When it comes to longevity, keeping your brain healthy is just as important as all of the measures you take for your physical health. Simple measures you can incorporate into your daily routine can have a big impact on the health of your brain as you age.
However, it’s important to start early with these habits to get the most benefit. Check out a few lifestyle interventions that can help you to biohack your brain for longevity. What’s great about these lifestyle interventions to biohack your brain is their ability to help other organs in your body too! Although getting older is not avoidable, it’s possible to slow the rate of decline of your mind and enjoy more years with exceptional brain function.
Exercising
There are countless reasons to exercise – from maintaining a healthy body weight to keeping your brain healthy. (Yes, that’s right… exercise has a major impact on the health of your brain). Studies have shown that adding regular cardiovascular exercise into your routine can improve memory and cognitive function of the brain, while also helping to slow down the rate of aging in the brain.
Cardio exercise can also improve blood flow to the brain, reduce inflammation, and help to increase brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BNDF). BNDF has been shown to stimulate the growth of new brain cells. Finding an exercise routine you love (such as Zumba or cycling class) can help you to make exercise a regular part of your health and wellness routine.
Social Connections
Maintaining strong social connections (such as friendships and relationships with family members) is important for preventing cognitive decline. Regular visits and conversations with loved ones can help you fight against dementia as you age. Studies suggest that engaging in social activities can improve your memory, attention, and overall cognitive function. Even better, it may help prevent the loss of brain tissue that occurs from the aging process.
Social connections also impact our levels of cortisol, the hormone associated with stress and blood pressure levels. Staying connected with others can help to keep your mind sharp, while also offering great emotional benefits too.
Challenging Your Brain
Mentally stimulating activities can help “challenge” your brain to keep it sharp as you age. Activities that require brain skill and concentration, such as reading or playing sudoku, can help keep your brain sharp. Studies suggest that participation in these types of activities can help the brain form new connections and help make the brain more resilient during the aging process. Other examples include learning a new language or learning to play a new instrument.
Sleep
Prioritizing your sleep quality and duration is important for the health of your brain as you age as well. Getting enough sleep helps the formation of neurons in the brain. Those who chronically do not get enough sleep suffer from a variety of health issues, some of which include premature aging of the brain. Be sure to take a look at other ways to biohack your sleep, such as blackout curtains or sleep hygiene habits, which can also impact the health of your brain.
Reducing Stress
Chronically high-stress levels can also wreak havoc on the health of your brain, causing damage to brain cells and also impairing cognitive function. Taking holistic measures to reduce stress, such as supplements, exercise, and more can also be beneficial as an intervention to biohack your brain for longevity. In addition, stress-reducing exercises such as meditation exercises and yoga can help to reduce cortisol levels in the blood.
Other Ways to Biohack Your Brain
Biohacking is a multi-faceted field – which means you can use multiple approaches to help get the best results for your health. Lifestyle interventions, such as getting great sleep and reducing stress whenever possible can help to keep your brain sharp as you age. When combined with other ways to biohack your brain, such as diet/nutrition and brain supplements, you can achieve the optimal results you seek.
- Carol E. Franz, et al., Lifestyle and the aging brain: interactive effects of modifiable lifestyle behaviors and cognitive ability in men from midlife to old age, Neurobiology of Aging, 2021;108:80–9, doi: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2021.08.007, PMCID: PMC8862767; PMID: 34547718: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8862767/.
- Rachel L.Piferi, Kathleen A. Lawler, Social support and ambulatory blood pressure: An examination of both receiving and giving, International Journal of Psychophysiology, 2006;62(2):328–36, doi: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2006.06.002, PMID: 16905215: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16905215/.
- James A. Mortimer, et al., Changes in Brain Volume and Cognition in a Randomized Trial of Exercise and Social Interaction in a Community-Based Sample of Non-Demented Chinese Elders, Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, 2012;30(4):757–66, doi: 10.3233/jad-2012-120079, PMCID: PMC3788823; PMID: 22451320: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3788823/.
