Our brain health plays a role in all aspects of life - from our thoughts and emotions to our actions and bodily sensations. Not only does brain health affect how we feel, but it’s also important for comprehensive health. Neurological conditions account for 9 million deaths each year, making them the second leading cause of death across the globe. As a caretaker of someone with dementia or Alzheimer’s, supporting their brain health is a key responsibility.
The good news? You can help your loved one or patient incorporate small habits each day that will make a profound, positive impact on their brain health, as well as their overall wellbeing. You can even partake in these habits yourself, alongside the person you care for!
What are brain health and brain ageing?
Brain health refers to the ability to perform the mental processes of cognition, which include using language and memory, as well as being able to learn and make judgments. Maintaining good brain health means these things come quickly and easily to us, while poor brain health means we’re on the opposite end of the spectrum.
As we age, our bodies change and deteriorate - that includes the brain! To encourage brain health and keep the brain young, we need to lead a brain-healthy lifestyle. When we don’t take care of brain health, we experience brain ageing. The following physical changes occur:
● Some parts of the brain shrink, including the parts that are essential for learning and complex mental activities
● Blood flow to the brain can decrease
● Communication between neurons in some brain regions may be less effective
● Inflammation in the brain can increase
All of these changes can affect brain function. Some people find that they struggle with learning tests or memory tests. They may also need more time to complete mental tasks than younger folks.
Luckily, there is plenty that we can do to ensure long-term brain health. 1 in 3 cases of Alzheimer’s may be preventable by taking on a more brain-healthy lifestyle and incorporating the following activities into daily life. The habits that are great for brain health also tend to lend themselves to overall wellness, so it’s a win-win!
How to increase brain health
1 Eat brain-healthy foods
The brain is the most easily damaged organ in the body by a bad, or nutrient-lacking diet. It needs vitamins and nutrients to thrive, just like the rest of the body. People who eat a Mediterranean diet, full of veggies, fruits, nuts, olive oil, fish, and plant protein, are less likely to experience Alzheimer’s or cognitive impairment.
Prioritize eating leafy greens, berries, nuts, beans, olive oil, whole grains, dark cocoa powder, fish, and poultry for brain health.
2 Improve cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar
High levels of LDL cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes are all risk factors for developing dementia. Eating well, as discussed above, as well as staying lean and exercising will help keep these three factors in the healthy zone.
3 Avoid tobacco and alcohol
Tobacco can increase LDL cholesterol. Withdrawal from the nicotine in cigarettes can also cause people to feel stressed, anxious, and irritable - all of which can increase blood pressure. Alcohol is also a big risk factor for dementia and Alzheimer’s, so encourage your loved one or patient to limit it to two drinks per day or less.
4 Stimulate the brain
Mental stimulation can help the brain generate new cells, which builds a reserve of cells to protect against future cell loss while also developing neurological plasticity. In other words, mental stimulation makes it easier for the brain to change, adapt, and re-wire itself as a person continues to live and have experiences.
Activities like reading, solving puzzles, working through math problems, and painting can all help. To incorporate this easily, people should try to read 10 pages of a book each day and work through a couple of crosswords or Sudoku puzzles.
5 Use music wellness through AI technology
Music is a powerful way to stimulate the brain. It is the only stimulant that can activate all areas of the brain at the same time, which makes listening to music a workout for the brain. Listening to music can improve short-term memory and long-term memory recall, help increase concentration, increase blood flow, and help us retain information. Music wellness is overall wellness!
The key to using music as a therapy is listening to the right music for the listener’s brain. We’re all different, so the same music won’t stimulate everyone. AI technology, like Vera, can create customized music stations full of songs that have been pinpointed to help keep the listener’s unique brain stimulated. Whether they need to relax, energise, or reminisce, there’s a playlist that can both exercise their brain and put them in the right frame of mind.
6 Cognitive challenges
Apart from brain stimulation, it’s also important to challenge ourselves. The brain can get used to the same old activities, even if they used to be challenging.
AI technology applied to music wellness can provide a cognitive challenge, for example. Listening to a complex song with lots of variations and moving parts challenges the brain to anticipate what’s next and forces it to adapt. In turn, the brain creates new neural connections and pathways. Learning a new hobby, language, or musical instrument are also great cognitive challenges.
7 Move the body
Recent research has shown that regular physical exercise encourages the development of new nerve cells, increases connections between brain cells, and increases the number of blood vessels bringing oxygen-rich blood to the part of the brain that manages thought. Plus, it helps improve that pesky cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar we mentioned earlier.
You and the person you care for should aim for 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous activity each week.
8 Emotional well-being
There is a connection between being depressed, anxious, and stressed and scoring poorly on cognitive function tests. Research has also found that practicing mind-body therapy (even for a short period of time each day) can lessen early signs of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.
A person can care for their emotional well-being by meditating, going to therapy, practicing self-care, going for a walk in nature, chatting with a trusted friend, or de-cluttering their space. What’s important is that they do whatever helps them check in with themselves and let go of negative emotions.
9 Sleep it off
We can improve memory retention by getting 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night. The brain needs this time to build memories from the day before, repair muscles, and consolidate any lessons learned.
If the person you care for struggles to get to sleep, they should avoid caffeine and be sure to get enough physical activity during the day so that they’re good and tired once bedtime rolls around. You should also encourage them to skip the phone an hour before bed, opt for a book, and try a sleep meditation.
10 Strengthen social connections
Having strong relationships with others is associated with lower blood pressure, longer life expectancy, and, yes, a lower risk of dementia. We should all make a point of reaching out to friends and family and making plans for virtual or in-person hangouts. This will also help with our emotional well-being! We can even make it a gym date and check off three items on the list!
Caring for someone with dementia or Alzheimer’s, or even just a fading memory, is hard. Although it can be exhausting to encourage them to pick up healthy habits, it can also pay off in huge dividends. It can help protect their brain health and improve overall wellness. Vera is here to help, with customised music stations that use music as a therapy to help keep their mind sharp and performing for as long as possible.
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