3 Surprising Tips for Optimal Cognitive Function
Keeping Your Brain Young and Healthy with Scientific Tips
Would you rather lose the use of your body or your mind?
I don't particularly like either option, but losing my mind has been a long-standing fear of mine. If you have ever witnessed someone go through dementia or Alzheimer's, you know how heartbreaking it is to lose the essential part that makes you you.
The more well-known key factors of keeping your brain young and healthy are:
- Exercising: more oxygenated blood flow to the brain
- Eat a plant-based diet: fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, whole grains, ensuring to get omega-3 fatty acids
- Sleep: quality and quantity are both important
- Manage Stress: prolonged stress exposure release hormones that affect memory
- Keep it Active: challenging your brain prevents and delays the natural decline in mental activities
While those factors are important, I want to focus on the more surprising ones that improve brain function.
Awe is a feeling of wonder. It is witnessing something that transcends your understanding of the world. It is what astronauts feel when they see Earth from space. We can experience awe from watching a sunset or hearing our children say their first words.
The feeling of awe has health benefits that include calming down the nervous system and releasing the "love" hormone oxytocin. It boosts feelings of connectedness and increases critical thinking and skepticism. Awe can improve academic abilities and promote success in intelligence-based activities.
We can find awe in everyday life. It is available for everyone if they are open to it. One common source of awe is nature and appreciating the beauty of the world. Works of art, stories, movies, and music can also evoke awe. We can adapt our mindset so that we are primed to experience awe.
Active bilinguals (those that regularly switch between the two languages) have a later onset of dementia symptoms. They typically show symptoms 5-7 years later than monolinguals.
This effect works for both early and middle-life bilinguists. Flipping between the two languages increases the health of the brain. It promotes other skills, such as multitasking, managing emotions, and self-control.
No more excuses for the Duolingo Owl, he is only trying to prevent you from cognitive decay. The benefits of language learning on cognitive function begin as soon as you start. Learning a new language is challenging and requires effort, which means you are exercising your brain.
3. Protecting Your Ears
The risk of dementia almost doubles when you have untreated mild hearing loss. It triples with moderate hearing loss. That risk jumps to five times more likely to develop dementia if you have severe untreated hearing loss. Wearing hearing aids sooner and more regularly can help reduce the risk of cognitive decline.
"You're going to damage your ears!" I can still hear my parents warning me about my loud music. Even at thirty years old, I don't like admitting when they are right. But they were onto something.
Protecting your ears means not raising the volume above that pesky warning point that some devices do. It means wearing ear protection at musical concerts and when using loud machinery. It means avoiding earbuds when possible. While it may not seem important now, the effects in the long term are significant.
Prioritizing brain health is a lifelong investment that pays off when you need it most. While it is impossible to avoid aging and death entirely, we can slow their effects. The common tactics are exercise, a healthy diet, stress management, good sleep, and challenging the brain. By adopting the more surprising techniques above, you can improve your cognitive functioning. It is never too late to implement these tools. Embrace them today to enjoy the rewards tomorrow.
Subscribe and follow if you like this article. Check out my website for more.
