11 Ways to Keep Your Brain Healthy

Keeping your brain healthy is just as important as keeping the rest of your body healthy. It’s no secret that our cognitive abilities decline with age but with some simple health tips, you can keep your brain as active and as healthy as possible.

When you’re conscious of what you need to do to keep your brain health at its best, it’s easier to make a habit of it. Take a look at these simple tips for giving your brain a boost.

Protect Your Head

This is vitally important for athletes who compete in combat sports or any who could be in danger of head injuries. It’s essential to wear protective gear, even during training sessions. One injury to the head can lead to a lifetime of consequences.

If you’re not an athlete, it’s still important to think about protecting yourself when taking part in sports. For instance, if you enjoy cycling, always remember to wear your helmet. In the unlikely event that you’re involved in an accident, your helmet will protect your brain.

Brain Stimulation

Brain activities aren’t just a great way to stimulate your brain. Research has shown that engaging in brain activities can help nerve cells in the brain to regenerate. Playing games like chess or indulging in a daily crossword are ideal for engaging your brain in activity.

Conversation is another way to stimulate your brain with little effort. If you find yourself isolated due to age or health, there are phone lines you can call to have a conversation with someone for a short time each day.

Physical Exercise

There have been many links made between physical exercise and brain health. Exercising daily is a good way to increase blood and oxygen flow which promotes good brain health. Exercise also helps to reduce stress levels and lower blood pressure.

Many people make the mistake of thinking that exercise has to be intense to improve brain health. That isn’t the case. Just twenty minutes of cardio a day is enough to keep your brain active and healthy.

Good Nutrition

Nutrition is essential for good brain health. We are what we eat and bearing that in mind can help when it comes to overall health. If you want to keep your brain healthy through nutrition, think about all the colors of the rainbow.

Make sure you eat a good variety of fruits and vegetables by putting as much color on your plate as possible. Eat and drink everything in balance and always take your doctor’s advice when it comes to health adjustments.

Limit Alcohol

Alcohol can be good for your brain in moderation. For instance, some research suggests that small quantities of red wine is good for brain health. However, drinking too much alcohol can have the opposite effect.

Drinking more than you should can damage brain health. One glass of wine per evening meal is perfect for keeping your brain healthy.

Control Blood Sugar

Your blood sugar is an important factor in your brain health. High blood sugar is linked to conditions like diabetes and dementia. When your blood sugar is too high, it will inevitably affect your brain health.

If you have either of these conditions, you should follow the advice given to you by your doctor and take any prescribed medicines. You should also be vigilant about what you eat and drink when you have high blood sugar.

Quit Smoking

Smoking will have a negative effect on your overall health but it has a particularly poor effect on brain health. If you are a smoker and want to improve your brain health, you may want to consider getting help to quit. Your doctor will be able to give you plenty of resources that will help you to give up smoking.

There are tons of benefits to quitting smoking, including improved lung health and better skin. You can find support groups online and in your community if you need extra support to stop smoking.

Emotional Health

Emotional health has strong links to brain health. If you find yourself feeling anxious, depressed, or overwhelmed, these are all feelings that can poorly affect your brain. Those suffering with mental conditions, may find that their cognitive abilities are impaired. 

For instance, if you have symptoms of depression, you may also find that you have a poor memory so details like the time of an appointment can be easily forgotten. To improve your brain health, it can help to take part in counseling or therapy sessions that focus on improving emotional health.

Build Social Connections

The benefits of conversation have already been mentioned but socializing is so much more. Connecting with people and forming strong friendships is wonderful for brain health. It takes work to figure out how to be social and practice to keep it up.

Your brain will benefit from an array of interactions with different people. From stopping to chat at a grocery store to joining a club and engaging in subjects that you’re passionate about, your brain will always get a workout.

Spend Time With Younger Generations

If you have grandchildren, try and spend as much time with them as possible. Young children are still building their brains but the way they interact can be beneficial for adults too. For instance, in early years, many children will begin to role play.

Role play is fantastic for brain health and boosting imagination. Younger generations also view the world in a different way. You may be surprised by how much you learn if you’re willing to talk to people who are younger than you.

Low Dose Aspirin

Some health professionals believe that low dose aspirin can help improve brain health. They believe it can be a preventative for diseases like dementia. If you’re at risk of dementia, it is worth asking your doctor if low dose aspirin would be recommended for you.

If you’ve found this article helpful, take a look at the others in our Health heading!

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