Boosting Brain Health: 7 Daily Habits to Keep Your Mind Sharp

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Your Health Magazine

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Boosting Brain Health: 7 Daily Habits to Keep Your Mind Sharp

As we get older, our bodies inevitably will change.

Some parts of it, such as the colour of our hair, the smoothness of our skin and, regrettably, the size of our waistlines, can do this noticeably.

However, in other areas, such as your brain, the transformation is more subtle. For instance, by the time you are 90, this vital organ will weigh about 100 grams less than it did when you were 40.

Additionally, once you get past 60, your ability to retain new information will start to decline markedly from the levels it reached at your peak in your 20s.

For this reason, it is important to take measures to safeguard and boost your brain health at the earliest opportunity. But particularly if you have hit middle age.

In this post, we will look at 7 daily habits you can adopt to keep your mind sharp.

If you embrace these lifestyle choices, you’ll go a long way towards ensuring your brain is still operating at an optimal level well into your 70s, 80s and beyond.

1. Get Good Sleep

One of the best things you can do to safeguard your brain is to get good sleep every night.

Many experts believe that getting between 7 to 9 hours of quality, unbroken sleep every night is an excellent way of clearing the organ of any abnormal proteins that could negatively affect it.

When you get this good, consistent sleep, you also help your brain consolidate your memories, which, in turn, enables it to operate at optimal levels.

If you are currently struggling to sleep as well as you would like to, here are some steps you can take to improve your chances of doing so.

2. Exercise Regularly

You probably already know that exercising or doing physical activity on a regular basis can provide you with several health benefits. But you might not be aware that it can be very good for your cognitive function and mental health as well.

Several bodies of research have shown that those who exercise regularly are less prone to experience a reduction in their mental abilities than those who don’t. Additionally, these people also have a much-reduced chance of contracting Alzheimer’s Disease. 

Try to aim for between 30 minutes to an hour of physical activity or exercise every day, such as walking, dancing or swimming, because this will increase the blood flow to your brain overall.

3. Eat a Healthier Diet

Along with good sleep and regular exercise, eating a healthy diet can significantly reduce your likelihood of being obese or overweight.

However, if you adopt the Mediterranean diet (which is high in fish, plant-based foods, and healthy fats like olive oil and whole grains), research suggests that you can improve the functionality and longevity of your brain and reduce your chances of contracting Alzheimer’s disease.

4. Drink Plenty of Water 

Drinking water is essential for good brain health because if you don’t, you can quickly become dehydrated.

In such circumstances, your brain won’t receive the essential nutrients it needs to clear out the toxins and waste that can impair its functionality. It also won’t enable your brain cells to communicate with each other as effectively as they should. 

Therefore, to enable your brain to do all of this, men should drink at least 2.5 litres of water and women 2 litres every day.

5. Quite Smoking

There are several health reasons why you should quit smoking immediately, including suffering from a greater likelihood of succumbing to cancer, lung disease, and heart disease.

However, another is that you might not be aware of is that it can significantly increase your risk of brain atrophy. This is a condition that results in a loss of the number or connections between your brain cells, which ultimately can trigger brain ageing and cognitive decline.

6. Engage your mind 

If you don’t do any exercise for a while, you can start to feel lethargic and experience a decline in your physical condition. Well, the same applies to your brain, which is why you need to keep it as engaged and active as possible, particularly as you get older.

Some good ways to do this are to do memory tests like Crosswords, Sudoku, and Wordle on a regular basis. Additionally, jigsaw puzzles and other activities that require you to draw upon your reasoning and logic skills are terrific ways to increase brainpower.

If you don’t fancy playing these types of games, blogging or studying for a qualification can be other excellent ways to stimulate your cerebral function.

7. Embrace Preventative Measures

If you are in your 50s and, in particular, your 60s, it is worth considering other preventative steps to reduce your chances of developing dementia, Alzheimer’s Disease or other cognitive issues.

One is to regularly take a medical drink, such as Souvenaid, which has been proven to slow down cognitive and memory decline by up to 60%.

You can read some Souvenaid reviews here if this is something you are interested in doing.

As an alternative, you might try taking a low-dose aspirin, which some research has suggested can lower your chances of vascular dementia.