How to boost your brain health

Keeping Your Brain Healthy

Sabina Brennan is a former Fair City actress turned research psychologist, cognitive neuroscientist and science communicator. Her new book 100 Days to a Younger Brain promises to maximise your memory, boost your brain health and defy dementia and help in keeping your brain healthy.

Sabina dropped into Newstalk during Brain Awareness Week 2019 to share with our audience some tips on improving your brain health.

Keeping your brain healthy

1. Get some sleep

With modern day life becoming increasingly fast-paced and the proliferation of mobile devices which can keep us internet connected every hour of the day, time for sleep has become a much rarer commodity. But according to Sabina it is something that we neglect at our peril.

When you go to sleep at night your brain doesn't rest. It has a job of work to do. It filters through the information that you've taken in all day, deciding what you should keep and what you need to remember. And it consolidates those memories, integrating them with your previous memories and experiences. Which is why, after a good nights sleep you can wake up with the solution to a problem, some insight or even brilliant ideas.

2. Get a grip on stress

We all know that high stress levels are detrimental to our health. But did you know that having too little stress in your life can lead to poor brain health as well?

Too little stress isn't good for your brain either because it leaves your brain under-stimulated and can lead to boredom and depression.

3. What's good for your heart is good for your brain

Two of our most vital organs are inextricably linked. So keeping a healthy heart is important for your brain health especially as you age.

Poorly-managed high blood pressure, midlife obesity, low levels of physical exercise, type 2 diabetes, are all cardiovascular diseases that increase your risk for developing dementia in later life.

You can listen back to Sabina chatting with Ivan Yates here:

You can find out more about improving your brain health on Sabina's website here