People still seem to be hung up on the old and out-of-date saying, “If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it”, but you should make exceptions to this, especially when it comes to your brain. Brain health is not just the absence of brain disease. It involves the functioning of the different areas of the brain. Studies show that simply paying attention to your brain will add ten more useful years to it. What better way to protect your brain from quickly losing its function day by day than by doing preventive, proactive measures? Keep the brain enriched and prevent premature cognitive loss by implementing the strategies suggested below.
Exercise your brain. Just as it enhances fitness and promotes overall health, exercising your brain does the same thing for it. You want to exercise your brain as often as you can. For instance, learn a new language. According to studies, learning a second language increases the density of gray matter in the areas of your brain that focuses on attention and memory. This may sound complicated and you may reason it’s time-consuming, but simply playing language-instruction CDs while you’re on your way to work and back home can do you some good. As you progress, you may choose to listen to more advanced lessons, watch a movie in that language without subtitles or even visit the country where the language you’re learning is the native language and test drive your new skill. You may also want to perform simple brain games that involve language, memory, logic, strategy and others. Not only are these games great pastimes, they can also stimulate your brain.
Work out regularly. If you’re thinking cardiovascular exercises do not affect the brain, you’re mistaken. Exercising regularly can help your brain identify mistakes faster and easier. Experts attribute this to the fact that people who work out absorb more oxygen in the blood, which affects the error-detection center in the brain, the cingulated cortex.
Watch your diet. A balanced diet, with an adequate amount of vitamins and minerals can boost your brain health. While the right food can stimulate neurotransmitters, strengthen brain cell communication and increase neuron-protection protein production, the converse also happens. High sugar, calories and saturated fat can slow the brain’s overall functioning and hasten the effects of free radicals that damage the tissues. Omega 3 fatty acids, which can be found in various sources such as eggs, lamb, milk, cheese and cold water oily fish, particularly salmon, herring, mackerel, anchovies and sardines can also promote nerve cell communication and prevent the early decline in mental functioning.
Don’t overwork yourself. Too much overtime may not be as beneficial as you think. Working 35 to 40 hours a week is ideal for better vocabulary and reasoning. Stress from overworking can also cause sleep disturbances and other things that can harm your brain and slow its processes. Allow yourself a few minutes to sit or lie down quietly with your eyes closed and with no distractions to let your brain rest and recharge. Your rested brain will reward you with better performance later.
These simple tips may sound trivial to you, but being conscious about these things can take you a long way in keeping your brain healthy and functioning for a long, long time. Like cardiovascular health, brain health also needs to be a priority. Anyway, a heart beating properly with a brain that’s not functioning right is not exactly living the life.