Physical and mental changes are inevitable as a person grows old. However, there are some things that you can do to slow down the decline in memory and lower the risk of developing brain disorders like Alzheimer’s disease. We take plenty of steps to keep our bodies healthy, but we don’t pay much attention to our brain health.
Brain health is as critical as your physical health. Therefore, we should be more thoughtful about taking care of our mental health.
1. Exercise regularly
Exercising regularly has many benefits, and one of them is that it improves brain health. Several medical studies have shown that physically active people have fewer chances to experience a decline in their mental function.
The benefits can be due to an increased blood flow to your brain during exercises. You need not do physical activities daily; you can walk, swim, or cycle. Take in the fresh air and feel relaxed as you do these exercises.
2. Get appropriate sleep
Sleep plays an essential role in your brain health. Some theories suggest that sleep helps clear abnormal protein in your brain and enhances your retention skill along with your mental health.
Doctors often suggest patients get a minimum of seven to eight hours of sleep every day. Consecutive rest gives your brain the time to store all your memories in an effective manner. Unfortunately, sleep apnea is highly harmful to your mental health and is the reason behind your struggle to get proper sleep. In such cases, you must talk to your doctor and take medication.
3. Adequate diet
The kind of food you eat plays a significant role in your mental health. An adequate diet consists of whole grains, leafy vegetables, less salt and red meat in your diet. Studies have shown that people who follow a balanced diet have fewer chances to have Alzheimer’s disease.
It is found that omega fatty acids have healthy fats that are essential for your cells to function correctly. As a result, it further reduces the risks of coronary artery disease and increases mental focus. Students who cannot focus precisely demand literature essay writing help and assistance for other projects.
4. Stay mentally active
Researchers say that our brain is almost like our muscles, and the more you make it active, the better. You can keep your brain busy through various activities such as crossword puzzles, sudoku, reading and solving a jigsaw puzzle. Incorporate multiple activities to increase the effectiveness of them on your brain.
Your brain will get a good exercise by solving challenging puzzles and reading detective novels as well. It would be better if you avoid watching much television or engage in any kind of passive activity that does not let your brain work on its own.
5. Increase your brain plasticity by playing an instrument
Studies have suggested that getting yourself involved in playing a musical instrument changes the shape of your brain and enhances the retention power. Playing musical instruments can also improve your cognitive skills and IQ level to some extent.
As you learn to play a musical instrument, the elasticity of your brain increases. The area of the brain that controls motor skills, hearing. Also, playing a musical instrument increases your alertness and emotional perception.
6. Untangle your mind by reading and writing
You can read innovative scholarship essay sample storybooks as these can encourage vocabulary growth. Writing is very important to untangle a busy and irritated mind. It further allows clear thinking and improves the ability to absorb information.
When we write down information, our brain can store that information and improve our recalling potential. It is commonly seen that students who take down notes while studying a new subject score better marks than students who don’t take notes. This is because writing encourages students to pay more attention to their memories, experiences and internal dialogues, increasing brain functionality.
7. Drink enough water to fuel the body and mind
Staying healthy is very important for your overall health performance. Dehydration will make you feel weak and depleted while, staying hydrated will always boost your energy level. In addition, when there are enough fluids in your body, your heart will pump blood in an efficient way that will deliver essential nutrients and oxygen all over your body.
Our brain needs proper hydration to function optimally. Dehydration disrupts the entire functioning of the brain and affects its efficiency. Dehydration can be the leading cause of short-term memory and forgetfulness.
8. Learn a new language
Knowing more than one language is essential to socialising in the world and makes you more intelligent. Learning a different language significantly impacts your brain and improves your cognitive skills that are not related to language.
People who are accustomed with more than one language are faster at solving puzzles. In addition, studies have shown that bilingual improves the brain’s executive function. Executive function is essential for planning, solving problems and doing mental tasks.
9. Adopt a Learning Mind
Pushing your brain to learn new concepts can be excellent for your brain. When you are curious about a subject you don’t know, you make your brain produce new brain cells and increase the pathway.
Always stay alert and try to be more curious. Expose yourself to new ideas innovative thoughts. Learn about different cultures, and seek to broaden your research skills.
10. Be Social
Instead of watching continuous movies or series, try to socialise. When you associate with different people, the blood circulates to other parts of your brain as you try to develop new responses.
When you are connecting with people, you will not get depressed or lonely very quickly. Loneliness and depression can hamper your brain functioning. It would help if you learned to stay happy and keep away from negativity. Engage with more people and build more memories to make you happy even when you feel upset.
