5 Effective Ways To Keep Your Brain Healthy & Fit
- Lifestyle Health
Alessia Braun- 0
- 7 minutes read
Changes to your brain and body are normal as you age. However, there are certain things that you can do to help slow down the reduction in memory and also the increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias. In this article, we are going to discuss five things that will help you to keep your brain healthy.
5 Things That Will Keep Your Brain Healthy
Just like our muscles require exercise, our brain also requires mental workouts to remain in shape. Your gray matter gets so efficient at doing a daily routine that it barely has to work at it. So you will have to go above and beyond your regular activities for stimulating it. If you are wondering why it is important to keep your brain healthy, this is because with time, if we do not take care of our brain we may be exposed to diseases like Alzheimer’s. So here are the 5 ways to keep your brain healthy.
1. Exercise regularly
The first thing to do to ensure that your brain is in a good condition is to exercise regularly. Exercising has many good benefits and it appears that regular physical exercise helps the brain as well. Several types of research show that individuals who are active physically are less likely to experience a reduction in their mental function and also have a lower risk of developing diseases like Alzheimer’s.
We think these advantages are an outcome of an increased flow of blood to your brain at the time of exercise. It also tries to counter some of the natural declines in brain connections that take place during aging, impacting reversing some of the issues. Try to exercise several times each week for 30-60 minutes. You can swim, walk, play tennis, or any other moderate aerobic exercise to raise your heart rate.
2. Get Ample Sleep
Sleep plays a crucial role in your brain health. There are several theories that state that sleep helps clear abnormal proteins in your brain and it also consolidates memories, which improves your brain health and overall memory.
It is essential that you try to get seven to eight consecutive hours of sleep every night, not fragmented sleep of two- or three-hour increments. Consecutive sleep offers your brain the time to consolidate and also store your memories effectively. Sleep apnea is harmful to the health of your brain and maybe the reason why you may struggle to attain consecutive hours of sleep. Talk with your doctor if you or a family member thinks you have sleep apnea.
3. Eat a Mediterranean diet
Your diet also plays an important role in your brain health. We recommend people to consider following a Mediterranean diet, which focuses on plant-based foods, fish, whole grains, and healthy fats, like olive oil. Brain healthy foods include much less red meat and salt in comparison to a typical American diet.
Studies portray that people who closely track a Mediterranean diet are less likely to encounter Alzheimer’s disease in comparison to people who do not follow the diet. Further studies are required to evaluate which parts of the diet have the largest impact on your brain operations. However, we do know that omega fatty acids that are found in extra-virgin olive oil and other healthy fats are important for your cells to operate correctly, seem to reduce your risk of coronary artery disease, and raise mental focus and slow cognitive decline in older adults.
4. Stay mentally active
Your brain is the same as a muscle as you are required to use it or you lose it. There are various things that you can do to keep your brain in shape, like doing Sudoku or crossword puzzles, playing cards, reading, or putting together a jigsaw puzzle. Think of it as cross-training your brain. So include varied activities to raise the effectiveness.
We do not recommend any of the paid brain-training programs that are available today. These programs often make promises that they cannot keep or aim at memorization skills that are not useful in regular life. Your brain can get just as good of a workout via reading or challenging yourself with puzzles. Finally, do not watch too much television, as that is a passive action and does little to stimulate your brain.
5. Remain socially involved
Social interaction enables you to ward off stress and depression, both of which can contribute to your memory loss. Look for chances to connect with friends, loved ones, and others, mainly if you live alone. There is research that connects solitary confinement to brain atrophy, so staying socially active may have the opposite impact and keep your brain healthy.
Conclusion
Our brain is truly the most amazing part of our body. It comes with various creative ways to express our emotions and thoughts, coordinate body movements, store precious memories, and solve complex crosswords. So it is important that we take care of it as well. But how can we keep our brains healthy? In the above article, we have discussed 5 ways to keep your brain healthy as you age. Follow the way on a regular basis and try to avoid things that are harmful to your body and mind.
