3 Easy Ways to Boost Your Brain Health

April 01, 2015

 

The human brain is perhaps our most incredible organ. Figuratively speaking, it serves as our main control center. It enables us to walk, talk, taste, and smell, and controls our breathing and heart rate with no conscious effort on our part. It’s truly amazing! We are also fortunate to live at a time when science is making great leaps in brain health, and the technology now exists for us to understand more about the brain than ever before.

 

So what can you do to support the health of your brain? Fortunately, a couple simple lifestyle changes can make big differences. Here are three of the best ways to keep your brain functioning at a high level:

Simple Tips for Better Brain Health

1. Sleep At Least 7-8 Hours

Like the rest of the body, your brain needs rest to function at its best. Research shows that sleeping less than seven or eight hours a night has been linked to cognitive decline and memory loss.

 

A proper night’s rest does a number of important things to boost brain health. First, it stimulates the glymphatic system, which acts as a filtering system for your brain. Also, chemicals secreted during the deeper stages of sleep are crucial for repairing the brain. Finally, studies have also shown that a improper sleep patterns can lead to protein buildup in the brain, which attacks brain cells. In short, getting a good night’s sleep protects and restores your brain, keeping it running smoothly!

 

2. Exercise 20 - 60 Minutes a Day

Did you know that as little as 20-60 minutes of physical activity can help stimulate chemicals in the brain, leaving you feeling happier and more relaxed? This in turn helps fight depression and anxiety. Physical activity can also counter brain connector reductions that occur with aging, helping slow down cognitive decline.

 

So which exercises are best for your brain? Well, there really isn’t one single exercise or activity that’s been proven to be better for your brain than the rest. That being said, focus on activities that stimulate thinking, reasoning and learning. This might include sports like basketball or soccer. But as a general rule, if it’s good for your heart, it’s good for your brain. Find a physical routine you enjoy enough to commit to daily. Your brain will thank you!

 

3. Increase Intake of Important Nutrients

As the cliché goes, you are what you eat. The brain is a unique organ that requires good nutrition for proper development and cognitive function so it’s important to get nutrients like B-vitamins, Choline, and Omega 3 fatty acids since deficiencies in these nutrients may have adverse effects on brain health.

 

Looking to support your brain health? Adopt a diet that includes the following foods:

 

  • Apples

  • Avocadoes

  • Kale, Spinach, dark leafy greens

  • Salmon and Tuna

  • Soybeans

 

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NU SKIN RECOMMENDS:

 

ageLOC TR90 - Helps unify the mind and body with good nutrition, sleep, and exercise.

Caring for your brain doesn’t have to be difficult! Be sure to implement these simple tips to help your brain function at a high level each and every day. ■

 

Sources:

1)   http://www.neurology.org/content/early/2014/09/03/WNL.0000000000000774

2)   http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/regular-exercise-changes-brain-improve-memory-thinking-skills-201404097110

3)   http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/cognition.html

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