It seems that society in general is willing to give senior
citizens a pass when it comes to loss of memory. Even medical
professionals say it's perfectly normal to start having lapses in
memory, even when you reach middle age. It may be okay to laugh off the
occasional "senior moment", but to completely give in to the idea that
there is nothing a person can do about it is taking a defeatist
attitude. And it also might lead to dreaded Alzheimer's disease or
dementia.
Science tells us that the brain is quite resilient, even as we advance into old age. But like the human body it is only resilient when the give it a chance to cope with the environment, and the ravages of time. Listed below are certain factors that can have a significant impact on functioning of the brain, and many of them are just simple changes in lifestyle.
1. Exercise. We know that we need exercise to keep a body sharp, but it also does an amazing job for our mind. First, exercise is key for losing weight, and tests have shown that obesity is associated with cognitive decline. There are reasons for this, and one is that obesity increases our levels of inflammatory chemicals called cytokines, and these adversely affect brain function.
Studies have also found that exercise increases brain size. The study found that 60 year-old people who walked at least half hour a day three times a week had a 2% increase in the size of their hippocampus. This is the region of the brain that is associated with poor memory.
2. Sugar. It's important to note that glucose isn't required for brain function. Since for many of us that's all the fuel we provide it, the brain actually performs better when it burns ketones, and those are produced when the body digests healthy fats. Sugar and other carbohydrates can severely disrupt brain function, even those who are not diabetic or have signs of dementia.
3. Sleep. Restorative sleep can not only cause problems with brain function but may also lead to loss of brain volume. Part of this reason is because when we sleep at night the body removes toxic waste from the brain, the time it is at its lowest function point. Without proper restorative sleep these toxins remain, eventually causing the neurons in the brain to degenerate.
4. Stress. When we are stressed we secrete a hormone called cortisol. This has a corrosive effect on the synopses that are responsible for memory storage and processing. Over time this can cause memory impairment.
So these are some of the things that we have to be on the lookout for. Other things we should be doing are eating foods that give us a wide variety of oxidants. We can get this by eating a wide variety of fresh, organic vegetables, which means eating the entire vegetable color range. Other foods to make sure are in the diet are omega-3 fats and coconut oil. These are just two of the healthy fats that we should always make a part of a diet plan.
Science tells us that the brain is quite resilient, even as we advance into old age. But like the human body it is only resilient when the give it a chance to cope with the environment, and the ravages of time. Listed below are certain factors that can have a significant impact on functioning of the brain, and many of them are just simple changes in lifestyle.
1. Exercise. We know that we need exercise to keep a body sharp, but it also does an amazing job for our mind. First, exercise is key for losing weight, and tests have shown that obesity is associated with cognitive decline. There are reasons for this, and one is that obesity increases our levels of inflammatory chemicals called cytokines, and these adversely affect brain function.
Studies have also found that exercise increases brain size. The study found that 60 year-old people who walked at least half hour a day three times a week had a 2% increase in the size of their hippocampus. This is the region of the brain that is associated with poor memory.
2. Sugar. It's important to note that glucose isn't required for brain function. Since for many of us that's all the fuel we provide it, the brain actually performs better when it burns ketones, and those are produced when the body digests healthy fats. Sugar and other carbohydrates can severely disrupt brain function, even those who are not diabetic or have signs of dementia.
3. Sleep. Restorative sleep can not only cause problems with brain function but may also lead to loss of brain volume. Part of this reason is because when we sleep at night the body removes toxic waste from the brain, the time it is at its lowest function point. Without proper restorative sleep these toxins remain, eventually causing the neurons in the brain to degenerate.
4. Stress. When we are stressed we secrete a hormone called cortisol. This has a corrosive effect on the synopses that are responsible for memory storage and processing. Over time this can cause memory impairment.
So these are some of the things that we have to be on the lookout for. Other things we should be doing are eating foods that give us a wide variety of oxidants. We can get this by eating a wide variety of fresh, organic vegetables, which means eating the entire vegetable color range. Other foods to make sure are in the diet are omega-3 fats and coconut oil. These are just two of the healthy fats that we should always make a part of a diet plan.
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