three times [before they come into your presence]: Before the prayer of dawn, and when you lay aside your clothing for the heat of noon, and after the prayer of night) (Quran 24: 58) The phrase ~when you lay aside your clothing for the heat of noon) is a clear reference to the period of rest at midday. This provides a short withdrawal from the stresses of the day, helps regenerate your energy, improves alertness and gives a mood boost. However, in no way should naps be used to try to compensate for staying up late, especially when people regularly stay up for hours after nightfall, just to watch TV or for other unnecessary activities.