Increase your long-term brain health with these 8 easy strategies.

1. Sleep

Sleep is an important factor to brain health. Getting quality sleep is an important part of your daily routine — you spend about one-third of your day doing it. 

Your brain needs 7-9 hours each night to rest and replenish. This allows the brain to heal and restore mental health.

2. Detox

Do a digital detox. Commit to the same bedtime each night and turn off all electronics and screens at least 30-60 minutes before you hit the pillow. 

If you need to wind-down before hitting the pillow, grab a book and read for an hour.

3. Journal

Don’t worry …be happy. If left unchecked, our thoughts start to race which can provoke anxiety. 

Before you got to sleep, spend time writing your thoughts down, any lingering concerns,   to-do list for tomorrow’s tasks.

If you spend time journaling and writing things down with a pen and paper, it trains your brain not to be concerned about those things while you are sleeping.

4. Meditation

A healthy mind will benefit from regular meditation. 

Not only will 5-10 minutes of mindful meditation calm your brain and make it easier to sleep, but it will help to increase focus and accuracy as well as reduce anxiety, depression and fatigue.

Meditation can benefit people suffering with insomnia by helping them fall asleep and stay asleep. Most people find not only do they sleep better but their quality of sleep dramatically improves.

5. Exercise

Moving your body is important for mental health. 30 minutes of exercise a day like walking, dancing, or swimming will help improve your cognition.

Studies show that regular exercise can increase the size of the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for memory, which naturally shrinks as you age.

So the more physically active you are, the better your memory and problem-solving skills will be because exercise boosts blood flow to the brain.

6. Diet

Eating a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids, low in saturated fat, full of the nutrients is vital for brain health. 

A healthy diet that includes fruit, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, poultry, fish, and legumes can help keep your brain healthy throughout your life. 

For many people, this means following the Mediterranean diet, which emphasizes fish, fruits and vegetables, nuts, olive oil, and avocados, while limiting red meat.

7. Socialise

Instead of watching Netflix or scrolling through social media on your phone, go out and spend as much time as you can in the company of your family and friends. 

Why? Being around people we love makes life more fulfilling. When you’re socializing, the blood circulates to several different parts of your brain as you’re listening and formulating responses. 

8. Learn 

Exploring new things and building new skills throughout your lifetime – (learn how to sing, dance, cook, play a musical instrument, learn another language,  solve puzzles or be creative) will all help keep your brain healthy by constantly creating new connections between brain cells.

Challenging your brain essentially creates a backup system. The more stimulation you have, the more various neural circuits are used. And the more circuits you have, the harder it is for the changes associated with neurodegenerative diseases to manifest.

There are many ways to keep a healthy mind… try out these 8 steps, your future self will thank you!