It’s no surprise that what you do and how you live affects your overall health, and that includes your brain health.
How you respond to stress, the quality of your sleep, the amount of exercise you get, what you eat and drink, and how often you socialize… all of it affects your general health and the health of your brain!
So, doesn’t it make sense to focus on these areas of your life? When you do, not only do you help your brain, but you’ll also improve your overall health.
So here are simple strategies to boost the wellness of your brain. They might even help you achieve optimal brain health, well into old age.
Effects of Exercise on Brain Health
Perhaps there is nothing more important than getting your body moving. Think about it; exercise gets the blood flowing!
When you exercise on a regular basis, you may drop your risk of developing Alzheimer’s. Exercise improves both your memory and blood flow, and it causes chemical changes in the brain that boost thinking and affect mood.
If you want to keep your brain healthy, it’s vitally important to keep exercising. Exercise can prolong your life, reduce the risk of heart disease, improve your sleep, help you lose weight, and improve your mood.
Needless to say, since our mind and body are connected, regular exercise helps your mind and memory to function better. The exercise you choose doesn’t have to be vigorous; it can be gentle and slower; you can walk, practice Tai Qi, or Yoga.
Alternatively, you can improve your balance with special balance exercises, get stronger with strength training and aerobic exercises. What’s most important is to commit to regular exercise, so your brain and body can benefit from it.
Effects of Diet & Nutrition on Brain Health
We’re all familiar with the saying “you are what you eat.” And it’s true!
By making good food choices every day, you can improve the health of your body and brain. As you age, your brain gets subjected to stressors that can be harmful to the health of your brain.
The process by which stress affects brain health is known as “oxidation.” This process can be damaging to the health of your brain. Eating foods high in antioxidants can help reduce the negative effects of oxidation.
Try eating a Mediterranean diet, which is high in nuts, olives, leafy green vegetables, whole grains, and fish. The Mediterranean diet can be a way to achieve good brain health.
Overall, try eating fresh foods as much as available; if you can go organic, that’s even better. And stay away from highly processed foods.
The Effects of Sleep on Brain Health
No doubt about it, our brain functions best when we are well rested. Sleep energizes us, improves immune function, enhances mood, and stimulates the brain.
Sleep may also decrease the development of beta-amyloid plaque, which is linked to Alzheimer’s dementia. Anyone who’s stayed awake for an extended period, or got a bad night’s sleep knows how much it can impact mental functioning, focus, and concentration.
If you’re having trouble sleeping well, you could try meditation to manage your stress levels. Alternatively, you could also take a more natural approach to help you get to sleep.
Try meditation, listen to self-hypnosis tapes, get acupuncture, take herbs and supplements. Not only might you enjoy better sleep, but all of them will benefit your overall health as well.
Whatever you do, make sure you get enough quality sleep. Not only will you feel better, but you’ll also be sharper, more aware and support your brain.
Effects of Social interaction on Brain Health
Maintaining an active social life, and staying connected with others has shown to benefit brain health. Make an effort to engage in conversation with others, spend time with others, and stay in touch with loved ones.
Don’t isolate yourself; keep making new friends, and have a social life.
Time and again it’s been shown that those who stay engaged socially enjoy better brain health and overall do better as they age.
Effects of Mental Fitness on Brain Health
The health of your brain depends on using it to its maximum ability. But if you’re spending endless hours in front of the TV, you’re not stimulating your brain, or exercising it in a way that promotes optimal functioning.
Getting enough mental exercise is just as important to your brain as physical exercise is to your body. Mental exercise can maximize brain cell growth and improve the functioning of the brain, thereby decreasing the chances of developing Alzheimer’s dementia.
Just as you must exercise your muscles to stay in shape, so must you exercise your brain to stay mentally fit.
There is a concept known as “brain reserve.” It is believed to help the brain respond and adapt to mental changes, thereby reducing the risk of sustaining damage. A person’s brain reserve starts when young and gets stronger with getting older.
Continue to develop new interests and skills, engage in things that interest you, get out and connect with others. And continue to learn new things, because all of these activities maximize your brain reserve.
Effects of General Health on Brain Health
Good brain health starts with your general health. Certain risk factors increase your chances of developing dementia. Some of the risk factors are smoking, high cholesterol, head trauma, depression, obesity, and diabetes.
Get regular physicals and follow the medical advice you get; take your meds, lose weight, exercise. Your brain is happier when you take care of your general health.
If you packed on extra pounds over the years, now would be a good time to bid them farewell. It’s been shown that there’s a connection between obesity and an increased risk of diabetes, which is a risk factor for dementia.
Effects of Mental Health on Brain Health
Depression, anxiety, and ongoing stress all impact brain health. While you can’t always bypass problems affecting your mental health, there are things you can do to minimize their impact.
For example, it’s important to identify and then deal with ongoing stress at once. When you face problems, head-on may it help reduce the risk of developing anxiety. Additionally, learning healthy coping skills when dealing with unavoidable events, can keep you from slipping into depression.
So here you have seven simple ways to improve the health of your brain, easy to implement and fun to do…. let’s do this!