How to keep your brain young

The truth is, an elderly brain doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll find it harder to learn new things, and some research suggests that your brain might actually become increasingly capable as you age. Here are 7 ways to help maintain cognitive function as you age, to keep your brain young.

1. Exercise regularly

Lifestyle approaches continue to be recognized as the best option for maintaining cognitive health as we age, and it's no surprise that exercise is one of these well-known interventions – and we now have growing evidence for the benefits of exercise when it comes to brain aging. From supporting brain function and improving neuroplasticity, there are many ways that exercise contributes to cognitive preservation later in life.

Studies suggest that one way exercise enhances cognitive function is by promoting brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein found in high concentrations in the central nervous system involved in neural development, the growth of new neurons or brain cells and the long-term efficiency of neurons. Exercise has also been shown to potentially promote neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to change and adapt to its environment. A number of studies have demonstrated that exercise influences structural changes including the volume of gray matter in both frontal and hippocampal regions of the brain.

While the evidence is clear that exercise supports cognitive function, research shows that the environment you exercise in may be just as important as the exercise itself. The cognitive benefits of both exercise and being outside in nature alone have been highlighted in numerous studies, so it’s unsurprising that the combination of the two would contribute to even greater brain health benefits.

2. Stay mentally stimulated

While moving your body promotes cognitive function, it’s also important to keep your mind active. Brain stimulation helps maintain and enhance cognitive function, stimulate neural pathways and promote overall brain health.

Brain stimulation promotes neuroplasticity, and engaging in mentally stimulating activities including problem-solving, learning new skills and cognitive exercises can help strengthen existing neural pathways and create new ones, leading to improved cognitive function. Stimulating your brain can also protect your brain against age-related decline by developing your cognitive reserve, boosting memory function, regulating mood and helping manage stress.

Activities that stimulate the brain, including puzzles, crosswords, card games and focused tasks, can improve attention span, concentration and focus. By regularly engaging in such activities, individuals can train their brains to maintain sustained attention, leading to improved mental clarity and productivity.

3. Reduce stress

Studies show that people who are exposed to ongoing stress age more rapidly, and there are a few reasons why. The wear and tear of the body that results from the ongoing activation of the stress response can significantly affect how we age because stress takes a toll on the body, and studies show that this wear and tear (aka the body’s ‘allostatic load’) can reduce longevity and accelerate aging. Then, there’s your telomeres.

Telomeres act as a protective cap which shields your DNA from damage, and the longer your telomeres are, the more protection they can give. As your cells replicate, the telomeres get shorter. The more you age, the more cellular replications you have gone through, and the shorter your telomeres become. While it’s natural that telomeres shorten with age, accelerated telomere shortening in humans can lead to impaired longevity and scientists have shown that stress can have an impact on telomere length - which can contribute to premature aging.

The good news is that there are plenty of ways to support stress management to encourage healthy aging, including supplementing with antioxidants and adaptogens, reframing how you respond to stress, protecting your mitochondria.

4. Optimize your sleep

Considering that one-third of our lifespan is spent asleep, the importance of maintaining deep sleep throughout our lives is essential for healthy aging and longevity. Research shows that disturbances to normal sleep cycles can significantly influence how we age, in particular how our brain ages.

Good quality sleep has been shown to remove toxins from the brain via the glymphatic system, a special waste clearance system that gets to work while we are in the deepest stages of sleep. Poor sleep may lead to poor clearance of these toxins, potentially increasing the risk of poor cognitive function as we age. Good quality sleep has also been shown to be an essential preservation tool for learning and memory.

Deep sleep is crucial for several vital functions concerned with brain health:

Cellular growth and repair: deep sleep promotes the release of growth hormones that support cellular repair—a crucial process that aids in the repair of cellular damage and promotes the health of brain cells.

Consolidation of memories: deep sleep is when the experiences and information we take in during the day can be effectively processed and integrated into our long-term memory—a crucial process for maintaining cognitive function.

Cognitive performance: consistent deep sleep is essential for maintaining cognitive functions like concentration, decision-making, and learning. Chronic sleep deprivation, particularly a lack of deep sleep, has been linked to decreased cognitive performance.

Getting consistently good sleep helps pathways in the brain associated with focus and attention to new information, helping us transfer information into our long-term memory. It also increases our capacity to store new memories in the future. In the short term, poor sleep reduces our attention span, impairs memory, judgement, problem-solving skills and emotional processing.

5. Manage oxidative stress

The mitochondrial free radical theory of aging is based on the fact that mitochondria are one of the most prolific producers of free radicals within a cell. Free radicals inflict damage on mitochondria and other cellular components, and this damage has been associated with poor health outcomes. The theory, pioneered by scientist Denham Harman in the 1950’s, has been confirmed by decades of research that points to free radicals as key players in the aging process.

It has since been identified that the free radical theory of aging is more relevant to the central nervous system, because of the energy-hungry nature of the brain (which consumes a whopping 20% of the body’s oxygen, making it an organ that is highly vulnerable to oxidative stress). This means that protecting the body from oxidative stress is key to preserving cognitive function as we age.

6. Stay connected

Social isolation can increase the activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, an important system involved in your stress response. It has also been associated with an increased risk of cognitive decline. Having strong, healthy relationships has been shown to protect the brain and body as we age. Research shows that people with good relationships aren’t as affected by challenges or stress in life, and the support system these relationships provide encourages better long-term health as a result.

7. Managing blood sugar control

The brain relies on sugar or glucose as its main source of fuel to meet these energy demands, which is why glycemic control plays an important role in maintaining brain health - particularly as we age. Brain functions like thinking, learning and memory are closely related to glucose and how effectively the brain uses glucose as fuel. If glucose isn’t properly controlled within the body, it can impact the function neurotransmitters in the brain and disrupt the communication between neurons. While the brain requires glucose, too much can impair cognition, memory and attention.

Blood sugar regulation, or control, refers to the body's ability to maintain stable glucose levels in the bloodstream. Blood sugar spikes accelerate a process called glycation, which is a natural process that occurs when glucose binds to protein and fat in the body. This process creates ‘advanced glycation end products’ (AGEs) which can significantly impact metabolic health and aging. Research shows that the more our blood sugar spikes, the more the process of glycation is triggered and consequently–the faster we age.

Learn more about how to manage blood sugar control here.