How to Improve Your Brain Health and Memory in Vacaville
Your brain is the most amazing part of your body. It helps coordinate your movements, express your thoughts and emotions, store your most precious memories, and solve simple to complex puzzles. However, some people take its power for granted.
Some people do not think too much about their brain health in Vacaville until they notice the cognitive changes that happens when they are in their 60s or 70s. Fortunately, there are things you can do during your younger years to ensure that your brain remains healthy all throughout your lifetime. It is obvious that doing social interaction and intellectual pursuits are important for your brain function, but physical activity can also be helpful in keeping it sharp.
How to keep your brain sharp in Vacaville
Here are some things that you can do to ensure that your brain's health and memory remains sharp:
- Get quality sleep - To ensure the proper functioning of your brain, you should at least let it shut off for 7 to 8 hours every night. During this time, you are letting your brain reset, heal, and restore its mental health. When you sleep, you are also helping your brain clear out the toxins called beta-amyloids, which could cause Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia. Whatever you do, make sure to always find the time to sleep better at night or even a good nap during the afternoon to allow your brain some time to recover.
- Healthy heart - The most important strategy for your brain's health is to stay on top of your cardiovascular health. You must ensure that blood keeps on flowing between your heart and blood vessels. Having conditions like diabetes, smoking, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol levels could lead to the development of neurodegenerative diseases by impeding blood flow to the brain.
- When your artery walls get so thick with plaque, it will make it difficult for the blood to flow to the brain and nurture its cells. This event can cause ischemic stroke, which cuts off the supply of blood to a portion of the brain. When this happens, it can cause temporary or permanent damage to the brain.
- Invest in a healthy, active lifestyle to keep your blood flowing and avoid such problems from happening in the future. You should engage in a healthy diet, exercise regularly, avoid smoking, and maintain a body mass index (BMI) below 25 to lower your risk of stroke.
- Move your body - There are many things that you can do to improve your cognitive health like taking a dance class, going for a swim, or walking for 30 minutes a day. According to a study, physically active adults have scored higher on memory tests and problem-solving.
- Exercise can help boost blood flow to the brain. It can even increase the size of the hippocampus, which is the area of the brain that is responsible for memory and it naturally shrinks as you age.
- Working on your leg muscles can also be the key to ensuring that your brain gets maximum benefit from your physical activity. Your brain receives signals during such an activity that can help spur it to make healthy new cells.
- Eat better - You should engage in a diet that is rich in omega-3 fatty acids and low in saturated fat, which can normally be found in leafy green vegetables, along with whole grains. For many people, it means that they should follow the Mediterranean diet, wherein it mostly includes fish, nuts, avocados, fruits and vegetables, and olive oil, while reducing your consumption of red meat.
- For the betterment of your brain health, the MIND diet was created, which is a combination of the Mediterranean diet and the heart-healthy DASH diet. This diet has shown to lower the risk of Alzheimer's disease.
- You can add some dark chocolate to your diet to give yourself a treat. The flavanols found in cocoa beans can help boost your memory and cognitive function.
- Make sure to also be mindful of the caffeine that you consume. With the right dose, coffee can help you focus and prevent the development of a neurodegenerative disease. When you go beyond two cups, the effects can become harmful and the stimulants can interrupt your sleep. Just go for one or two cups in the morning while switching to a decaffeinated drink in the afternoon.
OFFICE HOURS
Monday
8:30am - 1:00pm
2:00pm - 7:00pm
Tuesday
9:00am - 1:00pm
2:00pm - 7:00pm
Wednesday
8:30am - 1:00pm
2:00pm - 7:00pm
Thursday
9:00am - 1:00pm
2:00pm - 7:00pm
Friday
Closed
Saturday
Closed
Sunday
Closed
Absolute Integrative Physical Medicine
1490 Alamo Drive Suite B
Vacaville, CA 95687