Can aging of our brain be delayed?
Is there any way to make our brain age more slowly ? We have all been able to ask ourselves this question some time, and that is that every time we know more cases of people suffering from some type of dementia, the most known Alzheimer's Disease.
It is clear that as we get older, our brain ages the same as the rest of our body. In fact, neurotics believe that our brain begins to age from 30 years . But rest assured, we can also influence this process with our lifestyle.
- Related article: "Parts of the human brain (and functions)"
How to delay brain aging
The neuroscientist Francisco Mora offers 12 healthy guidelines that we can establish in our lives, regardless of how old we are, to keep our brains active and delay possible diseases such as Alzheimer's disease.
1. Eat less
Eating more than we need increases the oxidative stress of the brain In addition, reducing the amount of food enhances the production of new neurons in the hippocampus (region responsible for memory and learning) and strengthens neuronal connections.
2. Exercise regularly
Physical activity increases the plasticity of the brain, that is, the ability to regenerate neurons and change the functioning of this set of organs of the nervous system .
- Related article: "Brain plasticity (or neuroplasticity): what is it?"
3. Do mental exercise daily
The challenges and new learnings are a good option. For example, learn a new language ; the objective is not to get to speak it out of time, but rather the effort and satisfaction that learning generates, also increasing our self-esteem.
4. Travel and discover new places
You do not have to travel the world, knowing places close to where we live is equally enriching. Being in unknown environments requires activating our brain to adapt to new stimuli, in addition to living pleasurable emotions. The routine is harmful to our brain.
5. Take care of your social relationships
Living together and keeping our relationships with others alive increases our sense of being supported by someone, we adapt better to the changes and it moves us away from feelings of loneliness.
6. Adapt to the changes
We live in constant change, adapting to new situations and experiences that we live is fundamental, otherwise we increase our level of stress and discomfort .
- Maybe you're interested: "The 3 phases of old age, and its physical and psychological changes"
7. Avoid chronic stress
Continued stress releases glucocorticoid hormones that directly affect the brain by destroying neurons in the hippocampus, affecting our memory and learning ability .
- Related article: "10 essential tips to reduce stress"
8. Do not smoke
This habit can produce small cerebral infarcts, in addition nicotine produces atrophy and neuronal death and can reduce our cognitive abilities.
9. Sleep well
Enjoying a restful sleep is necessary so that our brain can erase unnecessary information, reinforce the knowledge we have learned throughout the day and repair damaged fabrics .
- Related article: "The 7 main sleep disorders"
10. Avoid the emotional blackout
Being motivated, excited about new projects and looking for things that excite us is part of our life engine.
11. Be grateful
Practice gratitude with others reinforcing our social bonds, helps create new ties and forget old emotional ballast that cause us discomfort
12. Enjoy the little things
Regardless of how old we are, we must wear the magnifying glasses and be aware of the things that we live on a daily basis and that make us feel good ; a conversation with a friend, coffee in the morning, the feeling of a job well done, singing in the shower ... all these things that are within our reach provide us with great pleasurable sensations.
Tell us if you already practice some of these habits in your life or if you have decided to start changing one!
