King’s Cross has launched its first-ever wellbeing campaign designed to help people improve their brain and mental health.
Mind Your Brain is a pioneering, three-month campaign running from January to March 2024 which encourages people to prioritise their brain health to mitigate the risk of future health conditions.
Responding to recent findings from charities Alzheimer’s UK which shows that 98% of British people could do more to take care of their brains (1) and Mind, which shows that 1 in 4 of us will experience a mental health problem each year in England (2), the Mind Your Brain campaign is designed to foster a healthier community through a series of activities that support healthy minds and brains.
As part of the campaign, King’s Cross has developed an inspiring programme of wellbeing events across the neighbourhood that will help brains and minds stay happy and healthy for longer.
This includes the Slow Motion Sauna at King’s Cross in a collaboration with DJ and wellness guru, Rob da Bank and his wife, Josie. Two saunas – one Lithuanian wood fired sauna and other an electric sauna donated by The Finnish Institute – and three cold plunge pools will debut in mid-January in Lewis Cubitt Square, offering a unique wild spa experience that will help people fully embrace Scandinavian culture and society.
The experience promises a soothing retreat from bustling city life in the pursuit of cleansing and relaxing the body and mind through this ancient Scandinavian practice. Visitors will have an hour to use the saunas and cold plunge pools, which can reduce inflammation to the brain, improve blood flow and enhance cell function, then have an exfoliating salt scrub and shower before leaving feeling stress-free and relaxed. Sauna sessions are £6 per person per 1 hour slot.
Chrissy Cullen, place marketing director at King’s Cross, said: “The first few gloomy months of the year are a time when people really hunker down and look at ways they can save money after the busy and expensive Christmas period. However, it is also a time of rest and reflection, so we wanted to give people something free or affordable to do whilst also helping to nurture their minds and brains.
“The gut, hailed by medical professionals as our ‘second brain’, has been the most talked about organ in recent years but there’s still a question mark over why we’re not taking such good care of our brain. Working with some incredible partners, we have used scientific research to devise a programme of events and activations which optimise brain health and improve peoples’ mental wellbeing.”
DJ and wellness guru, Rob da Bank, said: “We cannot wait to bring our two beautiful saunas and wild spa to King’s Cross in what can be the challenging month of January. Not only are sauna and ice baths amazing for your mental and physical health but they are such a great place to hang out with friends, meet new people and challenge yourself a little bit. You will leave the Slow Motion Sauna at King’s Cross literally glowing!”
Slow Motion Sauna at King’s Cross will run from 18 January to 11 February 2024 in Lewis Cubitt Square, at the top of the steps into Coal Drops Yard. Head to the King’s Cross website for further information and to book: https://www.kingscross.co.uk/event/slow-motion-sauna.
Mind Your Brain will address five key components for optimum brain health (3), including:
- Physical exercise – exercise is well known to boost blood to your brain, which helps keep it healthy. Heat therapy is also known to improve blood flow to the brain and has been proven to reduce the likelihood of Alzheimer’s and dementia. Studies in Finland (4) showed a decrease in the risk of dementia through the increased use of sauna-ing by 21% and 66% for those who used it 2-3 and 4-7 times a week respectively. For Alzheimer’s, the risk was reduced by 20% and 65%
- Social interaction – studies from the National Library of Medicine (5) showed that social interaction is crucial for optimal cognitive and brain development. Analysis published earlier this year by Nature Aging (6) showed that there was a 30-50% lower risk of dementia from those who show greater participation in midlife and late-life social gatherings.
- Sleep and relaxation – most adults need around 7-9 hours’ sleep per night (7), but a recent study led by The University of Portsmouth (8) found that just 20 minutes of exercise can boost your brain after a bad night’s sleep
- Food and nutrition – you are what you eat, and according to a study by UCLA Health (9), consuming just half a serving of colourful plants a day – and therefore increasing our intake of micronutrients called flavonoids – helped to reduce cognitive decline by 20%
- Meditation – research provided by Calm (10) has proven the many benefits of mediation, including improving immune system function, elevating mood and social state, sharpening focus and improving overall sleep quality
King’s Cross is developing an incredible line-up of additional events and activities that promise to inspire wellness amongst the community for 2024. Please keep an eye on the King’s Cross website for further information: https://www.kingscross.co.uk/.
Footnotes:
- Alzheimer’s UK, ‘Think Brain Health Check-In’ https://dementiastatistics.org/statistics/check-in/
- Mind, ‘Mental Health Facts and Statistics’ https://www.mind.org.uk/media-a/2958/statistics-facts-2017.pdf
- Helmholtz Association Academic Institution ‘Brain Health’ https://www.helmholtz.de/en/career/careers-at-helmholtz/phd-candidates/helmholtz-juniors/mental-health/brain-health/
- The Telegraph, ‘Why Sauna’s are good for your brain’ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness/conditions/dementia/saunas-heat-therapy-brain-health-dementia-alzheimers/
- National Library of Medicine ‘Learning from others is good, with others is better: the role of social interaction in human acquisition of new knowledge’ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9791495/
- Nature, ‘Social participation and risk of developing dementia’ https://www.nature.com/articles/s43587-023-00387-0?utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=commission_junction&utm_campaign=CONR_PF018_ECOM_GL_PHSS_ALWYS_DEEPLINK&utm_content=textlink&utm_term=PID100094320&CJEVENT=b83d4506935211ee81cb00390a18ba74
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, ‘Brain basics, understanding sleep’ https://www.ninds.nih.gov/health-information/public-education/brain-basics/brain-basics-understanding-sleep