Everyday habits that help keep your mind sharp

Learn when forgetfulness is normal - and when it might not be.

Everyday habits that help keep your mind sharp

No habit can guarantee protection against dementia, but studies keep pointing to the same conclusion: the way you live each day has a real influence on your brain. Moving more, eating well, sleeping properly and staying connected with others can all slow mental decline and support clear thinking.

Exercise

Being physically active brings a long list of benefits. Beyond helping your brain, regular activity lowers your risk of:

Heart disease

Type 2 diabetes

High blood pressure

Colon cancer

Breast cancer.

Staying active also eases insomnia, anxiety and depression, and it may help hold off cognitive decline and dementia.

Certain studies found that people with memory problems who followed a regular exercise program showed better cognitive function. Activity may be especially valuable for carriers of the APOE4 gene variant, which raises susceptibility to Alzheimer's.

A Mediterranean-style diet

This way of eating is well known for supporting cardiovascular health and reducing the risk of some cancers, and it may also guard against mental decline. It appears to lower the chance of developing mild cognitive impairment and to slow the move toward dementia in people who already have it.

A Mediterranean-style pattern is built around:

Fruits

Vegetables

Whole grains

Beans

Nuts and seeds

Olive oil,

Fish, poultry, and dairy products.

Alcohol

Research links regularly drinking beyond moderate levels with a 22% higher risk of Alzheimer's compared with not drinking. Moderate drinking has traditionally meant up to seven drinks a week for women and up to 14 for men.

Even so, a growing number of experts think those limits may still be too high.

Sleep

The brain depends on a steady supply of sleep for many core functions. People who habitually sleep less than the recommended seven to eight hours a night tend to do worse on tests of mental performance - possibly because learning and memories are consolidated while we sleep.

Mental stimulation

Keeping your mind busy matters for brain health as you age. In one study, mentally healthy people in their 70s and 80s who spent the most time on stimulating pastimes - reading, writing, crossword puzzles, board or card games, group discussions, playing music - were only half as likely to develop mild cognitive impairment as those who did the least.

Social contacts

People with strong relationships are less prone to cognitive decline than people who are isolated, research shows.

Social activity calls on several mental processes at once, including attention and memory, which supports cognition. Regular engagement reinforces neural networks, slowing the usual age-related slide, and it may build cognitive reserve, which can put off the onset of dementia.

A caring support network also keeps stress down. Loneliness and the depression that often travels with it are linked to faster cognitive decline.