Like our bodies, our brains change as we age. The older we get, the more challenging it is to recall information, like where we put our keys or the name of a restaurant we went to. Perhaps it takes longer to learn something new. However, the good news is that we have a lot of control over keeping our brains healthy and preventing them from aging prematurely, and it starts with our daily habits. The behaviors we evade could have a positive impact on our cognition. Here are the seemingly harmless habits we might be doing every day that could be aging our brains and what we can do instead.
Lack of social interaction.
From having a new baby to working remotely to retiring, there are a lot of situations life brings us that can make it more challenging to get out and be social. According to Dr. Zaldy Tan, in our culture, it's common to slowly lose our social network as we traverse through life, so we should have some kind of social network that we can turn to when we need it or even if we don't think we need it. But how does socialization impact our brain? Dr. Tan explained that when we meet new people, we make a new link within our brain between brain cells. Plus, a strong social network has been shown to improve our mood, which correlates with our brain health, as depression is one of the risk factors for dementia.
In-person connections seem to be most beneficial for brain health, but virtual conversations and online socialization can also help. Some people are physically isolated or may not have family or friends in their local area, so their online community becomes their lifeline and can have some benefits.
Repetitive activities.
You not only want to engage your brain by protecting the skills you have already, but you also want to get your brain outside of its comfort zone. According to Dr. Glen Finney, if you tell yourself that you're not a kid anymore, so you don't have to worry about learning anything that can actually sabotage your brain health and cause premature brain aging. Just like meeting someone new, learning new things forms bonds between our brain cells and helps keep our brains youthful. It's essential to always expand your mental horizons, so if you've never taken a musical instrument, learn one. If you've never read a foreign language, try learning a foreign language.
Dismissing chronic stress.
Stress is a part of our everyday lives, and our bodies can usually recover quickly from a specific stressful situation or event. The issue is when this stress becomes chronic, and we don't handle it. Psychiatry professor Dr. Elissa Epel says that people are skilled at maintaining a moderate stress response all day, which we might not even notice. Even when nothing stressful is going on, we might be carrying around unconscious stress. She adds that it's essential to be aware of this stress and release it during the day, like slowing our breathing and being mindful of our thoughts.
She added that creating short-term periods of acute stress in our bodies can help relieve stress, like taking a cold shower, using a sauna, or trying a high-intensity workout, giving us more states of relaxation during the day and better sleep quality at night. Dr. Epel explained that when we're able to have deeper rest states, both during the day and while we're asleep, we give our neurons a chance to restore and slow brain aging.
Eating too much takeout.
When we're busy with our social and professional lives, it's natural to pick something quick to pop in the microwave or get fast food. However, in the long run, that might not really be the best for our brains. Fast foods are typically highly processed and full of added sugars and saturated fats. Studies have shown that a diet high in these foods throughout the years can lead to a higher risk of dementia. Dr. Finney said these may prematurely age the brain and lead to health conditions that are hard on brain health. For example, studies imply that uncontrolled diabetes can lead to shrinkage in the brain.
There's nothing wrong with eating takeout or fast food every so often, as it's delicious and can be the most affordable option. However, as much as you can, try to focus on a diet high in Omega-3 fatty acids, like fish, olive oil, green leafy vegetables, and nuts. Omega 3s have been shown to increase learning, memory, and blood flow in the brain.
Terrible sleep quality.
Even if you're trying to get the suggested seven to nine hours of sleep a night, and if your sleep quality is bad, you'll probably wake up feeling tired the next day, and both quality and quantity of sleep are critical for brain health. Dr. Tan explained that during sleep, our memories of the day are sorted out and put in the right place for us to access them in the future. Also, beta-amyloid, the sticky protein that tortures the brains of those with Alzheimer's, is cleared during sleep. However, when sleep is of poor quality or too short, these processes are interrupted. The next day, you might have difficulty recalling information or a hard time concentrating.
Over the years, poor sleep can raise the risk of your brain aging prematurely and developing dementia. To improve your sleep quality, Dr. Tan recommends minimizing alcohol, having a consistent bedtime, reducing fluid intake before bed, avoiding sleep medication or sedatives, and limiting your bed for sleep, so no watching TV or scrolling in bed.
The worst thing we can do for our brains is give up as we age. Dr. Finney said don't think everything has to happen that way because you're getting older. Instead, we should take care of our body and brain, and if you can do that, you can age successfully and not have as many changes as you might anticipate.
