Your cognitive health will naturally start to decline as you get older, but you can help to look after yours by looking after your brain health throughout your life.
From exercises to keep your mind active to supplements designed to support your brain health, there are lots of little things you can do to take care of yours.
Why is Brain Health So Important?
Your brain is one of the most important organs in your body, taking full responsibility for your body’s functions.
If your cognitive health begins to decline, you may start to become more forgetful, experience occasional brain fog or find yourself lacking your usual concentration levels.
By looking after your brain health, you’ll be helping to improve your focus, support your memory, regulate your mood and potentially reduce your risk of developing degenerative conditions.
How to Support Your Brain Health
Here are five things you can try to look after your brain health better:
1. Brain Training Exercises
Activities designed to train your brain can help to support your cognitive function. Here are a few examples that can fit easily into your daily routine:
- Spend 10 minutes each day on a language learning app, testing your ability to retain new information
- Play online word games a few times a week
- Never miss an episode of your favourite TV quiz show and challenge yourself to do better each week
- Challenge yourself with your reading material; reading is a great way to keep your brain active, but push yourself out of your comfort zone to explore new subject matter or ideas every now and again to make sure you’re always learning
- Settle down with a brew and a puzzle book at the end of the day - you'll feel like you’re enjoying some ‘me time’, but you’ll actually be giving your brain cogs a good workout!
2. Get Enough Sleep
Switching off and relaxing is crucial; adults should aim for between seven and nine hours of sleep a night, to make sure your body has enough energy for the following day.
Sleep plays a key role in building your memory and therefore strengthening your brain health. When you’re asleep, your brain works towards turning short-term memories from your day into long-term ones.
3. Eat the Right Foods
Eating certain foods can help to support your brain health, thanks to the right blend of vitamins and other nutrients.
In particular, eating foods rich in antioxidants (so called because they can help to combat oxidative stress that can cause premature ageing, including to the brain), could help to support your brain health.
To look after your brain health, try to include more of these ingredients in your diet:
- Turmeric - this spice contains an antioxidant compound called curcumin, which could help to prevent oxidative stress. Use it in curries, stews and soups to add vibrant colour and flavour
- Blueberries - a great source of antioxidants, as well as vitamins, including vitamin C
- Dark chocolate - as the saying goes, everything in moderation. One or two squares a day can help to increase your antioxidant intake
- Oily fish - a great source of omega-3 fatty acids that are known to support brain health
At Every Health, we also stock turmeric tablets and omega-3 fish oil supplements to help you to get more of these into your body.
4. Mindfulness and Meditation
Letting yourself become overwhelmed by stress can have a big impact on your brain health, but activities designed to promote mindfulness can be a huge help.
For example, meditation can help to relax and soothe both your body and mind, helping to limit stress and give you back a little bit of focus.
If you feel yourself getting overwhelmed, a simple way to practice a little mindfulness is to tune in with your senses. Take a moment to breathe in and out deeply, and take note of what you can hear, see, smell, taste and touch around you. This can help to ground you, bring you back to the moment you need to focus on and clear your mind of stresses that are wasting your energy.
5. Try Brain Health Supplements
Taking specially formulated supplements may also help to support your cognitive health.
Garden of Life’s Brain Health Organic Memory Tablets are designed for adults aged 40+. They contain vitamin C, a key ingredient that contributes to normal psychological function, encompassing cognitive domain like concentration, learning and memory. Each capsule also contains Organic Neurophenol™ made from organic grape and wild blueberry extracts, alongside Organic NeuroFactor™, a whole coffee fruit extract.
