Five Tips For Optimal Brain Health
Every brain changes with age, and mental function changes along with it. Mental decline is common, and it's one of the most feared consequences of aging. But cognitive impairment is not inevitable. Here are 5 ways you can help maintain brain function.
1. Get mental stimulation
Through research with mice and humans, scientists have found that brainy activities stimulate new connections between nerve cells and may even help the brain generate new cells, developing neurological "plasticity" and building up a functional reserve that provides a hedge against future cell loss.
Any mentally stimulating activity should help to build up your brain. Read, take courses, try "mental gymnastics," such as word puzzles or math problems. Experiment with things that require manual dexterity as well as mental effort, such as drawing, painting, and other crafts.
2. Get physical exercise
Research shows that using your muscles also helps your mind. Animals who exercise regularly increase the number of tiny blood vessels that bring oxygen-rich blood to the region of the brain that is responsible for thought. Exercise also spurs the development of new nerve cells and increases the connections between brain cells (synapses). This results in brains that are more efficient, plastic, and adaptive, which translates into better performance in aging animals. Exercise also lowers blood pressure, improves cholesterol levels, helps blood sugar balance and reduces mental stress, all of which can help your brain as well as your heart.
3. Improve your diet
Good nutrition can help your mind as well as your body. For example, people that eat a Mediterranean style diet that emphasizes fruits, vegetables, fish, nuts, unsaturated oils (olive oil) and plant sources of proteins are less likely to develop cognitive impairment and dementia. Avoid all forms of tobacco and excessive alcohol which is a major risk factor for dementia. If you choose to drink, limit yourself to two drinks a day.
4. Reduce Stress
There is a growing body of research showing ongoing exposure to stress contributes to physical illness – from cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure to being more likely to pick up infections and chronic fatigue. Left untreated, stress can also evolve into a mental illness such as an anxiety disorder or depression. Stress can cause short-term spikes in blood pressure, and High blood pressure in midlife increases the risk of cognitive decline in old age.
Use lifestyle modification to keep your stress as low as possible. Stay lean, exercise regularly, limit your alcohol to two drinks a day, eat right, meditate and care for your emotions. People who are anxious, depressed, sleep-deprived, or exhausted tend to score poorly on cognitive function tests. Poor scores don't necessarily predict an increased risk of cognitive decline in old age, but good mental health and restful sleep are certainly important goals.
5. Build social networks
We are social beings that thrive on connection. Social connection improves physical health and mental and emotional well-being. People who feel more connected to others have lower levels of anxiety and depression. Moreover, studies show they also have higher self-esteem, greater empathy for others, are more trusting and cooperative and, as a consequence, others are more open to trusting and cooperating with them. In other words, social connectedness generates a positive feedback loop of social, emotional and physical well-being.
Your social networks matter, and if your friends have healthy habits, you are more likely to as well. So get healthy friends!