Brain health is the complete functioning of the brain that affects our physical, mental, social, and spiritual well-being. Therefore, maintaining brain health is crucial to quality of life, especially for seniors who are at the highest risk of cognitive decline. Lifestyle choices greatly affect brain health.
Brain health can be optimized through a holistic care approach that focuses on the whole person, including a moderate physical activity level, eating a healthy diet, ensuring enough sleep, practicing mindfulness, and cultivating social connections.
How to optimize brain health:
Be and remain physically active: Moderate physical activity improves the blood flow to the brain, promoting the growth of new brain cells, which is crucial in aging adults. As we all age differently, it is important to consult with your Family Physician what physical activities are suitable for you. For independent and mobile seniors brisk walking enhances the heart’s health, while boosting cognitive function. Too much sitting also affects the brain health and affects cognitive function, increasing dementia risks. Regular health checks and maintaining a healthy weight can help reduce dementia risks. Read more:
Adopting a healthy diet rich in healthy fats, whole grains, and vegetables promotes brain health. People who live in the world’s Blue Zones eat a diet full of whole plant food!
Below are two helpful articles:
Engage in mental activities to maintain and refine your cognitive skills, such as reading, learning a new skill or a language, playing games and puzzles. This is especially important to prevent cognitive decline in older adults.
Get enough sleep: adults require at least 7 hrs/night. Seniors need about the same amount of sleep as younger adults,. 8 hrs./night. Older adults take longer to fall asleep, and sleep for shorter periods than do younger adults.
Be and remain socially active, which is especially important for seniors to prevent depression, which can lead to isolation, and the fragility of health. A lack of human interaction increases the risks of dementia.
Reduce your stress
Worrying and rushing promote stress. Practice mindfulness and live in the present moment as you can't change the past or control the future!
Learn a new activity to stimulate your brain: reading, cooking, painting, drawing, gardening, and learning a new language enriches cognitive flexibility and memory. Enrolling in a class at your local community centre is a great way to refine cognitive, physical and social skills, especially for seniors 55 +. That way you ensure to build cognitive resilience. Simply engage in as many activities as you can!
Play brain games: engage in crosswords, or Sudoku, to improve your problem-solving skills.
Change up your daily routine to stimulate your brain and break away from doing things in the same way and at the same time. For example, walk a different way than the day before
Sleep enough to maintain a healthy cognitive functioning. A lack of sleep negatively affects cognitive functions, including the function of storing and restoring memory.
Your local Alzheimer Society offers helpful information and support to promote brain health. Learn more about ways to help to reduce Dementia/Alzheimer’s disease risks by visiting the below safe web link:
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