6 Tips to Protect and Promote Brain Health
In honor of Brain and Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, as well as the research made possible by the Wolfe Brain Health Initiative, Eva L. Feldman, M.D., Ph.D., shares how to protect, and even promote brain health.
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Wear a helmet
Physically protecting your head is the single most important step you can take to safeguard your brain. Wearing a helmet during activities like biking and skiing can significantly reduce the risk of injury. Motorcyclists should also always wear helmets, even if state laws don't require them.
Sleep well
Finding ways to improve your time spent sleeping, and the quality of that sleep, can go a long way toward helping you stay sharp and fend off dementia. A rested mind is crucial for brain health as sleep consolidates memories and clears out debris from the brain.
Weight management
Aim for a healthy BMI and follow recommended diets like the MIND, DASH or Mediterranean diets, which focus on unsaturated fats, balanced protein and reduced starch and salt. A larger waist circumference has been connected to cognitive decline.1
Exercise
Engage in 30 minutes of brisk walking, five times a week. Add strength training, especially for women to support bone health. Exercise has a host of benefits for the brain including lowering the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, boosting brain chemistry (mood, cognition, sleep), and increasing the birth of stem cells in the brain.2
Blood pressure control
Follow age-appropriate blood pressure guidelines, which are slightly lower for older adults. Normal blood pressure preserves the blood vessels and therefore the blood supply to your brain, keeping your brain healthy.
Socialize and engage in group activities
Social connections require the brain to process many complex cues—ranging from facial expressions, emotions, language and motor activities, and persons who are socially active experience up to 70% less cognitive decline. Social connections promote the formation of new brain connections and the release of good neurotransmitters like oxytocin and dopamine.
Papers cited:
- Callaghan BC, Reynolds EL, Banerjee M, Chant E, Villegas-Umana E, Gardner TW, Votruba K, Giordani B, Pop-Busui R, Pennathur S, Feldman EL. The Prevalence and Determinants of Cognitive Deficits and Traditional Diabetic Complications in the Severely Obese. Diabetes Care. 2020 Mar;43(3):683-690. doi: 10.2337/dc19-1642. Epub 2020 Jan 13. PMID: 31932459; PMCID: PMC7035591.
- O'Brien PD, Hinder LM, Callaghan BC, Feldman EL. Neurological consequences of obesity. Lancet Neurol. 2017 Jun;16(6):465-477. doi: 10.1016/S1474-4422(17)30084-4. PMID: 28504110; PMCID: PMC5657398.
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Eva L Feldman, MD, PhD
Professor
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