If your recall isn’t great, work to improve it, for the sake of your relationships, as well as the health of your brain. The fact is brain exercises will keep you cognitively agile.
Beyond memorizing birthdays, some exercises do promote more blood flow to the brain:
- Learn a new language. Each additional language you use is known to add protection to the brain’s memory functions.
- Join a choir. It will teach your brain not only to read music notes and produce appropriate sounds, but also coordinate with the other singers. That’s hard work for the brain.
- Memorize the streets in your neighbourhood. Try to do it alphabetically.
- Don’t bore your brain. Don’t do Sudoku or crossword puzzles all day long; change it up.
Clearly, it is vital to stay healthy to avoid strokes or any condition that injures the brain and its blood supply.Strokes are now preventable and treatable, so learn the risk factors and avoid them or treat them. Learn how to recognize a stroke if it comes upon you by remembering the acronym: FAST to detect symptoms of stroke:
- F = facial drooping
- A = arm weakness
- S = speech difficulties
- T = time to call 911
You need to maintain a normal blood pressure and monitor your blood pressure. Invest in a good blood pressure cuff and at home, when you are calm, measure it. The systolic pressure (the higher number) should be around 120.
Doctor’s Orders To Optimize Brain and Mental Health
- Stop smoking
- Control and treat diabetes and high cholesterol
- Avoid obesity
- Don’t sit for too long.
- Get enough sleep daily
- Move enough to get out of breath once or twice a day. Learn to include exercise snacks in your daily routine.
- Chronic sadness and loneliness diminish your brain’s blood supply. When you feel depressed, put on your favorite music and move your body to it.
Research shows that learning strategies can enhance cognition as you re-discover the POWER of your brain. New research focuses on developing novel strategies to treat stroke and neurodegenerative diseases by taking advantage of the brain’s own regenerative capacity. Today, brilliant researchers share their expertise on the internet to offer hope to those who have suffered brain trauma and optimism to their families.