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Your brain is the control center of your body, making it one of your most important organs. Your brain helps your body carry out its daily functions, from telling your heart to pump blood to allowing you to experience the senses such as sight and taste.

Maintaining your health is important when it comes to reducing the risks that age your brain. A healthy brain will also help decrease your risk of diseases such as Alzheimer’s, dementia, strokes, and brain cancer.

Here are some tips on how you can have a healthier brain and protect your memory as you age.

Exercise Regularly

Exercising regularly has many benefits, including keeping your brain healthy.

One way exercise helps the brain is that it can protect against brain loss volume as well as prevent certain areas of the brain from shrinking.¹ Different exercises utilize different parts of the brain, which can help build the brain’s memory of those exercises and prevent these areas from declining.

A study looked at the size of the hippocampus in older adults who exercised regularly. The hippocampus, which is responsible for our brain’s memory, naturally shrinks in adulthood as we age. The study found that not only does exercise strengthen the hippocampus, but it can also reverse the effects of hippocampus decline.²

Other benefits exercise might have on the brain, according to the Cleveland Clinic, are:³

• Increasing the volume of the cerebral cortex
• Promoting neuroplasticity, which is the creation of new neural connections
• Improving the blood flow to the brain
• Lowering the body’s levels of stress hormones

You don’t need to go to the gym to get exercise that will positively impact your brain. Activities such as walking, running, swimming, golfing, dancing, bicycling, and jumping rope can all help benefit your brain.

Take time out of your day and exercise to help boost your brain health!

Eat a Healthy Diet

What you eat can affect your brain’s overall health. A good diet can fight against memory loss and help keep you from becoming depressed or anxious.

Our brains are made of Omega-3 fatty acids, which are one of the main building blocks of the brain. Omega-3 Fatty acids control normal brain function and help strengthen the neural connections our brain’s cell membranes have.⁴

Consuming foods with Omega-3 fatty acids can keep your brain sharp and reduce your risk of getting Alzheimer’s. Foods such as salmon and tuna contain omega-3 fatty acids, as well as nuts and seeds.⁵

Another way food affects the brain’s health is through serotonin. Serotonin is a chemical that is produced by our body’s nerve cells and has an impact on our mood as well as our fine motor skills. Serotonin also affects our brain’s ability to help our body get a good night’s sleep, regulate depression, heal wounds, and digest foods.

Because the body’s serotonin levels are partly dependent on food, consuming foods such as milk, salmon, turkey, and spinach can help your brain tell the body to create more serotonin. This will help your body function properly, which will keep your brain healthy.⁶

While there is no one miracle food that protects your brain against aging, eating a well-balanced diet can help keep your brain healthy for years to come.

Maintain Your Blood Pressure

Your blood pressure levels can have an influence on how healthy your brain is.

A study from John Hopkins University found that individuals with high blood pressure at midlife had a lower level of key thinking skills than those with normal blood pressure, with their brains 2.7 years behind. However, they found that the difference becomes more significant with age, and those with high blood pressure had a 6.5 year decline in their 60s, 70s, and 80s compared to their counterparts.⁷

One reason why blood pressure might be linked to cognitive decline is it can weaken and damage the blood vessels. Weak blood vessels are unable to carry the oxygen that the brain needs to carry out its daily functions. This can put someone at a risk for a stroke because the blood vessels that are connected to the brain are no longer functioning properly.⁸

Furthermore, researchers have found links between diabetes, which makes it likely for someone to have high blood pressure, and Alzheimer’s.⁹ The reason for this is high blood sugar can cause inflammation, which can damage brain cells and cause cognitive decline over time. Diabetes also increases the risk for heart attacks and strokes, both of which harm the heart and the blood vessels.

Because of the link between your blood vessels and the brain, it is important to maintain regular blood pressure levels. Some ways that you can control blood pressure levels, according to the Mayo Clinic, include:¹⁰

• Regular exercise. 150 minutes of exercise a week has been proven to lower blood pressure by 5 to 8 mm Hg.
• Eat foods that lower blood pressure. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products can lower blood pressure by up to 11 mm Hg.
• Reduce sodium. Avoiding processed foods and adding extra salt to your meals can help reduce blood pressure by 5 to 6 mm HG.
• Cut Caffeine. Coffee and other foods with caffeine can raise your blood pressure by 5 to 10 mm HG. Avoid consuming foods with excess caffeine to help keep normal blood pressure levels.

Get Plenty of Sleep

Getting a good night’s sleep is important for the brain. A lack of sleep oftentimes leads to sluggishness, difficulty concentrating, and slower reaction times.

