Have you ever worried or felt anxiety about developing dementia as you get older? Well, take comfort in knowing that by making small lifestyle changes and keeping up certain habits, you can take better care of your brain and work to prevent yourself from developing dementia. But what exactly are those habits?
Luckily, a board-certified neurosurgeon and TikTok content creator named Betsy Grunch, MD, made a video explaining “10 tips to help prevent dementia and cognitive decline.” She made her video in honor of ‘World Brain Day,’ which happens every July 22nd, and has found that there is a strong relationship between certain “behavioral risk factors” and dementia. So, here are her top 10 tips for keeping your brain in good shape.
1. Exercise Regularly
We've been told for years that daily physical activity is fantastic for our overall health, but it's especially great for your brain, as Dr. Grunch says it "increases blood flow to the brain," promotes growth of new brain cells, and helps your "cognitive function."
Even if you feel like you don't need to lose weight or get a little stronger, you should still be getting in some daily exercise to keep your brain healthy and prevent cognitive decline.
2. Prioritize Sleep
Dr. Grunch explains that getting seven to nine hours of sleep per night can "increase memory consolidation" and "information processing."
Interestingly, an appropriate amount of sleep each night can also "increase toxin removal from the brain."
Therefore, you should not only aim to get a good amount of sleep every night, but also prioritize it and allot enough time in your evening routine to ensure that you can sleep up to nine hours before getting ready for a new day.
3. Eat A Healthy Diet
Like exercise, you may be tired of hearing that you should eat a healthy diet to stay in shape and take care of yourself. However, a proper, balanced diet can greatly impact your brain's health and how it functions.
Dr. Grunch says that a diet full of "veggies, fruits, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats" is like fuel for your brain. Those key factors of a healthy diet also can "provide optimum cognitive function," according to the neurosurgeon.
In addition to eating as clean and balanced as possible, Dr. Grunch mentions in her video that avoiding highly refined sugar and processed foods is a good idea.
4. Stay Mentally Active
If you're a big fan of playing daily games, solving puzzles, and completing challenges, then you're going to love this fun brain health tip.
Like your body, your brain needs to go through certain exercises in order to stay healthy and avoid cognitive decline. According to Dr. Grunch, certain games and puzzles like crosswords and other new activities can "help keep your brain sharp."
So, don't give up on trying to solve daily crossword puzzles or challenging yourself to take on new daily activities.
5. Manage Stress
High levels of stress can affect many parts of our body, and Dr. Grunch points out that it's not great for your brain either. She encourages participating in stress-management techniques like meditation, deep breathing, yoga, and more, which can help reduce stress that "negatively impacts" our brain health.
6. Stay Socially Connected
According to Dr. Grunch, maintaining "strong ties" with friends, family, and other people can help improve your cognitive function. Additionally, keeping close to and having consistent interactions with these people in our lives can be very beneficial to our emotional well-being.
So, it's not a bad idea to make sure that you're checking in with your inner circle of close friends and family as routinely as possible.
7. Protect Your Head
While it may sound like basic safety and common sense, Dr. Grunch explains how important it is to protect your head during certain activities in order to keep your brain safe from any dangerous accidents.
"Wearing helmets during sports, wearing your seatbelt in cars, and fall prevention can all protect your brain from injury," she says.
8. Avoid Smoking And Reduce Your Alcohol Consumption
Not only does smoking and drinking alcohol harm other parts of your body, but it can also be very dangerous to your brain and affect its performance. Dr. Grunch says that smoking and drinking can "harm" your brain cells and lead to cognitive decline as you get older, making this an important lifestyle tip.
9. Stay Hydrated
Hydration is extremely beneficial to keeping our bodies functioning and, according to Dr. Grunch, maintaining our brain health. By drinking at least six to eight glasses of water every day, you will keep your brain healthy.
If you tend to get bored with drinking plain water but want to make sure you're keeping yourself significantly hydrated, there are several healthy and tasty ingredients you can add to it to improve your experience and get the benefits you need.
10. Prioritize Your Mental Well-Being
Dr. Grunch encourages her viewers to remember that they are "number one" and are in charge of ensuring they participate in "engaging activities that are gonna keep you healthy and more importantly, happy."
Luckily, we are living in an era where so much information is accessible, including information on how to keep ourselves at peace and as stress-free as possible, even if it can feel difficult at times. Using those tips can help you feel relieved mentally and help your brain maintain good health.
The Bottom Line
Dr. Grunch wrote in the caption of her video that striving for solid brain health is critical, and that more people should stress the importance of taking "proactive steps to prevent and manage neurological conditions." Thankfully, it looks like taking care of our brains and doing our part to prevent the development of dementia involves simple and accessible lifestyle habits, like eating well, exercising, managing our stress, and more.
