By Michelle Thomas and Jim Kordenbrock Jr., Gerontologist
Have you ever been told that your “brain will become less sharp” as you age? Fortunately, this is a myth. In fact, cognitive decline is not inevitable as people age and more importantly, there are things you can do to help your brain as you age.
Research shows that there are steps you can take to reduce your risk of cognitive decline and maintain mental sharpness. Incorporating small, positive changes into your daily routine can help support brain health now and, in the future, promoting long-term cognitive health.
Cognitive health refers to the ability to think, learn, and remember clearly, which is essential for carrying out everyday tasks like driving, managing finances, taking medication, and cooking. It’s just one component of overall brain health, influenced by a variety of factors. While genetics plays a role, environmental and lifestyle factors are key contributors to changes in thinking skills and the ability to perform daily activities. Although you can’t control your genetic makeup, you can manage many other factors that affect your brain health.
The National Institute on Aging defines brain health as how well a person’s brain functions across several areas, including:
- Cognitive health – how well you are able to think, learn, and remember
- Motor function – how well you make and control movements, including balance
- Emotional function – how well you interpret and respond to emotions (both pleasant and unpleasant)
- Tactile function – how well you interpret and respond to sensations of touch, including pressure, pain, and temperature
- Sensory function – how well you see, hear, taste, and detect odors
Age-related brain health can be enhanced by focusing on these six key areas that support cognitive function and overall mental well-being:
- Movement is key – those who exercise have a lower risk of developing cognitive decline. It also promotes good cardiovascular health, and it improves blood flow to the brain, reduces inflammation, and lowers stress
- Eat right to fuel the brain – limit red meat and foods high in saturated fats (such as butter, fatty cuts of meat, palm and coconut oils, cookies and doughnuts, and processed meats like sausage and bacon) – these are foods that can also disrupt your sleep. Choose lean meats like fish or skinless chicken, use olive or avocado oils over fatty cooking oils, and try to replace some of the high-sugar sweets with dark chocolate, berries and whipped cream, and frozen fruit bars (you can even have peanut M&M’s from time to time to get some good fat and fiber). Coffee and black and green teas have health benefits, as does red wine in moderation (moderation is defined by the Mayo Clinic as 5 oz. per day)
- Get some sleep and relaxation – sleeping helps our bodies recover from illness, injury, and stress. During sleep, toxins flush from our brains. Sleep helps us preserve and consolidate our memory and can also improve learning. Remember to stick to a schedule for rising and going to bed every day – prioritize your sleep! Avoid long daytime naps. See #1 above (get moving!), and avoid food and drink that can disrupt your sleep (see #2 above)
- Strong social connections — Enjoying close ties to friends and family, as well as meaningful social activities have brain health benefits. Focus on relationships (relatives, friends, and neighbors) and activities you enjoy the most, and stay connected with people of different ages. Find activities that allow you to learn or pass on skills, such as cooking, tutoring, or volunteering. Love on your pets if you have them, as they are a wonderful source for a loving friendship!
- Engage your brain — cognitive reserve develops over time through education, learning, and curiosity. Education and learning can reduce cognitive decline (see #4 above). Engaging your brain in challenging ways improves overall brain health. Consider learning a new language, exploring the arts, volunteering, playing games, etc.
- Managing stress – stress, unfortunately, is a normal part of life, but how you react to stress is what can impact your brain. Chronic stress can damage areas of the brain that control memory and regulate your mood. Remember to focus on the present and practice positivity and gratitude, give your brain a break and try breathing exercises to relax, keep exercising, and if a problem arises, then focus on the problem at hand, not how it could get worse (no “doomsdaying”).
While the first steps can be daunting, these changes are not insurmountable. In fact, making small, simple changes and building up slowly will make an important difference for your brain health. Set a goal for what you want to achieve in 21 days, as that is how many days it takes to break a bad habit (“brain drains”) and create new ones that are good for your brain health (“brain gains”).
Don’t let the myths of aging get in your way. You can make a choice to take action that will maintain a healthy brain.
