The brain is a complex organ, but there are simple (and fun) steps you can take today to boost your brain health.

Mather Lifeways Institute on Aging has confirmed that people of all ages — even those age 80 and older — can improve their cognitive function, forestall cognitive decline, and reduce their risk of dementia through some straightforward lifestyle choices.

Tips to Maintain Good Brain Health

Here are a few tips to help you improve your brain health, along with insights into how Otterbein SeniorLife can help.

1. Eat Well

Good nutrition helps fuel both body and mind. People who eat a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids, as well as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, fish, nuts, and plant-based proteins, are less likely to develop dementia.

One way to adopt this eating pattern is with the MIND diet, which was specifically created to boost brain health. It’s a hybrid of the Mediterranean diet and the heart-healthy DASH diet, emphasizing berries and leafy greens.

At Otterbein, it’s easy to eat well, with chef-prepared menus featuring fresh ingredients that can be tailored to meet any dietary need.

2. Try Cocoa or Dark Chocolate

The flavanols in cocoa beans can improve memory, and cocoa is a powerful source of antioxidants. Research has found that older adults who drank two cups of cocoa a day for a month showed improved blood flow on brain scans and better scores on cognitive tests.

Quality dark chocolate with a high cocoa content is surprisingly nutritious: It’s rich in fiber, iron, magnesium, copper, manganese, and other minerals.

3. Stay Physically Active

Using your muscles is a great way to stimulate your mind. Regular exercise increases the number of tiny blood vessels which are responsible for bringing oxygen-rich blood to the area of the brain that’s responsible for thought.

Exercise also spurs the development of new nerve cells and improves the functioning of brain synapses (connections between brain cells). Plus, exercise is also good for your heart, and just 75 minutes per week of brisk walking can result in cognitive benefits.

Dancing, another type of physical activity, doesn’t show a cardiovascular benefit, but it does improve cognition, probably due to the emotional involvement or intellectual challenges of the dance experience.

Otterbein communities offer a variety of ways to make staying active easy and fun. From swimming pools where residents can swim laps or enjoy water aerobics classes, to modern fitness centers, there’s something for everyone. Don’t miss the trails, both paved and unpaved, for walking outdoors to enjoy the natural beauty surrounding our communities.

4. Get Enough Sleep

Your brain doesn’t shut off when you go to sleep. Our brains are trying to make sense of all the activities of the day, and those who don’t sleep enough will lose the benefit of the day’s learning and may also not learn as well the following day.

Adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep each night for maximum cognitive functioning. To boost your chances of getting some shut-eye, focus on maintaining a regular bedtime routine, shut out artificial lights, and enjoy some quiet, screen-free time before bed.

5. Stay Socially Engaged

Being social has countless benefits. According to Psychology Today, when we’re in any kind of relationship with others, we flex our “transactive” memory muscles. And the more diverse your friends are, the more they challenge you to think creatively by providing perspectives that help you keep your mind open.

While small, intimate gatherings are beneficial, larger group interactions are associated with better cognitive performance. And when you connect with friends, you’re less likely to get depressed, which hampers how your brain works.

Elise Caccappolo, Ph.D. in neuropsychology at Columbia University Medical Center, states, “When you are socializing, the blood circulates to several different parts of your brain as you’re listening and formulating responses.”

At our communities, you’ll find opportunities from A to Z to become involved in campus life, whether it’s through volunteering, joining a hobby club, or taking part in a Bold Adventure.

6. Seek Challenges

Building new skills throughout life, including simple things like learning a new card game, helps keep your brain healthy by creating new connections between brain cells.

Brain scans and cognitive tests taken a year after learning a challenging new skill (like photography) demonstrate significantly better cognitive performance. Brain challenges essentially create a backup system, because the more intellectual stimulation you have, the more neural circuits are used.

As Caccappolo states, “The more circuits you have, the harder it is for neurodegenerative diseases to manifest.”

Lifelong learners and those who continue to accept challenges are living their lives with purpose and having a purpose in life is a major contributor to longevity.

Otterbein residents support one another’s pursuits – be they intellectual, physical, social, or spiritual — by walking through life side by side, meeting each day’s challenges as an opportunity to reflect and look ahead, whatever the next chapter in the story will be.

Achieving Whole-Person Wellness

• Physical
• Environmental
• Vocational
• Creative
• Intellectual
• Cultural
• Spiritual
• Social
• Emotional

At Otterbein, we incorporate ways to nurture all nine degrees of wellness for our residents. Check out our free wellness guide for some ideas on how to start living a fuller, more fulfilling life today.

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