Improving your brain health can benefit your life in many ways. Sharpening your mental skills and enhancing the way your brain functions can be especially advantageous for you as you age. Here are some of the best ways to give your brain health a boost.
Exercise
In addition to developing better muscle tone and shedding unwanted pounds, exercising is one of the best things that you can do for your brain. Running, cycling and other cardiovascular exercises can help the brain by increasing its blood supply. Doing regular workouts can also decrease stress levels that might negatively affect your mental performance. There is even evidence that exercise can increase the size of the brain’s hippocampus region, which serves in the areas of learning new information and verbal memory.
Test Your Memory
Testing your memory on a regular basis is another great way to improve your brain health. You could try learning a new language or how to play a new instrument so that your brain can absorb and store different information. Playing word games or doing mathematic equations in your head are other useful exercises for boosting memory. Other ways to test your memory include driving a different route on your way home or shopping for items that you need at the grocery store without using a list.
Eat Right
Certain foods are known to be especially good for the brain. Eating just a small amount of dark chocolate each day can further sharpen your cognitive functioning and promote better blood flow to the brain. The turmeric that is found in curry can inhibit the buildup of plaque in the brain that is associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Other recommended foods include celery, walnuts, and blueberries. A South Florida neurologist can offer you even more food suggestions that may benefit your brain health.
Get Enough Sleep
Not getting a sufficient amount of sleep each night can be detrimental to your brain. You should try to get at least seven to eight hours of sleep every night so that your brain can work the way that it should. A lack of sleep may decrease your work performance and make it more difficult for you to remember important details. Sleep deprivation is also linked to mood disorders and other mental health disturbances.
It’s important that you look out for the well-being of your brain so that you can continue to live a productive and fulfilling life. Following these tips can get you on the road to better brain health.