Sometimes you may enter a room and forget why you entered it in the first place. You may have trouble remembering a person's name. These are just examples of how our brain can “fail” us. Just like our bodies, our brains need upkeep. Cognitive health is the ability to think, learn, remember, and reason. While age can play a factor in one's cognitive health, there are ways to take care of your brain and improve your cognitive function
Maintaining good cognitive health doesn't have to be difficult or expensive. There are several ways to improve cognitive function in day to day life.
Here are 10 ways to improve and take care of your brain at every age:
1. Stay Physically Active
Physical exercise is beneficial for one's body as well as their brain. For instance, physical activity helps make certain that blood is reaching the brain that consequently also makes the memory better. There are many types of activities that are good for the brain such as walking, running, cycling, swimming, dancing, and doing yoga. It is really important for adults to exercise 150 minutes per week at least. In case this type of exercise does not negatively influence your health, regular and vigorous walks can also be beneficial. The most important thing is to be consistent and do some sort of physical activity that you enjoy.
2. Eat a Brain-Healthy Diet
The importance of healthy eating lies not only in physical health but in mental health as well. Foods for brain development can be included in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and omega-3 acids which can be obtained from leafy greens, fish, oil, berries, and nuts. Foods including nuts and seeds are effective for cognitive development. Whole grains and legumes are high in fibers and good for one’s health. It is easier to go on a healthy diet than you may think, stop worrying about the food groups and concentrate on eating nutrient-rich foods and vegetables.
The type of food that must be avoided is everything that contains a lot of added sugar, saturated fats and food that is extremely processed. While there is no superfood that can make you better, avoiding harmful food for your mind is also essential.
3. Get Quality Sleep
Quality sleep is one of those things that is underrated and overlooked in the daily grind; however, lack of good sleep affects one's mood and one's memory. While one's sleeping their brain is helping one to process the events of the day and consolidate one's memory. Without the proper amount of good quality sleep one may feel tired, moody, and forgetful.
Most people require 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night. One should strive to keep a consistent sleep schedule, avoid screens before bed, and keep their sleeping environment comfortable and free of disturbance. If one is still having trouble getting good sleep, or one suffers from loud snoring and daytime tiredness, one should talk to you doctor.
4. Challenge Your Brain Regularly
A stimulated brain is a happy brain. Challenging one's brain on a regular basis keeps one's brain strong and active. Reading books, playing board games, learning a foreign language, or playing an instrument are all excellent ways to keep one's brain challenged. One does not have to devote hours a day to challenging their brain, one just needs to make sure to do it on a somewhat regular basis.
One could even try learning a new skill outside of one's comfort zone! This can be as simple as learning how to knit or how to cook a new dish. Challenging one's brain is an excellent way to stave off dementia and other brain diseases. Don't forget that mental stimulation isn't a magic bullet for brain health, but cognitive stimulation keeps one's brain healthy. One does not have to spend hours a day trying to boost one's brain power. Just keep one's brain active and stimulated outside of one's usual routine.
5. Stay Connected With Other People
Social activities play an important role in stimulating brain activity, memory and cognitive processes. Socializing will also help you stay away from loneliness. Make it your mission to stay in touch with someone every day – call or text your friends or relatives to arrange meetings or participate in recreational activities together. Volunteering may also become a way of socializing – being helpful to other people will make a good impact on your community.
6. Manage Stress Effectively
It is impossible to avoid stress in one’s life, and even though some stress is a good thing, chronic stress can really affect one’s health. Although all of the people suffer stress differently, stress has the most negative effect on brain functioning. The best way to relieve stress is to find a certain activity that will help relax and improve one’s condition.
For some people, this kind of activity may be taking a bath, reading a book, or spending time in nature. For others, going in for yoga, meditating, or keeping a journal may be a good way to cope with stress. In addition, the most important thing is to properly organize one’s everyday activities so that there are no extra sources of stress in one’s life which can be related to tight deadlines and other sources of stress. What is even more important, if the problem becomes too difficult to deal with, it is better to approach a professional psychologist.
7. Keep Your Blood Pressure and Blood Sugar Under Control
Studies have shown that there is a connection between cognitive decline and hypertension, diabetes, and high cholesterol. It is important that you take control of your blood pressure and levels of sugar in the blood in order to prevent these issues. Going to routine check-ups at your doctor’s office for testing of your blood pressure and sugar levels is vital is taking control of your blood pressure and sugar. If you are diagnosed with any of these ailments, it is important that you go through with the treatment plan and make sure to get plenty of exercise. Eating right is going to be vital to keeping your blood pressure and sugar at optimal levels.
8. Protect Your Hearing and Vision
Having issues with hearing and eyesight impairments can cause many issues in everyday life as well as contribute to cognitive decline. Having regular eye exams and hearing tests is going to be vital in making sure that you have the appropriate tools such as glasses or hearing aids for any impairments. If you are having any issues with your hearing or vision, it is important that you make arrangements to see your doctor and have any possible issues looked into.
9. Avoid Smoking and Limit Alcohol
Smoking has very harmful effects all throughout your body, especially the heart. Having high blood pressure is closely related to hypertension and cognitive decline as well as heart disease. Limiting your alcohol consumption is going to be important in limiting your chances of acquiring detrimental diseases associated with the heart and cognition. Don’t smoke and make sure to make an appointment with your doctor in regards to cessation counseling if you are looking to kick the habit. Limit your alcohol consumption if you do partake in any drinking. If you do drink, it might be a good idea to try and cut back on how much you allow yourself to consume.
10. Keep Your Daily Routine Balanced
It is crucial that you maintain a balanced lifestyle if you would like to keep your mind in good shape. One thing that you can do to achieve that is to make sure to eat right and exercise, but another important aspect is to make sure to give your mind some time off now and then. Doing activities that you enjoy is also a good idea.
You can always make use of a planner, so that you have a clear image of your daily activities and what you really need to do. Another thing that might help you to keep your mind fresh is learning something new every week. Take breaks from stressful things in your life and make sure to get adequate sleep each night you are not working. You don't need to worry too much about having small memory lapses, but if you are forgetting things quite often which begins to interfere with your daily life, it might be a good idea to speak with your doctor.
Conclusion
It is never too late to start taking better care of yourself. There are plenty of things that you can do in order to help prevent cognitive decline in your lifetime. Try to start with the little things and remember that you are human. You are not going to always be on your best behavior or do the things that are best for you, and that is okay.
Cognitive decline is something that is a part of everyone’s life as we age. The little things are what is going to make a big difference in regards to how well your brain is going to be as you get older. Just remember that when it comes to taking care of your cognitive functions, it is never too late to start.