Sleep is important for your brain to build and maintain neural pathways that allow you to store memories and perform everyday tasks. Some findings also suggest that sleep helps remove toxins that build up in your brain while you are awake as well.¹¹

A study looked at adults who got 4, 6, and 8 hours of sleep each night. Those who received 4-6 hours of sleep performed worse on the tests and had a lack of attention. Interestingly, the individuals who had 4-6 hours of sleep didn’t notice the effects of the sleep deprivation, but the researchers did when they compared their tests to the group with 8 hours.¹²

Adults should strive to get around 7-9 hours of sleep at night in order to properly rest their brain.

Some ways that you can get better sleep include:¹³

• Go to bed and wake up at the same time. Your body naturally responds to sleep patterns, so keep a regular routine to ensure your body gets enough of sleep each night.
• Avoid eating or drinking foods with caffeine. As soon as you consume caffeine, your body absorbs it, and the effects can last up to 5 hours. Avoid having foods with caffeine in the evening to enjoy a good night’s sleep.
• Sleep in a quiet environment. Go to bed in a comfortable environment with minimal noise distractions to ensure you aren’t woken up abruptly during the night.
• Turn off electronic devices. The lights from your electronic devices trick your brain into thinking it’s daytime, which can impact the time you fall asleep. Turn off the television, phone, computer, and other electronic devices at least an hour before bed.

Improve Your Brain Health Today!

What you do today has an overall impact on your brain in the future. Start building good habits in order to improve your brain’s health!

To learn more about Saber Healthcare and the memory care services that we offer to our residents, click here.

Saber Healthcare is an organization dedicated to providing consultant services to long term care providers. This article is for informational purposes and is not meant to be seen as professional advice. Please consult with a medical expert before relying on the information provided.

Sources

1. “Exercise and the brain: three ways physical activity changes its very structure.” The Conversation, theconversation.com. November 17^th, 2020. Accessed June 16^th, 2021. Link: https://theconversation.com/exercise-and-the-brain-three-ways-physical-activity-changes-its-very-structure-150203
2. Erickson, Kirk, et. all. “Exercise training increases size of hippocampus and improves memory.” National Library of Medicine, National Center for Biotechnology Information. February 15^th, 2011. Accessed June 16^th, 2021. Link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21282661/
3. “Why Exercise Protects Your Brain’s Health (and What Kind Is Best).” Cleveland Clinic, Health Essentials. Published September 17^th, 2011. Accessed June 16^th, 2021. Link: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/why-exercise-protects-your-brains-health-and-what-kind-is-best/
4. Pearson, Keith. “How Omega-3 Fish Oil Affects Your Brain and Mental Health.” Red Ventures Company, Healthline Media. December 5^th, 2017. Accessed June 16^th, 2021. Link: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/omega-3-fish-oil-for-brain-health
5. “Food for thought: how different foods affect your brain.” Health Partners, healthpartners.com. Accessed June 16^th, 2021. Link: https://www.healthpartners.com/blog/food-for-the-brain/
6. “How Healthy Food Affects the Brain.” Saber Healthcare Group, saberhealth.com. August 10^th, 2020. Accessed June 16^th, 2021. Link: https://www.saberhealth.com/news/blog/how-healthy-food-affects-the-brain
7. “Hidden Brain Risk: Midlife High Blood Pressure.” John Hopkins University, hopkinsmedicine.org. Accessed June 16^th, 2021. Link: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/hidden-brain-risk-midlife-high-blood-pressure
8. Larson, Jennifer. “What High Blood Pressure Does to Your Brain.” Healthgrades Operating Company, healthgrades.com. September 6^th, 2020. Accessed June 16^th, 2021. Link: https://www.healthgrades.com/right-care/high-blood-pressure/what-high-blood-pressure-does-to-your-brain
9. “Diabetes and Cognitive Decline.” The Alzheimer’s Association, alz.org. 2019. Accessed June 16^th, 2021. Link: https://www.alz.org/media/Documents/alzheimers-dementia-diabetes-cognitive-decline-ts.pdf
10. “10 ways to control high blood pressure without medication.” Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER), mayoclinic.org. Published February 24^th, 2021. Accessed June 16^th, 2021. Link: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-pressure/in-depth/high-blood-pressure/art-20046974
11. “Brain Basics: Understanding Sleep.” National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, ninds.nih.gov. Link: https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/Patient-Caregiver-Education/Understanding-Sleep
12. Andy R. Eugene and Jolanta Masiak. “The Neuroprotective Aspects of Sleep.” U.S. National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, nbci.nlm.nih.gov. March 3^rd, 2015. Accessed June 16^th, 2021. Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4651462/
13. “Tired? 6 Ways to Get More Rest at Night.” Saber Healthcare Group, saberhealth.com. November 22^nd, 2020. Accessed June 16^th, 2021. Link: https://www.saberhealth.com/news/blog/get-better-sleep