Various Ways To Keep The Brain Young

Every brain changes with age, and mental function changes along with it. Mental decline is common, and it's one of the most feared consequences of aging. But cognitive impairment is not inevitable. Here are 12 ways you can help maintain brain function.

1. Mental stimulation

Through research, scientists have found that brainy activities stimulate new connections between nerve cells and may even help the brain generate new cells, developing neurological "plasticity" and building up a functional reserve that provides a hedge against future cell loss.
Any mentally stimulating activity should help to build up your brain. Read, join somecourses, try solving puzzles or math problems Experiment with things that require manual dexterity as well as mental effort, such as drawing, painting, and other crafts. You can do anything that you like, it can be crochet/ knitting too, as even for that our brain needs to work, even if you see a pattern, as often you've to make changes to suit what is best for what you're making.

2. Physical exercise

Research shows that using your muscles also helps your mind. Those who exercise regularly increase the number of tiny blood vessels that bring oxygen-rich blood to the region of the brain that is responsible for thought. Exercise also spurs the development of new nerve cells and increases the connections between brain cells (synapses). This results in brains that are more efficient, plastic, and adaptive, which translates into better performance in aging animals. Exercise also lowers blood pressure, improves cholesterol levels, helps blood sugar balance and reduces mental stress, all of which can help your brain as well as your heart.

3. Consume Nutritious Foods

Good nutrition can help your mind as well as your body. For example, people that eat a Mediterranean style diet that emphasizes fruits, vegetables, fish, nuts, unsaturated oils (olive oil) and plant sources of proteins are less likely to develop cognitive impairment and dementia.

4. Try and maintain blood pressure

High blood pressure in midlife increases the risk of cognitive decline in old age. Use lifestyle modification to keep your pressure as low as possible. Stay lean, exercise regularly, limit your alcohol to two drinks a day, reduce stress, and eat right.

5.Keep your blood sugar under control

Diabetes is an important risk factor for dementia. You can help prevent diabetes by eating right, exercising regularly, and staying lean. But if your blood sugar stays high, you'll need medication to achieve good control.

6. Improve your cholesterol

High levels of LDL ("bad") cholesterol are associated with an increased the risk of dementia. Diet, exercise, weight control, and avoiding tobacco will go a long way toward improving your cholesterol levels. But if you need more help, ask your doctor about medication.

7. Have low-dose aspirin

Some observational studies suggest that low-dose aspirin may reduce the risk of dementia, especially vascular dementia. Ask your doctor if it will suit you.

8. Avoid tobacco

Avoid tobacco in all its forms, as not only it leads to cell decline, but causes cancer.

9. Limit your alcohol

Excessive drinking is a major risk factor for dementia. If you choose to drink, limit yourself to two drinks a day.

10. Control your emotions

People who are anxious, depressed, sleep-deprived, or exhausted tend to score poorly on cognitive function tests. Poor scores don't necessarily predict an increased risk of cognitive decline in old age, but good mental health and restful sleep are certainly important goals.

11. Protect your head

Moderate to severe head injuries, even without diagnosed concussions, increase the risk of cognitive impairment.

12. Have social networks

Strong social ties have been associated with a lower risk of dementia, as well as lower blood pressure and longer life expectancy. Social network especially at old age helps as loneliness itself hurts the body and the mind in various ways.

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How to reduce your risk of Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer’s disease has no known cure to date, which is what makes preventive care so much more important. Keep in mind that there are no proven methods of prevention, but medical experts agree that certain lifestyle changes can help to minimize the risk of developing Alzheimer’s or at the very least delay the onset and progression of the disease.

While researchers continue to investigate and gather supporting evidence here are some steps that you can take to lower your risk of developing Alzheimer’s:

Stay active – Regular exercise and physical activity can go a long way to keeping you healthy and fit as you age. Some studies indicate that physical activity helps to boost endurance of cells and tissues to oxidative stress and other processes that are important in neurogenesis and memory improvement.

Mental stimulation – Make it a point to engage in intellectually stimulating activities, whether solving puzzles at your coffee table, or debating philosophical and political conundrums! 

Healthy eating – Increase your intake of fresh fruits and vegetables, while cutting down on unhealthy foods like red meats, fried food and junk food. The Mediterranean diet is widely regarded as one of the healthiest and most balanced diets. Claims that have been backed by several studies suggest that it could help lower the risk of Alzheimer’s.

Optimal weight – Obesity may not be a direct cause for Alzheimer’s but it does increase the risk because of other health conditions that develop as a result of obesity.

Kick the butt –Smoking poses a variety of health risks, so it’s only logical to assume that it ups the risk of Alzheimer’s as well. Either way, quitting smoking will improve your general health, reducing the risk of various health complications and conditions that would otherwise increase the risk of Alzheimer’s.

Most of these changes may not have a direct bearing on your risk of Alzheimer’s, but they do have a definite impact on your general health and well-being, which will reduce the risk of various health conditions that would otherwise make you more susceptible to Alzheimer’s.

As the end-goal with all of these lifestyle changes is the betterment of your health, it should go without saying that you need to actively monitor your health with regular check-ups and seek treatment for any health condition as soon as it surfaces. Diabetes, high cholesterol or hypertension can put you at risk of developing Alzheimer’s. Psychological problems like anxiety disorders and depression can also greatly increase the risk, so it’s important to seek help when needed.

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GET NOSTALGIC, AS IT WILL NOT ONLY KEEP YOU WARM, ALSO GOOD FOR THE HEART !

Nostalgia gives us such a mental boost that it drives out 

sensations of cold, found an international team of researchers.

Volunteers were able to keep their hands in ice-cold water for 

longer, and perceived a room to be warmer, when asked to 

recall happy memories.

The reaction might be an evolutionary defence mechanism to 

protect us - temporarily at least - from the cold, said the 

academics.

A senior lecturer at a University  said: "Nostalgia is

experienced frequently and virtually by everyone and we know 

that it can maintain psychological comfort.

For example, nostalgic reverie can combat loneliness. We 

wanted to take that a step further and assess whether it can 

also maintain physiological comfort.

The study has shown that nostalgia serves a homoeostatic function, allowing the mental simulation of previously enjoyed states, including states of bodily comfort; in this case making us feel warmer or increasing our tolerance of cold.

In the study, volunteers at universities in China and the 

Netherlands were put through a series of tests to judge how 

they perceived temperature when recalling ‘normal’ and 

‘nostalgic’ memories.

In one, they were put in one of three rooms: cold (20C), 

comfortable (24C) and hot (28C), and then measured how 

nostalgic they felt. Participants felt more nostalgic in the cold 

room than in the comfortable and hot rooms, indicating it is a 

response to the threat of cold.

In another, they were asked to say how physically warm they felt 

when listening to music.

Those who said the music made them feel nostalgic also 

tended to say that the music made them feel physically warmer.

In a third experiment, they were asked to judge the air 

temperature of a room. Those who had been instructed to think 

nostalgic thoughts thought it was warmer than those who were 

thinking about other things.

The effect was so strong that it even enabled volunteers to 

keep their hands in near ice-cold (4C) water longer.

Volunteers thinking normal thoughts managed 20 seconds, but 

nostalgia enabled them to keep a hand immersed for another 

six.