How to look after your brain

How to look after your brain

That three pound organ inside your head holds one hundred billion neurons, all your memories, thoughts, feelings and ideas. It needs looking after to perform at its best and age healthily.

Food for thought

Choose foods that help protect your brain like fish, fruits, vegetables and healthy fats like olives and avocados. A high level of good cholesterol is associated with a lower risk of dementia; couple this with a daily dose of antioxidants, vitamins (especially the B vitamins) and omega-3. Day to day, nourishing meals keep you alert and running at optimum—this includes your brain. Remember that carbohydrates are the brains preferred fuel but choose the healthier carbs in vegetables and wholegrains.

Get plenty of shut eye

When you have a bad night’s sleep, it’s harder to concentrate the next day and you may well find your eyelids drooping at inopportune moments. Not only this, but people who suffer from sleep disturbances tend to experience memory problems as the brain uses its downtime to file away our memories. Stick to a sleep schedule and speak to your doctor if you’re regularly experiencing trouble falling or staying asleep.

Quit smoking

Not only is smoking a particularly harmful way of temporarily self-medicating, studies show heavy smokers have a 172 percent increased risk of dementia. Substances found in cigarette smoke affect the membrane around the cerebral cortex which is responsible for memory and attention span. You can help reverse this damage by giving up the cigarettes, so quit now!

Stimulate your brain

Research shows mentally taxing activities stimulate new connections between nerve cells, developing neurological plasticity and protecting the brain from future cell loss. It’s not all puzzles and crosswords though; put your mind to a new hobby requiring manual dexterity or take a language course. Step out of your comfort zone and try something new or vary your routine. Even trying a new recipe is enough to get your neurones firing, but there’s little more neuroprotective than learning a new language. Studies show multilinguals have significantly more grey matter than monolinguists because their brain is constantly working and exercising the anterior cingulate cortex to use one language and suppress another. Bilingual and multilingual individuals are also reported to be more empathetic and have better problem-solving skills than those who speak only one language—with apps like Duolingo and plenty of other language-learning tools, there’s no excuse not to give Spanish, Mandarin, Russian or French a go.

Give yourself a hand

If you’re experiencing symptoms of depression or anxiety, or any other mental health concern, talk to a doctor or other healthcare professional. Talk to your friends and family and share your feelings; don’t bottle things up unnecessarily. If you’re struggling to remember things, get yourself a diary or put your phone to good use; consider how much you actually need to remember at any one time and write the rest of it down.

Prioritise your mental health

Avoid stress like the plague wherever you can. Know yourself and if taking on an extra project at work will be detrimental to your stress levels and mental health, opt out of this one. Take your lunch break and carve some time for yourself out of your busy day; add some mindfulness to your everyday activities.

Get moving

Physical exercise is vital to living healthily and getting fit and active promotes blood flow to the brain. Not only will you get plenty of oxygen flowing around your brain but exercise releases endorphins to help you feel better. You don’t need to hit the gym religiously or spend hours on a treadmill; a half hour walk during your lunch break or an evening yoga or spin class offers plenty of brain-boosting benefits.

Get some fresh air

With over half of us living in urban centres around the world, we’re increasingly spending time in concrete jungles. Pop to your local park or head further afield to the countryside to reap the benefits some fresh air can offer. Exposure to greenery and fresh air helps decrease cortisol levels by 16 percent, improving your attitude and wellbeing while reducing anxiety levels.

Stay social

While social media sites and apps help us feel more connected, they pale in comparison to actual human interaction. Spending time with family and friends or in your community helps ward off feelings of anxiety and depression, while conversation stimulates the brain and enhances interpersonal connections. Socialising at all ages improves performance on cognitive tests and older adults who remain socially active retain more memories later into life.