Your Amazing Brain

Your brain is the most complex organ in your body. It sits safely inside your skull and controls everything — your movements, thoughts, memories, feelings, and even your dreams. It is the boss of your whole body, sending and receiving messages all the time.

Your brain never switches off, not even when you sleep. While you rest, it is busy tidying up memories from your day and keeping your heart beating and your lungs breathing. It is the busiest part of you, working 24 hours a day.

The brain has different regions that each have special jobs. The large wrinkled part at the top, called the cerebrum, handles thinking, reading, speaking, and movement. The cerebellum at the back helps you balance and coordinate. The brain stem connects the brain to your body and keeps you breathing.

The brain is made of about 86 billion tiny cells called neurones. They send messages to each other using tiny electrical signals, faster than you can blink. When you learn something, neurones link up to make a pathway, and the more you use that pathway the stronger it grows.

Some people think you only use a tiny part of your brain. That is a myth! Over a day you use all of it. Different parts simply switch on at different times — the parts for seeing light up when you look at a picture, and the parts for moving light up when you run.

Looking after your brain helps it work its best. Sleep gives it time to sort memories, healthy food gives it fuel, and exercise sends it lots of oxygen. Trying new things, reading and solving puzzles all give your brain a happy, healthy workout.