Staying mentally active is just as important as staying physically active. Just like physical exercise keeps your body fit and healthy, mental activity keeps your brain in shape. The more active your brain is, the healthier it will be, and the slower the rate of cognitive decline will be as you get older. Mental activity can include anything that challenges your brain, such as learning new things, solving puzzles, or engaging in stimulating conversations.
It's never too early to take charge of your brain health, whether you're in your 20s, 30s, or 70s. By preventing cognitive decline, you're not just ensuring improved brain health now but also setting the stage for many healthy years ahead.
So, how do you hack your brain health to improve memory, function, and power?
Eat Well
We all know our bodies need us to eat a nutritionally balanced diet to keep us healthy, but did you know there are certain foods you can include that are better for brain health? Fatty fish, nuts, seeds, berries, leafy green vegetables, eggs, tea, and coffee are great foods to add to your diet to boost brain health and get the vitamins and minerals you need to support a healthy brain.
Exercise
Again, exercise has so many health benefits that you will be hard-pressed to find reasons why you should not exercise. Exercise is excellent for brain health as it increases blood flow through the brain. This increased blood flow delivers more oxygen and nutrients to the brain, which can help to support the growth of new brain cells and improve the connections between brain cells. On top of this, exercise can also stimulate the production of chemicals in the brain that can enhance memory and learning.
Brain Training
Brain training comes in many different forms, not just specific brain training games. It simply means you need to keep your brain active and challenged each and every day. This can be via learning something new, such as a language or instrument. It can be doing puzzles every day that require you to think about the answer to solve the puzzle; great examples include doing an online crossword each day, playing sudoku, chess, or even spot the difference games. You can also try activities like reading challenging books, writing, or even engaging in debates or discussions. The key is to do something that challenges your brain and gets you thinking about what you are doing. The more active you keep your brain, the more it will be healthier for.
Get Enough Sleep
Sleep is essential for your body and your brain, and if you aren't getting enough sleep, you will be fast-tracking yourself out of earlier cognitive difficulties and decreased brain health. Sleep deprivation not only affects your immediate cognitive abilities, making you less able to make decisions, solve problems, control your emotions, and impact your behavior, but it can also have long-term effects. Chronic sleep deprivation can lead to a build-up of harmful proteins in the brain, increasing the risk of Alzheimer's and other neurological conditions. It's crucial to prioritize sleep for the sake of your brain health.
Get Social
Solitary confinement has been proven to be linked to brain atrophy, which is also of neurons and connections between neurons. This is something that is found in patients with dementia. To help your brain stay healthy and active, you need to be socially active as much as possible. Engaging in conversations and being in the presence of others can stimulate your brain, keeping it active and preventing brain atrophy. Social interaction also provides emotional support, which can help to reduce stress, a known risk factor for cognitive decline. So, make an effort to stay connected with friends, family, and your community for the sake of your brain health.