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HOW TO KEEP YOUR BRAIN HEALTHY
Your brain is truly the most amazing part of your body. It comes up with creative ways to express your thoughts and emotions, coordinates movements from chopping onions to running an obstacle course, stores your most precious childhood memories, and solves the Sunday crossword. But it's easy to take those powers for granted.
"Many people don't start thinking about their brain health until they notice some cognitive changes and memory loss in their 60s or 70s," says Elise Caccappolo, PhD, an associate professor of neuropsychology at Columbia University Medical Center in New York. "But there are many things you can do, starting as young as childhood, to keep your brain as healthy as possible throughout your lifetime. We know that intellectual pursuits, social interaction, and perhaps most importantly, physical activity are helpful in keeping one's brain sharp."
Healthy Heart
The most important strategy, she says, is to work with your doctor to stay on top of your cardiovascular health. You want to keep blood moving easily through your heart and blood vessels. "High blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, smoking, and diabetes all increase the risk for developing neurodegenerative diseases by impeding blood flow to the brain," she explains.
When artery walls get thick with plaque or "hardened," a condition called atherosclerosis, it's difficult to get enough blood to the brain and nurture its cells. This can also lead to ischemic stroke -- when a blood clot forms in an artery, cutting off the blood supply to a section of the brain. That can cause temporary or even permanent brain damage.
A healthy, active lifestyle will go a long way toward keeping your blood flowing and avoiding those problems. A Swedish study of more than 30,000 women found that those who ate a healthy diet, exercised regularly, didn't smoke, drank only moderately, and kept their body mass index (BMI) below 25 had a far lower risk of stroke than women who didn't meet any of those five goals.
Plenty of Quality Sleep
A key way to keep your brain working is shut it off for 7-9 hours a night. "Sleep is the most important thing you can do to reset the brain, allow it to heal, and to restore mental health," says Romie Mushtaq, MD, a neurologist and integrative medicine specialist.New research shows that during sleep, the brain clears out toxins called beta-amyloids that can lead to Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia.
Mushtaq suggests a few simple things before you go to bed.
Do a digital detox. Commit to the same bedtime each night, and turn off all electronics and screens at least 30-60 minutes before you hit the pillow.
Dump your worries. Jot down any lingering concerns and a quick to-do list for tomorrow to help settle your brain. "Our thoughts are always racing, provoking anxiety," she says. "But if you write it down with pencil and paper, it tells your brain it doesn't have to be concerned about those things while you sleep.
Spend a moment meditating. Not only will 5-10 minutes of mindful meditation calm your brain and make it easier to sleep, meditation has been shown to reduce anxiety, depression, fatigue, and confusion. "Meditation can benefit people with insomnia by helping them fall asleep and stay asleep. It also helps with inflammation in the brain," she says. "Most people find not only do they sleep better, they can focus better and are not as anxious."
Move Your Body
Walking for 30 minutes a day, taking a dance class, or going for a swim helps keep you slim and fit, and it could improve your cognitive health, too. A large Canadian study that found the more physically active adults were, the higher they scored on tests of memory and problem-solving.
Exercise boosts blood flow to the brain. And studies have shown it can increase the size of the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for memory, which naturally shrinks as you age.
New research from Italy suggests that working your leg muscles may be key to getting the maximum brain benefit from physical activity. The researchers found that when you use your legs in weight-bearing exercise, the brain receives signals that spur it to make healthy new cells.
Eat Well
A diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids, low in saturated fat, full of the nutrients found in leafy green vegetables, along with whole grains can help keep your brain healthy throughout your life. For many people, this means following the Mediterranean diet, which emphasizes fish, fruits and vegetables, nuts, olive oil, and avocados, while limiting red meat.The MIND diet -- a hybrid of the Mediterranean diet and the heart-healthy DASH diet, with an extra emphasis on berries and leafy greens -- was created specifically to boost brain health. It's been shown to lower the odds of Alzheimer's disease.
One treat to consider adding to your diet: dark chocolate. New research has found that the flavanols in cocoa beans can help improve memory and cognitive function.
Mushtaq also recommends paying attention to how much caffeine you have. "Coffee in the right dose can help focus and prevent neurodegenerative disease," she says, but after two cups, the effects can become harmful and the stimulants may get in the way of falling asleep. She recommends one or two cups in the morning, then switching to drinks without caffeine by 2 p.m.
Be Social
Instead of watching Netflix or scrolling Facebook, Caccappolo says, spend as much time as you can with friends. Why? "When you're socializing, the blood circulates to several different parts of your brain as you're listening and formulating responses," she explains. And when you're connecting with friends, you’re less likely to get depressed. Depression can hamper how well your brain works. "If you're depressed or anxious, the brain becomes so occupied with what-ifs and worries that it's not able to give 100% to learning new things," she says.
Try New Things
Building new skills throughout your lifetime -- how to cook Indian food, how to play an instrument, even learning the rules of new card games or traveling to an unfamiliar city -- helps keep your brain healthy by constantly creating new connections between brain cells, Caccappolo says.
