9 Tips to Keep Your Brain Sharp and Healthy as You Age
Feeling forgetful? It's easier than you might think to preserve your mental abilities as you get older — and it can even be fun.
You’ve noticed some changes in your thinking. Perhaps you often misplace your keys or have trouble coming up with the right word in conversations.
Before you assume you’re developing a serious health problem, such as dementia, be aware that your brain does change with age — both in size and in structure — and these differences can, and usually do, affect how well it works over time.
But there are steps you can take to preserve functions such as memory — even as your brain shrinks and its nerve cells lose some of their ability to communicate with one another.
According to the latest research, these nine tips can help you remain mentally sharp as you get older.
1. Control Your Cholesterol and Blood Pressure Levels
High cholesterol and high blood pressure increase your risk of heart disease and stroke, which are thought to contribute to the development of certain types of dementia, or changes in memory and thinking that affect your daily life.
Maintaining good cardiovascular health — by not smoking, following a healthy diet, staying physically active, and having healthy blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure levels, along with maintaining a healthy weight — is associated with better cognitive function in adults ages 60 to 78, according to a study.
Your doctor can let you know if your blood pressure, sugar, and cholesterol are in a healthy range, along with what steps you can take to improve or maintain your cardiovascular health.
2. Don’t Smoke or Drink Excessive Amounts of Alcohol
Smoking and drinking too much both put you at an increased risk for dementia, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. If you smoke, it’s best to quit, and if you drink, you should do so only in moderation.
The latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans defines moderate drinking as less than two drinks per day for men and less than one per day for women, on days when alcohol is consumed. A “drink” is typically 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits or liquor, depending on the alcohol content of each beverage.
Underscoring the importance of limiting your alcohol intake, a study found that alcohol consumption above seven units per week (equivalent to four standard drinks) is associated with higher levels of brain iron, which in turn is linked to worse cognitive function.
3. Exercise Regularly
Regular physical activity is thought to help maintain blood flow to the brain and reduce your risk for conditions, such as high blood pressure, that are associated with developing dementia.
A journal article noted additional positive effects of exercise on the brain — including the potential to increase the size of your brain — and concluded that promoting a physically active lifestyle in older adults could delay about one-third of dementia cases worldwide.
At any age, it’s important to choose activities you feel comfortable doing, and to build up the time and intensity of your workouts gradually. Talk to your doctor about any forms of physical activity that may not be safe for you.
4. Maintain a Healthy Diet
What you eat can make a big difference in how well you think and remember things.
Foods containing nutrients such as vitamin E, B vitamins, and omega-3 fatty acids have been linked to improved cognitive function, according to a research review. Conversely, consuming foods that are high in saturated fat may be harmful to certain brain functions, another research review notes.
Based on these findings, an ideal diet emphasizes foods such as green leafy vegetables, other vegetables, berries, and seafood. Healthy eating plans include the Mediterranean diet, which features vegetables, healthy fats like olive oil, and omega-3 fatty acids from fish, and the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet, which focuses on fruits and veggies, fat-free or low-fat dairy, whole grains, and lean meats.
The MIND diet includes 9 brain-healthy food groups: green leafy vegetables, other vegetables, nuts, berries, beans, whole grains, fish, poultry, and olive oil. And it limits five unhealthy groups: red meats, butter and stick margarine, cheese, pastries and sweets, and fried food and fast food.
5. Stimulate Your Brain
A mentally stimulating job and doing other activities that engage your brain may help build cognitive reserve — the ability to function well in spite of brain diseases or other challenges.
You can also keep your mind active by learning new skills or practicing old ones. A number of educational and cognitive interventions — including those related to learning about nature, playing a musical instrument, and training your sense of smell — may help improve thinking, mood, and overall quality of life, according to a research review.
6. Socialize More
Making new friends or spending time with the ones you have may be good for your brain. In a study, researchers found that social isolation was linked to a lower volume of gray matter in the brain and a 26 percent higher risk of developing dementia during a follow-up period lasting an average of 11.7 years.
Another study found that among Medicare beneficiaries in the United States who did not live in a care facility, social isolation was linked to a 28 percent higher risk of developing dementia over a period of 9 years.
7. Stay Sexually Active
Sexual intimacy — however you define it — can be pleasurable at any age, and a study published in 2017 actually linked weekly sexual activity with improved cognitive function in adults ages 50 to 83. Sex may increase the release of certain brain chemicals that boost cognitive function, the researchers noted. Consistent sexual activity may also be indicative of someone who is physically, mentally, and socially engaged.
More recently, a study found that among married older adults, those who reported greater sexual satisfaction were less likely to develop mild cognitive impairment or dementia over the course of 10 years.
8. Play Brain Games
Playing brain or memory games — and even playing games in general — can help keep your brain healthy. Although these games won’t offset the brain changes that come with aging, they may help test and train your memory, experts say. In addition, playing games with friends and family can be part of an active social life, which has its own brain benefits.
“Brain training” games — cognitive exercises designed specifically to challenge your memory, attention, speed, flexibility, or problem-solving — can be fun, and may help with certain skills. But there isn’t much evidence that brain training reduces the risk for dementia.
9. Get Enough Sleep
While sleep needs vary from person to person, most people need 6 to 8 hours of sleep each night — and not getting enough sleep is linked to poor health outcomes, including a higher risk for dementia. While the science isn’t settled, many experts believe that during sleep, your brain “flushes out” beta amyloid and other substances that contribute to dementia risk.
In a study, adults ages 65 and older who slept less than 5 hours each night were more than twice as likely as others to develop dementia over the next five years. They were also 2.4 times as likely to die from all causes during that period.
Sleep habits earlier in life may also contribute to dementia risk in older age. In another study, getting less than 6 hours of sleep each night at age 50, 60, or 70 was linked to a higher risk of developing dementia during a 25-year follow-up period. For participants who got less than 6 hours of sleep at all three ages, the risk for dementia was 30 percent higher than participants who got 7 hours of sleep — even after adjusting for other factors linked to dementia risk.
When to Seek Help for Fuzzy Thinking or Forgetfulness
Although these steps can help keep your brain healthy, they won’t reverse the effects of dementia. If you or a loved one is experiencing memory loss or other cognitive symptoms that interfere with normal activities and relationships, talk to your doctor.
Some signs that you may be experiencing memory loss beyond what’s normally seen with aging include:
Asking questions repeatedly
Forgetting or mixing up common words when speaking
Taking longer to complete normal daily tasks, such as following a recipe or assembly instructions
Misplacing items in inappropriate places, such as putting keys in the medicine cabinet
Becoming lost while walking or driving in an area that’s familiar to you
Unexplained mood and behavior changes
The Takeaway
Lifestyle measures like staying physically active, sleeping enough, and staying socially engaged can boost your brain health and may reduce your risk for dementia. If you notice changes in your thinking or memory that you suspect are age-related, talk to your doctor about next steps.
