How to Look After Your Brain So It Remembers You When You're Older



Posted: Thursday, September 15, 2005

by
Royane Real

As people enter their fifth decade of life, they often start to notice alarming memory lapses. They may forget why they went into a room, they forget where they put their keys, they forget the names of some of the people they know.

When this happens, people often they worry that they are getting Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's disease is a disease that destroys the ability of brain cells to communicate with each other, to process new information, and destroys the cells themselves. Eventually the physical body of the patient dies, but the mind and identity of the person die much earlier.

Alzheimer's disease is presently not curable. Scientists don't really know the cause, and they are still trying to develop effective treatments for it.

Fortunately, in most cases, mild forgetfulness is not a sign of Alzheimer's disease, it's just a result of aging. It takes aging brains longer to process and retrieve information.

However, we are right to be concerned, and it's never too early to start looking after our brains better.

High blood pressure is a major risk factor in developing dementia. Not only does high blood pressure damage brain cells directly, but it also increases the risk of stroke. Have your blood pressure checked regularly, and if it is too high, work with your doctor to bring it down to a safe level.

Diabetics are at particularly high risk for developing dementia. If you are diabetic, it is very important to get your blood sugar levels under control.

If you want to protect your brain for the long term, avoid excess alcohol consumption. Long term consumption of more than two alcoholic drinks a day can directly damage brain cells, as well as deplete the body of nutrients it requires to function optimally.

Other factors suspected of contributing to the risk of dementia include exposure to pesticides, solvents, heavy metal poisoning, as well as brain injury due to trauma. Avoid your exposure to these brain destroyers as much as you possibly can, even if it means changing jobs.

Hundreds of thousands of brain injuries occur every year as a result of automobile accidents. Many of these traumas could be avoided or reduced by slowing down while driving, and by wearing a seat belt.

Chronic stress is very damaging to brain cells. The chemical changes produced in your body when you are under chronic stress damage every system, including your brain. If your life is currently very stressful, find ways to change your life circumstances where possible, and learn to change the way you react to these situations.

To reduce the impact of stress, practice techniques of mind and body relaxation such as daily meditation and prayer. Burn off some of the negative effects of stress on your body by committing to regular exercise. Develop a circle of trusted friends and be sure to include some fun in your life.

This article is taken from the new book by Royane Real titled “How You Can Be Smarter – Use Your Brain to Learn Faster, Remember Better, and Be More Creative" If you want to learn how to use your brain better download it today or get the paperback version at http://www.lulu.com/real

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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)
» left by Anonymous 3 years 63 days ago.
no, I wanted info on how to look after the brain, not AD so why was it in the "how to look after your brain?"part?
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