Table of contents:
- A healthy lifestyle that can prevent decreased brain function
- 1. Be more active
- 2. Eat healthy
- 3. Challenge your mind to keep learning, even when it is difficult
- 4. Stay calm and get adequate rest
- 5. Sex
Everyone will definitely get old. Likewise with the "age" of the brain. Maybe you have noticed that lately you often forget where you last put your house keys. Generally, the decline in brain function will begin to decline at the age of 30 years, for various reasons. Starting from the slower the brain's nerve regeneration process, the less number of neurotransmitters (a substance to help "communication" between cells in the brain), unbalanced hormone levels, to shrinking brain volume.
Decreasing brain function with age can increase your risk of developing dementia and stroke. However, this is not something to be afraid of. There are a number of healthy lifestyle changes you can make starting today to keep your brain healthy and functioning optimally until you are old.
A healthy lifestyle that can prevent decreased brain function
1. Be more active
There is no other way to healthy body in old age other than stay active while still young! No need to exercise to death. Exercise for at least 30 minutes every day, especially focusing on aerobic exercise, which can slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease and other memory disorders.
Fill your days with positive physical activity, manage stress well, and get adequate sleep. Don't forget to avoid and / or stop smoking, as well as limit your drinking.
2. Eat healthy
In addition to staying active, pay attention to your diet and diet. Prioritize a daily diet that is low in cholesterol and fat. A diet low in cholesterol and saturated fat also lowers the risk of heart disease, diabetes and stroke.
Eat more fatty fish, especially those containing omega-3s such as salmon / tuna / mackerel / sardines, and vegetables and fruits that are high in antioxidants such as berries, spinach, broccoli, onions, and eggplant.
3. Challenge your mind to keep learning, even when it is difficult
Body age can be old, but don't make it an excuse to stop studying. Training the brain by continuously "ingesting" new information is a good way to prevent brain function decline. If you have sufficient financial funds, there is nothing wrong with continuing your education to a higher level or taking foreign language courses or other new skills - cooking, sewing, musical instruments, and so on.
Another simpler way is to read and games like sudoku, scrables, and crossword puzzles to hone brain function. Training your mind to keep learning new and difficult things can go a long way toward preventing brain function decline. This is evident in individual groups superagers, the term for elderly individuals over 65 years of age who have cognitive brain function such as the age of 25 years.
Challenging yourself to master new things will improve communication in the brain and as a result, the cognitive function of the brain will improve. In addition, learning also has positive impacts such as increasing self-confidence and practicing creativity and curiosity.
4. Stay calm and get adequate rest
It is important to train and challenge your mind, but don't let it cause you panic and stress. The combination of panic and stress can interfere with the brain's cognitive processes for learning and memory, thus limiting the capacity of an individual's own abilities. Apart from exercising, try doing activities like yoga, meditation, and don't forget to have fun!
5. Sex
Research conducted by the Universities of Oxford and Coventry states that the brain function of individuals who are sexually active is reported to be 2 percent higher than individuals who are not very sexually active. Sex is also linked to an increase in the hormones dopamine and oxytocin, which improve communication between neurons (brain cells) so that brain function is maintained. But one key, remember to always use condoms if you want to prevent unwanted pregnancies and transmission of venereal diseases.
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