Brain health

When it comes to the more important parts of our body, few things take more priority than our brains. The brain is essentially the “cockpit” for the body’s many systems, and is responsible for the proper operation of all the things that help keep us alive.

So it’s not a huge surprise that ‘brain health’ is becoming a more recognized topic, as increasingly we become aware of the intricacies of our brain, and what we can do to help keep our brain happy and healthy.

When your brain is healthy, it has the blood flow required for peak performance. A healthy brain is essential for living a long and full life. When your brain is healthy, you’re better able to pay attention, solve problems, communicate, and much more.

As they get older, many people worry about developing Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia. If they have a family member with Alzheimer’s, they may wonder about their family history and genetic risk. As many as 5.5 million Americans age 65 and older live with Alzheimer’s. Many more are expected to develop the disease as the population ages—unless ways to prevent or delay it are found.

The brain controls many aspects of thinking—remembering, planning and organizing, making decisions, and much more. These cognitive abilities affect how well we do 3 older men playing chess in the parkeveryday tasks and whether we can live independently.

How can we keep our brains healthy?

There are many things you can do to help promote brain health and keep your brain healthy for the duration of your life. One of the biggest things any person can do is to follow the American Heart Association advisory on measuring important factors supporting brain health.

The authors recommend that ideal brain health be measured against the seven metrics – Life’s Simple 7 – that were originally developed by the American Heart Association to define ideal cardiovascular health. Life’s Simple 7 includes 4 ideal health behaviors and three ideal health factors.

Here is the AMA’s “Life’s Simple 7” for having a healthy brain:

1. Nonsmoking
2. Physical activity at goal levels
3. Healthy diet consistent with current guidelines
4. Weight: body mass index (<25 kg/m2)
5. Untreated blood pressure (<120/<80 mm Hg)
6. Untreated total cholesterol (<200 mg/dL)
7. And fasting blood glucose (<100 mg/dL)

I’m young – why is brain health important now?

Although you can’t feel it developing, atherosclerosis, the slow narrowing of the arteries that underlies heart disease, stroke and dementia, can begin in childhood. The American Heart Association urges people to follow Life’s Simple 7 for their lifetime, to keep their arteries, hearts and brains as healthy as possible.

Heart disease and stroke are 2 of the biggest killers of women – so obviously brain health is an important consideration for all of us.  A stroke happens when blood stops flowing to any part of your brain, damaging brain cells. The effects of a stroke depend on the part of the brain that was damaged and the amount of damage done.

Stroke can happen to anyone, at any age. Yet stroke disproportionately affects women – more women die of stroke, women have worse outcomes after stroke, more women are living with the effects of stroke and women face more challenges as they recover.

Women’s bodies are not the same as men’s and stroke affects them differently at different stages of life. The risk of stroke is higher during pregnancy. As women’s bodies adapt to menopause, stroke risk increases again. Elderly women are especially vulnerable: they are the most likely to have a stroke; their strokes are the most severe; their outcomes are the poorest; and stroke can put an end to their independence.

Women’s lives are also different from men’s. They are used to being caregivers – not being taken care of by others – and this is how others tend to see them as well.

Tips for a healthy brain.

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 tips for a healthy brain – courtesy of Harvard Medical School. (See the Harvard Medical article)

10 Tips to keep your brain young:

1) Mental Stimulation

Through research with mice and humans, 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, take courses, try “mental gymnastics,” such as word puzzles or math problems Experiment with things that require manual dexterity as well as mental effort, such as drawing, painting, and other crafts.

2) Exercise

Research shows that using your muscles also helps your mind. Animals 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) Improve Your Diet

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) Watch Your 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 ) Improve Your Blood Sugar

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) Take an Aspirin

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

8) Avoid Tobacco

Avoid tobacco in all its forms.

9) Don’t Abuse Alcohol

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

10) Care for 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.

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Brain Health – Conclusion

As you can see, your brain is extremely important. As a result brain health and taking care of your brain as best you can is extremely important. Because the brain is so complicated, many people assume that brain health is complicated as well. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Many of the recommendations for good brain health are simply good ideas to implement for your overall health. This includes things like not smoking, not abusing alcohol, and getting exercise.

Even simply getting a good nights sleep is important for brain health. We have the power to preserver our brain health and in turn we should enjoy a “healthy brain” for most or all of our lives. I hope this inspires more women to take care of themselves and their all-important brains! Just like you – your brain is important, so treat it with the respect you both deserve.