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Simple Brain Health Tips and Tricks from Dr. Mike Dow
1. Do something challenging today. Think of your brain like a bank account. The more cash deposits you’ve made, the more you have to spare. This is a concept called reserve, and it explains why people with higher levels of education have a lower risk of dementia.[1] Make a “deposit” by engaging in a challenging activity.
2. Add Natrol® Cognium™ to your daily routine. This brain health supplement has been shown to protect brain cells from oxidative stress, improve memory and concentration, and increase blood flow to the brain. It is also the only brain health supplement with an ingredient proven effective and backed by nine human clinical trials. Taking Natrol Cognium while engaging in challenging activities can help achieve a holistic approach to brain health.
3. Incorporate more exercise in your day. Exercise is one of the most potent ways to increase the birth of new brain cells and connections, in the brain.[2] It’s as good for your brain as it is for your heart. Make a habit of adding additional steps to your day in simple ways.
4. Create healthy rituals. The healthier choices you make, the easier they become to do. If a post-work jog is followed by a protein shake, this becomes routine while helping to prevent unhealthy behaviors. You can pair simple acts like brushing your teeth in the morning with taking Natrol Cognium with your multivitamin. This can set a healthy intention for the day ahead of you.
5. Eat an antioxidant-rich diet. Some antioxidants help protect brain cells from the damage that comes with aging and oxidative stress. Unsweetened caffeine sources, berries, and turmeric are great examples of antioxidant-rich foods that protect the brain.[3]
6. Connect. Relationships have a profound effect on brain health. Remember that excess stress hormones can cause inflammation in the brain just like processed foods do.[4] Relationships tend to buffer us from the stress of daily life while giving our lives meaning. Mind the health of your relationships, because they're fantastic for the brain.
7. Sleep. At night, brain cells expand so that our brain can enter into its “wash cycle” at night. Striving for eight hours of shut eye ensures your brain is refreshed for a fog-free day ahead of you.[5] Favor natural remedies like keeping your bedtime consistent and using melatonin instead of prescription sleep aids.
[1] Ellen Bialystok, Fergus I. M. Craik, and Morris Freedman, “Bilingualism as a Protection Against the Onset of Symptoms of Dementia,” Neuropsychologia 45, no. 2 (January 28, 2007):459–64.
C. Fabrigoule et al., “Social and Leisure Activities and Risk of Dementia: A Prospective Longitudinal Study,” Journal of American Geriatric Society 43, no. 5 (May 1995): 485–90.
Joe Verghese et al., “Leisure Activities and the Risk of Dementia in the Elderly,” New England Journal of Medicine 348 (June 19, 2003): 2508–16.
Sharp, Emily Schoenhofen, and Margaret Gatz. "The relationship between education and dementia an updated systematic review." Alzheimer disease and associated disorders 25.4 (2011): 289.
[2]K. I. Erickson et al., “Physical Activity Predicts Gray Matter Volume in Late Adulthood: The Cardiovascular Health Study,” Neurology 75, no. 16 (October 13, 2010): 1415–22.
Robert D. Abbott et al., “Walking and Dementia in Physically Capable Elderly Men,” Journal of the American Medical Association 292, no. 12 (September 22, 2004): 1447–53.
[3] J. A. Joseph et al., “Blueberry Supplementation Enhances Signaling and Prevents Behavioral Deficits in an Alzheimer Disease Model,” Nutritional Neuroscience 6, no. 3 (June 2003): 153–62.
Rachel L. Galli et al., “Blueberry Supplemented Diet Reverses Age-Related Decline in Hippocampal HSP70 Neuroprotection,” Neurobiology of Aging 27, no. 2 (February 2006): 344–50.
Elizabeth E. Devore et al., “Dietary Intakes of Berries and Flavonoids in Relation to Cognitive Decline,” Annals of Neurology 72, no. 1 (July 2012): 135–43.
John A. Ringman et al., “A Potential Role of the Curry Spice Curcumin in Alzheimer’s Disease,” Current Alzheimer’s Research 2, no. 2 (April 2005): 131–36.
Laura Zhang et al., “Curcuminoids Enhance Amyloid-beta Uptake by Macrophages of Alzheimer’s Disease Patients,” Journal of Alzheimers Disease 10 (2006): 1–7.
Suzhen Dong et al., “Curcumin Enhances Neurogenesis and Cognition in Aged Rats: Implications for Transcriptional Interactions Related to Growth and Synatpic Plasticity,” PLOS One 7, no. 2 (February 16, 2012): http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0031211#pone- 0031211-g006. < /span>
Ying Xu et al., “Curcumin Reverses Impaired Hippocampal Neurogenesis and Increases Serotonin Receptor 1A mRNA and Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Expression in Chronically Stressed Rats,” Brain Research 1162 (2007): 9–18.
Tze-Pin Ng et al., “Curry Consumption and Cognitive Function in the Elderly,” American Journal of Epidemiology 164, no. 9 (2006): 898–906.
Marjo H. Eskelinen et al., “Midlife Coffee and Tea Drinking and the Risk of Late-Life Dementia: A Population-Based CAIDE Study,” Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease 16, no. 1 (2009): 85–91.
[4] John T. Cacioppo et al., “Loneliness as a Specific Risk Factor for Depressive Symptoms: Cross- sectional and Longitudinal Analyses,” Psychology and Aging 21, no. 1 (March 2006): 140–51.
John T. Cacioppo and Louise C. Hawkley, “Perceived Social Isolation and Cognition,” Trends in Cognitive Sciences 13, no. 10 (October 2009): 447–54.
Julianne Holt-Lunstad, Timothy B. Smith, and J. Bradley Layton, “Social Relationships and Mortality Risk: A Meta-analytic Review,” PLOS Medicine (July 27, 2010): http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.1000316.
Robert S. Wilson et al., “Loneliness and Risk of Alzheimer Disease,” JAMA Psychiatry 64, no. 2 (February 2007): 234–40.
[5] Lulu Xie et al., “Sleep Drives Metabolite Clearance from the Adult Brain,” Science 342, no. 6156 (October 18, 2013): 373–77.
Francesco P. Cappuccio et al., “Sleep Duration and All-Cause Mortality: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Prospective Studies,” Sleep 33, no. 5 (May 1, 2010): 585–92.
Harvey R. Colten and Bruce M. Altevogt, ed., Sleep Disorders and Sleep Deprivation: An Unmet Public Health Problem (Washington, DC: National Academies Press, 2006): 1.
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