3 Lifestyle Choices That Could Save Your Brain from Alzheimer’s
Although there is no cure for Alzheimer’s Disease, there are certainly things that scientists and doctors are finding can make your susceptibility to it higher. There is a lot of research being done on the following three ideas for keeping your mind sharp and avoiding the onset of Alzheimer’s or dementia.
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Physical Exercise– Physical exercise has a strong correlation with mental health. It’s been proven to improve memory, boost mood, help with depression, and slows down the progression of cognitive decline. This is all done in part because of the added blow flow and oxygen that it causes to the brain to have. Several studies show that student’s cognitive function was better after a workout. Exercise has also been proven to cut your risk of getting various diseases in half. This means that when you work out, you’re not only boosting the health of your muscles, but your mind as well!
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Healthy Diet– The phrase, “you are what you eat,” is very fitting when it comes to brain health and function. If you don’t feed it well, it will not perform well. Make sure that your diet includes plenty of fruits, vegetables, healthy fats, quality protein, and water. Scientists have found that eating these healthy foods will help decrease the cell-damaging inflammation that happens in the brain when it’s on it’s way to Alzheimer’s. A healthy diet will also help your body to support it’s glial cells, cells whose job is to protect the brain by flushing out toxins. Alzheimer’s has been nicknamed Type III diabetes because of how correlated high blood sugar is to the onset of Alzheimer’s and dementia. Keep your sugar and carbohydrate intake low, don’t smoke, drink alcohol sparingly, and drink green tea instead! All will help lower your risk considerably!
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Mental Exercises– Just like any other muscle in the body, your brain responds best when it’s used to being challenged and used. The more you work with it, the better it will become. And if you don’t use it, you’ll lose it. When you’re in deep thought or trying to sort out a puzzle or problem, your brain is firing neurons, developing new neural pathways, learning new skills, and making connections. Some ideas for challenging your brain could be taking new routes to the typical places you drive to, writing with the opposite hand, and doing crossword puzzles. You can learn a new language, play a new instrument, play with a Rubik’s cube, or do cognitive exercises you find on the internet. Get a grade-school workbook and see what you remember in math, science, and english. These are all excellent ways to stay in great brain shape!
Alzheimer’s has multiple factors that influence who gets it, but one of those factors is lifestyle. Now is the time to take charge of your life and your brain and slow the onset of Alzheimer’s and improve your cognitive function.
