Your Brain’s Best Day
How to make your next 24 hours happy, healthy, and smart
by Christy Ullrich Barcus, AARP, June 16, 2019
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En español | When educator and writer E. M. Kaye turned 70, she decided to enter the USA Memory Championship, becoming the oldest contestant ever to compete. “I didn’t win, but I didn’t come in last either. I achieved my goal,” she says.
To make her mark in what is traditionally a young person’s competition (all winners have been in their 20s to 40s), Kaye trained for a year. She ate brain-healthy foods, walked as much as she could, got more sleep, had more face-to-face conversations, avoided social media and learned something new each day. She even hired a juggling coach.
“Our brain is amazing,” Kaye says. “It’s like a series of roads: When you connect two neurons, you’re building a road, and the little synapse is like a bridge over the road. You have to have lots of them, because if something happens to one of the roads, you need a lot of detours available to get where you need to go.”
Researchers have confirmed that lifestyle changes like those Kaye took on can make a significant difference in the life of your brain. We searched the literature and consulted with experts to map out the next 24 hours and turn them into an ideal healthy day for your brain.
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6:30 a.m.
Wake up refreshed. Sleeping regularly seven to eight hours a night may help cognition. Scientists believe that as you sleep, your body clears the brain of waste, including beta-amyloid, a potentially toxic peptide that builds up in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s, says University of Washington neurology professor Jeffrey Iliff.
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7 a.m.
Pour a cup of joe. Some studies suggest regular consumption of coffee may help cognition and could possibly reduce the risk of Parkinson's disease and dementia.
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7:30 a.m.
Enjoy a bowl of steel-cut oatmeal with blueberries and nuts. The brain requires a steady supply of its energy source, glucose. High-fiber foods are digested more slowly and glucose is gradually released into the bloodstream, stabilizing blood sugar levels and keeping your brain energized.
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8:30 a.m.
Brush your teeth — and floss. A study this year found a bacteria related to gum disease in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease. Study coauthor Mark Ryder, a professor of periodontology at the University of California, San Francisco, says this bacteria produces an enzyme that may increase levels of beta-amyloid.
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9 a.m.
Take a brisk walk outdoors. Daylight suppresses secretion of the sleep hormone melatonin, allowing your body to produce more later in the day to help you sleep. Researchers have found that the hippocampus, a part of the brain associated with memory and learning, seems to get bigger with regular aerobic exercise.
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9:30 a.m.
Bring binoculars on your walk. Bird-watching is a form of mental exercise that strengthens neural circuits, says Gary Small, a UCLA psychiatry professor.
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10 a.m.
Or maybe pack a fishing rod. Practice tying different knots with the line, exercising your brain’s ability to focus, concentrate and remember.
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11:00 a.m.
Write a thank-you note. Gratitude is consistently associated with greater happiness — and happiness is good for your brain. Don’t be shy: In one study, people consistently underrated how surprised and positive the recipients of their thank-you notes would be.
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Noon
Have bean soup at lunch. Legumes such as beans, peas, lentils and peanuts are excellent sources of the B vitamin folate, which may promote brain health. (Dark leafy greens, like spinach and kale, are also high in folate.) High in fiber and protein, beans help prevent afternoon energy slumps.
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1 p.m.
Make someone laugh, or play a game or share a story. Happiness is good for your brain chemistry; it’s also something that we can consciously spark and cultivate. “We create our feelings every day,” says David Burns, a clinical psychiatrist and author of Feeling Good
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2 p.m.
Meet a friend and discuss books, film or culture. Engaging in face-to-face communications can slow cognitive decline by increasing the neural connections in your brain.
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3 p.m.
Take a drive without using your GPS. Using fMRIs, a study found that when volunteers simulated driving, the parts of their brain involved in navigation and planning showed spikes of activity when they were on new streets, but that activity wasn’t seen when they received turn-by-turn instructions.
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4 p.m.
Pick up a musical instrument. Using MRIs, Gottfried Schlaug, associate professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School, found an “age-decelerating” effect in the brains of people who consistently made music. Just listening to music may not be enough: “Actively engaging with music or music-making activities, such as singing, with others or alone, is where the real benefit comes from,” Schlaug says.
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4:30 p.m.
Use your phone to call someone — and use social media less. Looking at highlights of other people’s feeds can leave you feeling discouraged, even if your perception may not be true. And those feelings can affect your brain: In a study, a team of researchers found that people who had depressed moods showed a reduction in memory.
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A white plate with fish, Brussels sprouts, herbs, and rice
5:30 p.m.
Enjoy a nice piece of fish with a side of brussels sprouts. The omega-3 fatty acids in fish may have properties that contribute to your brain’s health. And brussels sprouts are packed with glucosinolates, compounds that could help to protect against inflammation.
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6:30 p.m.
Dance lesson! A 2017 study published in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience suggests that learning new dances is superior to repetitive exercises in increasing neural connections in older peoples’ brains.
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A husband and wife sit on a couch reading a tablet and a printed book respectively
8 p.m.
Shut down the electronics. The blue light that emanates from LED lighting, TVs, computers and smartphones suppresses the brain’s production of melatonin. If you do use a screen, try an app that filters blue light, or blue-blocking glasses. And use a blackout shade to block streetlights. LED street lamps can affect your circadian rhythm.
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10:30 p.m.
Turn down the thermostat and go to sleep. In general, people tend to fall asleep more quickly and sleep more deeply when the bedroom is comfortably cool.