How to Ensure Your Mental Health

Vicki O'Brien

| December 5, 2007

It can be tough interpreting science and negotiating your way through the maze of advice out there on how to ensure your mental health, but here’s some news we can all use.

Lose the junk in your trunk
If you are obese in middle age, you are twice as likely to develop dementia in later life. Combine that extra weight with high cholesterol and high blood pressure, and you are at six times the risk.

Food for thought
Cut back on meat and dairy, and learn to love antioxidants and omega-3s. Dark-skinned fruits and veggies have the highest levels of naturally occurring antioxidants. When it comes to proteins, think fish. There’s considerable evidence that the omega-3s in cold-water fish can help forestall memory loss in the elderly and even enhance brainpower in healthy adults as young as 22. Snack on dried fruit and nuts and a very small amount of dark chocolate, which has been found to improve memory in mice. And listen to your mom: Always eat breakfast.

Get your zzzzzzz’s
Sleep-deprived people can’t think, remember, learn or react. If possible, get eight to nine hours of sleep a night. An afternoon nap is fine if you need it, especially as you age. Don’t worry about short bursts of insomnia.

Battle stress
Stress kills brain neurons. Short bursts of acute stress that are part of a normal, balanced lifestyle are actually good for your brain, but unremitting stress damages the immune system and accelerates aging. If you are stressed and depressed, see your doctor; antidepressants may help these stress-damaged cells survive. Avoid hitting the bottle or “relaxing” in front of the TV to unwind, which are bad for your brain. Turn to proven stress busters such as meditation or yoga.

Just do it
Commit to at least half an hour of moderate exercise three times a week and do it for life. Regular exercise improves cognitive function and attention and reduces depression.

Learn, baby, learn
Turn off the TV; it does not engage your brain. Instead, take a course, learn a language, play an instrument or spend time doing puzzles such as crosswords and sudoku. If in doubt, read. Right now you are flexing thousands of the 100 billion (more or less) nerve cells that make up your brain. Take your brain off autopilot and do something a little different every day; even something as small as brushing your teeth with the other hand will give your brain cells a workout.

Don’t worry, be happy
Neuroscientists say happiness is tangible and the result of brain activity; they can see it – even measure it. If you feel depressed, seek help. Severely depressed adults may have cognition and
memory problems that mimic dementia, but these symptoms can be reversed with medication and
therapy.

Strategize to memorize
Jogging your memory might mean doing something as simple as keeping your keys on a hook by the door, making to-do lists or using electronic reminders such as PDAs. But some experts say dependence on such gizmos actually weakens memory; you might better train your brain by ditching your speed dial and learning key phone numbers.
– Source: Train the Brain Consulting Inc., Terry Small Learning Corp.

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