Challenging your brain essentially creates a backup system. "The more intellectual stimulation you have, the more various neural circuits are used. And the more circuits you have, the harder it is for the changes associated with neurodegenerative diseases to manifest," she says.
It's more helpful to master real-world skills than to play online "cognitive enhancement" games. "We've found that people improve on the specific tasks in those games," she says, "but that doesn't really correlate with real-world activities."
8 Brain health tips for a healthier you
The brain controls thought, movement and emotion. Use the following brain health tips to help protect it.
At 3 pounds, the brain isn't very large, but it is a powerhouse. Those 3 pounds hold your personality and all your memories. The brain coordinates your thoughts, emotions and movements.
Billions of nerve cells in your brain make it all possible. Called neurons, these brain cells send information to the rest of your body. If they aren't working properly, your muscles may not move smoothly. You might lose feeling in parts of your body. Your thinking could slow.
The brain doesn't replace neurons that are damaged or destroyed. So it's important to take care of them. Head injuries, drug use, and health conditions like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease can cause brain cell damage or loss.
Developing brain health habits is a key way to keep your brain healthy. That includes following safety measures and keeping your brain active and engaged. Try these brain health tips:
1. Work up a sweat
People who are physically active are more likely to keep their minds sharp. Regular physical activity also can help improve balance, flexibility, strength, energy and mood. Research suggests that exercise may lower the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.
For most healthy adults, the Department of Health and Human Services recommends at least 150 minutes a week of moderate aerobic activity, such as brisk walking. Or it recommends 75 minutes a week of vigorous aerobic activity, such as jogging. It's best to spread this activity throughout the week. If you don't have time for a full workout, try a few 10-minute walks during the day.
2. Protect your head
A brain injury can have a significant long-term impact on a person's life. Brain injuries can affect thinking, memory, coordination, speech and emotions. To protect your brain, always wear a helmet when doing an activity where there's a risk of head injuries. Examples include biking, skiing, riding a horse or when using a motorcycle, snowmobile or all-terrain vehicle.
Other common causes of head injuries include car accidents and falls. Help avoid hits to the head by wearing a seatbelt in the car. To keep from falling, be careful with your footing on ladders, on uneven ground or when you're in an unfamiliar area. Help prevent falls at home by removing clutter from stairs and hallways. Keep stairways well lit. Make sure all carpets and rugs are firmly attached to the floor so that they don't slip.
3. Take care of your health
Some medical conditions can raise the risk of developing problems with thinking and memory. They also may raise the risk of having a stroke, which can damage blood vessels in the brain. Among the most common of these conditions are diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure. If you have ongoing medical concerns, follow your healthcare professional's directions on how best to treat and control them. If you don't have these conditions, ask your healthcare team what you can do to prevent them.
4. Meet up with friends
If you're on the fence about whether to go out with friends or invite loved ones over, do it. Being social helps ward off depression and stress. Both can make memory loss worse. Social isolation and loneliness also have been linked to a higher risk of a decline in thinking skills and Alzheimer's disease.
5. Get a good night's rest
Sleep is the human equivalent of plugging in your phone to charge. A good night's sleep helps improve brain function and memory, keeps you alert and makes it easier to do daily tasks. Rest also eases stress and depression.
Make getting enough healthy sleep a priority. Adults should sleep 7 to 9 hours a night. If snoring disrupts sleep, make an appointment with your healthcare professional. Snoring could be a sign of a sleep disorder, such as sleep apnea. Conditions that disturb sleep may raise the risk for a decline in thinking skills and dementia.
6. Make a salad
Research has found that eating a healthy diet may play a role in preventing or delaying symptoms of dementia. In particular, the MIND diet can be a valuable tool for brain health.
MIND stands for Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay. This diet of brain healthy foods gives your brain fuel to help improve mental focus and slow decline in thinking skills. The MIND diet focuses on plant-based foods. It includes plenty of leafy greens and other vegetables, berries, nuts, whole grains, poultry and fish. It limits foods like butter, cheese, red meat and sweets.
7. Challenge your brain
Just as physical activity keeps your body in shape, activities that engage your mind can keep your brain in shape. And those activities may help improve brain function and memory. Do crossword puzzles. Read. Play games. Learn to play a musical instrument. Try a new hobby. Volunteer at a local school or with a community group.
8. Be careful with medicines and limit alcohol
Drugs and alcohol can affect how brain cells communicate with one another. They also can have an effect on your brain's ability to react, plan, solve problems and control impulses. Follow the directions on medicines carefully. That includes medicines that you get without a prescription.
If you choose to drink alcohol, do so in moderation. For healthy adults that means up to one drink a day for women and up to two drinks a day for men. Drinking too much raises your risk of a fall and can cause memory problems. It also can make worse some medical conditions that affect the brain, such as high blood pressure and diabetes.
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