Tips to Keep Your Brain Healthy
We all wish to live a long and happy life. To do so, we have to prioritize our health, especially our brain. The brain sits at the core of our ideal well-being as it determines all aspects of our health. Adjusting our lifestyles will benefit us in the long run, allowing our brains to match our longer life spans.
There are many ways to measure and look at brain health. At its core, the brain requires a certain level of blood flow to reach peak performance. Without it, you will begin to experience cognitive decline, atherosclerosis, and stroke. This decline can start at a young age, so it is important to incorporate lifestyle changes early on to support a healthy brain.
Poor Brain Health
According to the American Heart Association, three out of five Americans will develop a brain disease in their lifetime. Failing brain health is a public health epidemic that isn’t reserved just for the elderly. Some conditions like cognitive decline, also known as dementia, can start as early as age 20. Taking steps toward a healthy day-to-day routine can be life-changing.
Tips for a Healthy Brain
When evaluating changes to implement in your life, remember, if it’s good for the heart, it’s good for the head. This includes core areas like exercise, a healthy diet, and sleep.
When it comes to activity, set a goal of exercising at least three times per week while working in a small amount of movement each day. Exercise improves blood flow and memory while stimulating chemical changes in the brain. These changes enhance learning, mood, and thinking.
Sleep is critical to the overall well-being of our immune system and brain health. The goal is to get eight hours of quality sleep per day. Getting this amount of proper sleep may reduce buildup in the brain. The buildup consists of an abnormal protein called beta-amyloid plaque, which is associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
“You are what you eat.” This saying holds true, especially for brain health. As our age goes up, so do our stress levels, resulting in oxidation in our brains. This process damages brain cells, leaving us more susceptible to conditions like Alzheimer’s disease. Food rich in antioxidants, like different kinds of berries, can help fend off the harmful effects of oxidation in the brain. Other food, including oily fish, like salmon or sardines, contain high levels of Omega-3’s that support a healthy brain.
At Vibra Healthcare, we treat many patients that have suffered a traumatic brain injury from a fall to a car accident. They come to us needing a multidisciplinary approach with clinicians that specialize in brain injury neurorehabilitation. Our multidisciplinary teams include physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, physiatrists (physicians specializing in rehabilitation medicine), and nurses. These teams work cohesively to help people recover from brain injury and get them on the path to regaining their independence.
