5 tips to keep your brain young

1. Change your eating habits

Eating a healthy diet is beneficial not only for your body shape and overall well-being, but also for your brain. Start with simple changes in your usual behavior. For example, swap out a late cup of coffee for green tea. It contains less caffeine and a lot of antioxidants, which will help protect brain cells from damage. Reduce your consumption of smoked foods.

A healthy diet does not mean that you only need to eat salad and cereals all day. Scientists have found that a Mediterranean diet high in vegetables, fruits, olive oil, fish and seafood can help reduce brain cell loss and preserve mental performance.

2. Exercise at least 20 minutes every day

Physical activity is essential for maintaining brain health. Aerobics increases blood circulation, improves memory and stimulates the growth of new brain cells. This is how new neural connections appear.

Sports can have the same effect on the brain as a low dose of antidepressants. Physical activity helps you manage stress. Do aerobics or any other sport for at least 1.5 hours a week, that is, 20 minutes a day. This should be done for the sake of your health.

3. Leave your comfort zone more often

Your brain will stay youthful longer if you strain it with various tasks. Contrary to popular belief, the brain is not programmed, but is capable of changing. If you wish, you can, for example, get rid of old habits and replace them with new ones. This property of the brain is called neuroplasticity.

Learning a foreign language or playing a musical instrument will help preserve the plasticity of the brain, as this contributes to the formation of new neural connections. It is also helpful to communicate with representatives of other professions. So you will also broaden your horizons.

4. Get enough sleep

During sleep, our glymphatic system clears the brain of neurotoxins, including beta-amyloids and tau-protein, which provoke Alzheimer's disease, and alpha-synuclein, the accumulation of which leads to Parkinson's disease.

Cleansing the brain takes time. That is why a person needs to sleep 7-9 hours a day.

5. Maintain an active social life

Man is a social being. But as we age, our social circle shrinks, we begin to talk less with other people. And maintaining relationships with family and friends is vital to cognitive health. Those who talk less to others have a 70% decrease in mental ability compared to sociable people.

Interestingly, single people are more alert and more likely to expect threats from strangers. This happens because their brain, unaccustomed to communication, perceives interaction with strangers as something unknown and dangerous. This is a kind of defensive reaction.

Throughout your life, you need to spend more time with loved ones, engage in hobbies and learn something new. Then, even in old age, the brain will thank you with a good memory and a clear mind.