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Taking care of your cognitive health
The brain is a very complicated structure, and our cognitive health is one way to tell if it is healthy. Cognitive health can have a big effect on how we learn, remember, and think in our daily lives. Diseases, injuries, substances, and age can all affect our cognitive health. But, not all of these factors can be changed, but there are some steps we can take to improve our cognitive health and lower our risk of developing some mental health disorders. So, what can you do to take care of your mental health?
Steps to taking care of your cognitive health
You can take care of your cognitive health in the following ways.
1. Physical health
Physical health includes things like getting regular checkups, not using too much tobacco or alcohol, getting a good night’s sleep, and taking care of long-term health problems like high blood pressure, depression, and diabetes. It also means lowering the risk of brain injuries from falls or some sports.
2. Diet
Eating a healthy, well-balanced diet can help improve cognitive, mental, and physical health. Some studies show that people who eat a Mediterranean diet are less likely to get heart disease or Alzheimer’s disease [1].
3. Physical activity
Whether it’s through exercise or doing chores around the house, staying active can improve our mobility and overall health, as well as lower the risk of diseases that affect the brain.
Additionally, according to research, exercising your muscles also benefits your intellect. Regular exercise increases the number of small blood vessels that supply the region of the brain responsible for cognition with oxygen-rich blood[2].
Moreover, exercise stimulates the growth of new nerve cells and enhances the connections between brain cells (synapses). This makes brains more efficient, flexible, and able to change, which helps humans to do better as they get older. Exercise also helps your brain as well as your heart because it improves cholesterol levels, lowers blood pressure, helps keep blood sugar levels stable, and lowers mental stress.
4. Keep the brain active
Doing things that keep the brain busy and active can be good for your mental health. You can keep your brain active and improve your memory and focus by playing puzzles and games, learning new skills, writing, and listening to music.
Researchers have also shown that people who performed brain activities had better mental outcomes [3]. As brain exercise creates new links between nerve cells and may even help the brain make new cells. This is called “neuroplasticity,” and it helps build up a functional reserve that protects against future cell loss.
Any activity that makes you think should help your brain grow. Read, and do “mental gymnastics” like math problems or word puzzles. Or you can try things that require both physical and mental work, like painting, drawing, and other arts and crafts.
5. Stress
Taking care of our stress can be good for our mental health.
6. Connection
Keeping in touch with other people and reducing social isolation or loneliness can improve our mental health.
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References
- Prinelli, F., Jesuthasan, N., Severgnini, M., Musicco, M., Adorni, F., Correa Leite, M. L., … & Bernini, S. (2020). Exploring the relationship between Nutrition, gut microbiota, and BRain AgINg in community-dwelling seniors: the Italian NutBrain population-based cohort study protocol. BMC geriatrics, 20(1), 1-11.
- Rektorova, I., Klobusiakova, P., Balazova, Z., Kropacova, S., Sejnoha Minsterova, A., Grmela, R., … & Rektor, I. (2020). Brain structure changes in non-demented seniors after the six‐month dance‐exercise intervention. Acta Neurologica Scandinavica, 141(1), 90-97.
- Khalili-Mahani, N., Schutter, B. D., & Sawchuk, K. (2020, July). The relationship between the seniors’ appraisal of cognitive-training games and game-related stress is complex: a mixed-methods study. In International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction (pp. 586-607). Springer, Cham.
