Tips on How to Repair an Aging Brain
Words by Katherine C. Eustaquio
Published in Total Fitness Magazine August 2011 Issue
The human brain makes more connections than you can possibly imagine. However, external factors like aging, medications and environmental risks affect brain activity and cause its process to slow down. If you feel that you’re having trouble with comprehension, memory retention, and logic, here are tips on how to keep your brain fit and healthy at any age.
Healthy Eating
In a 2004 research made by Hung Fai Poon, Ph.D., it is reported that free radicals damage brain cells. Consuming processed foods, refined grains, and large amounts of sweets put your brain at risk to damage caused by free radicals and increase the danger of certain cancers and heart diseases. Dieting has always been advised for better brain health but some diet regimen deprives the body of the needed vitamins and minerals. Instead of dieting, just switch to healthy eating, which suggests that you eat organic and healthier variations of food favorites.
Computer Games can Increase Brain Power
Good news for all the gamers out there. In an Oxford University study, scientists have found out that computer games can help relieve traumatic stress disorder. When the same game is played after a traumatic incident, it can even help alleviate traumatic memories. In other studies, games that involve shape juggling can improve the primary motor cortex. In a study published in the journal called BMC Research Notes, the participants were teenage girls who played for 30 minutes daily in the span of three months and concluded that regular play time increases the brain’s cortical thickness.
Exercise for Neuron Growth and Protection
In a 2007 study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, scientists have discovered that exercise can amplify the birth of neurons in certain parts of the brain. In a another study presented at the American College of Sports Medicine, weightlifting has been found to help release the so-called Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) that not only protects the neurons in the brain but also encourages the birth of new ones. Exercise has also been shown to increase the grey matter in the brain that includes the parts responsible for memory retention, sensory perception, speech, and muscle control.
Recharge your Brain through Meditation
The brain needs to recharge and one of the best ways to recharge the brain is through meditation. The Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging published a study that shows how 30 minutes of daily meditation for eight weeks can significantly improve brain areas responsible for stress management, memory retention, understanding, and character. A New York Times article supported the claim by publishing a participant’s M.R.I. brain scans which showed increased gray matter in the areas associated with memory and learning and decreased gray matter in the areas associated with stress and anxiety.
Published in Total Fitness Magazine August 2011 Issue
The human brain makes more connections than you can possibly imagine. However, external factors like aging, medications and environmental risks affect brain activity and cause its process to slow down. If you feel that you’re having trouble with comprehension, memory retention, and logic, here are tips on how to keep your brain fit and healthy at any age.
Healthy Eating
In a 2004 research made by Hung Fai Poon, Ph.D., it is reported that free radicals damage brain cells. Consuming processed foods, refined grains, and large amounts of sweets put your brain at risk to damage caused by free radicals and increase the danger of certain cancers and heart diseases. Dieting has always been advised for better brain health but some diet regimen deprives the body of the needed vitamins and minerals. Instead of dieting, just switch to healthy eating, which suggests that you eat organic and healthier variations of food favorites.
Computer Games can Increase Brain Power
Good news for all the gamers out there. In an Oxford University study, scientists have found out that computer games can help relieve traumatic stress disorder. When the same game is played after a traumatic incident, it can even help alleviate traumatic memories. In other studies, games that involve shape juggling can improve the primary motor cortex. In a study published in the journal called BMC Research Notes, the participants were teenage girls who played for 30 minutes daily in the span of three months and concluded that regular play time increases the brain’s cortical thickness.
Exercise for Neuron Growth and Protection
In a 2007 study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, scientists have discovered that exercise can amplify the birth of neurons in certain parts of the brain. In a another study presented at the American College of Sports Medicine, weightlifting has been found to help release the so-called Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) that not only protects the neurons in the brain but also encourages the birth of new ones. Exercise has also been shown to increase the grey matter in the brain that includes the parts responsible for memory retention, sensory perception, speech, and muscle control.
Recharge your Brain through Meditation
The brain needs to recharge and one of the best ways to recharge the brain is through meditation. The Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging published a study that shows how 30 minutes of daily meditation for eight weeks can significantly improve brain areas responsible for stress management, memory retention, understanding, and character. A New York Times article supported the claim by publishing a participant’s M.R.I. brain scans which showed increased gray matter in the areas associated with memory and learning and decreased gray matter in the areas associated with stress and anxiety.
