If you were to make a list of behaviours that contribute to healthy aging, you’d likely include things like exercise, nutrition, and stress management. All of those things play a vital role in physical health, but looking after our brain health is also critical to healthy aging. Read on to learn some common misconceptions around dementia, and discover 5 keys to better brain health.
June is Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month in the United States. Despite the commonly-held misconception that dementia and cognitive decline are a normal part of aging, there are many things we can do to protect and improve our brain health.
Last fall, I attended the Brain Booster Challenge webinar series presented by Booming Encore and Dr. Gillian Leithman. The series opened my eyes to the importance of brain health. It also prompted me to learn more about how we can reduce the risk of cognitive decline as we age.
Misconceptions around dementia and brain health
In one of the world’s largest studies on attitudes toward dementia, Alzheimer’s Disease International found that two-thirds of people believe dementia is a normal part of aging. The study also found that close to half of respondents believe the memory of a person with dementia will never improve, even with medical support. And one in four people think there is nothing we can do to prevent dementia.
While the risk of dementia does increase with age, it is not a normal part of aging. Alzheimer’s Disease International cites a body of research that identified 14 modifiable risk factors that together could prevent or delay almost half of dementia cases.
Let’s look at some ways we can protect our brain health.
5 keys to better brain health
After attending the Brain Booster Challenge Webinar series, I read Keep Sharp: Build a Better Brain at Any Age by Dr. Sanjay Gupta. In the book, Gupta rejects myths about brain health and digs deeper into many of the suggestions made by Dr. Leithman. He provides specific suggestions on improving brain health through healthy lifestyle.
Dr. Gupta’s recommendations focus on five key areas: movement, learning, sleep, nutrition and connection. I’ve summarized key points from the book here, but I highly recommend Gupta’s book for anyone who wants to get serious about brain health.
Get moving
Not surprisingly, regular exercise is the number one thing we can do for our brains, and our bodies. Physical activity reduces inflammation and stimulates the release of growth factors that support neuron development. It also lowers stress and anxiety while improving sleep and mood.
Gupta recommends starting small and working up to 150 minutes of exercise a week, including interval and strength training. He also cites newer research suggesting one hour a day of movement—so roughly 400 minutes a week—makes us 39% less likely to die prematurely. An hour a day feels like a lot, but the 400 minutes includes walking so it’s achievable with a little extra effort.
Embrace purpose and learning
Beyond a paycheque, our work gives us a sense of purpose. In fact, Gupta suggests retiring early could be harmful to our brain health. Working longer can reduce our risk of dementia—a 3.2% reduction for each extra year of work.
As a retirement coach, I was delighted to see purpose highlighted in Gupta’s book. He suggests we can build cognitive reserve by staying as engaged in life as possible. This increased brain resiliency improves our ability to improvise and navigate around impediments.
But despite what we often hear, crossword puzzles aren’t enough. Brain training games and puzzles can improve working memory but don’t extend to brain functions like reasoning and problem solving. The best way to strengthen cognitive reserve is through learning new skills. And the more complex the skill, the better. So lifelong learning is a critical part of our retirement plan.
Prioritize sleep and relaxation
Sleep is critical to good health and brain functioning. While we sleep our brain is busy transferring recent memories from short-term to long-term memory. There is a strong relationship between our quality of sleep and our risk of cognitive decline.
For those of us who get less than six hours of sleep a night, a good place to start is implementing some good sleep hygiene habits to increase that amount to seven hours.
Along with sleep, prioritizing relaxation during our waking hours is good for our brains. Gupta suggests we work towards 15 minutes a day of stress reducing activities like yoga, meditation, or deep breathing.
Eat well
Not surprisingly, many of the dietary recommendations for heart health apply equally to brain health.
Gupta endorses Dr. Martha Clare Morris’s MIND diet. This approach to healthy eating prioritizes vegetables, nuts, berries, beans, whole grains, fish, poultry, olive oil and wine; while reducing red meat, butter, stick margarine, cheese, pastries, sweets, and fried and fast foods.
Using the acronym SHARP, Gupta recommends:
- Slashing sugar
- Hydrating smartly
- Adding more Omega 3 fatty acids
- Reducing portions
- Planning ahead
Connect with others
In the Brain Booster Challenge webinar series, Dr. Leithman cited research indicating loneliness increases our odds of dying early by 45%. Gupta backed that up with a shocking statistic that mortality increases by 41% in the first 6 months after the death of a spouse.
Humans need social interaction to survive and thrive. That’s why social connection is one of the key pillars of a retirement lifestyle plan. Research from the Retirement Coaches Association showed the number of quality social interactions decreases by half after retirement. Taking steps to prioritize strong relationships with family and friends is as essential to our long-term health as exercise, sleep and nutrition.
The habits we form in the years leading up to retirement will have a big impact on our health, longevity and quality of life.
A plan to improve and maintain physical and brain health is as critical to thriving in retirement as a financial plan. If you’re ready to create a plan for a smooth transition to your next chapter, contact me to set up a free call to discuss my coaching services.
Leave a Reply