Changes to the body and the brain are normal as you age, but you can hold back the signs of aging in your brain if you learn how to work it out. The brain may not be a muscle in the way that the heart or the rest of your body is, but you do need to think about how you can exercise your brain to keep it as healthy as possible.
You want to lower your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia types, and that means you need to look at what you are doing right now and how you can improve the way you keep your brain healthy. If you’re stuck, here are some tips for a healthy brain…
- Make sure that you are exercising regularly. Yes, you might think that exercise only works your muscles. Most people do, but exercise is actually very good for the brain. Not only are you going to flood your brain with happy hormones, you’re going to increase the blood flow to your brain, which is going to help you to lower your risk as well as Alzheimer’s disease. It tends to counter some of the natural reduction in blood flow to the brain connections that occur during aging, which helps to reverse some of the potential problems.
- Work on your sleep patterns. If you are not sleeping enough, there is a problem. Sleep plays a huge role in the health of your brain. There are theories out there that help you to understand that sleep could clear those abnormal proteins in your brain, but those studies are still ongoing. With the right amount of sleep, you are able to function faster the next day.
- Eat a healthy diet. Your diet helps to feed your body, and while food is not medicine, you want to make sure that you are feeding your brain with healthy foods. If you emphasize plant based foods, you’ll notice that you feel fresher and healthier and your reaction times are faster. There are studies that show that people who follow a Mediterranean diet are far less likely to have dementia than those who don’t follow that type of diet. Making sure that you are embracing healthy fats is also important.
- Stay mentally active. Games like Solitaire may feel lonely to some, but they are great for brain training. Sudoku is another one, as are any online games that have to exercise your problem solving and your critical thinking skills. It’s like cross training your brain.
- Stay social. Social isolation is a huge factor in dementia patients. Solitary confinement can cause the brain to atrophy, so remaining as socially active as possible can help you to have the opposite effect and strengthen the health of your brain. Plus, everybody wants to spend time with their friends if they can. And if you are making a concerted effort to do that and know that it’s going to benefit your brain health, then why not?
