What do Alzheimer’s dementia, Parkinson’s disease, depression, and schizophrenia have in common? They’re all brain diseases and it is very likely someone in our lives is suffering, or has suffered from it.
An estimated 700,000 Canadians suffer from degenerative neurological conditions. A 2006 report published by NeuroScience Canada found that the over 1,000 diseases, disorders, and injuries to the brain cost our healthcare system $22.7 billion annually.
While the price to treat brain diseases is exorbitant, the price to prevent brain diseases is, well, free.
Doctor Raymond Lam, Health Adviser for The Globe and Mail, recently wrote an article outlining seven steps that you can take to staying mentally fit, all of which will not incur extra costs to your budget.
1. Body exercise – There is a reason why you feel energized and alive after you hit the gym or go on a run – your body’s neurogenesis improves and so does your memory, and brain scans post-exercise have proven it. Exercise is also recommended by doctors to help relieve symptoms of stress.
2. Brain exercise – Watch television or browse the Internet enough and I am sure you’ll see an advertisement for brain stimulating exercises or games like the ones Lumosity promotes. While I can’t attest for the worth of Lumosity, Lam notes that the old “use it or lose it” adage proves true for brain health. Simple activities such as playing Sudoku are all you need to power up your brain.
3. Sleep well – Sleep and college sound oxymoronic, granted, but getting 6 to 8 hours of sleep and hitting the hay at a consistent time every night is integral to maintaining brain health.
4. Talking to close friends or family members – As someone who went through depression a few years ago, my experience with talk therapy may be anecdotal, but Lam and many other doctors and psychologists promote confiding in a close friend or family member about your problems and thoughts as a great way to avoid depression and dementia.
5. Greek food! – In all honesty, any Mediterranean-styled diet will suffice, but Greek food is just too good! A diet rich legumes, vegetables, fruits, and unrefined cereals, moderate in fish and dairy products, and low in meat has been found to be good for your heart and brain – and those foods are chalked full of antioxidants.
6. Breaking out of comfort zones – Rehabilitation specialists suggest that mental and physical stimulations to the brain that go beyond your current level of capability have very therapeutic effects on your brain and body.
7. Appreciate beauty – Lam ends his article on a light note with this one: “After all, why live longer with a healthy brain if all you do is think?” Take some time every day to practice the art of Zen.