The brain is the most complex organ in the human body. Its network of electrical systems modulates the entire human experience—breathing, heart rate, movement, feelings, memory, cognition, and more!
This complexity means there is a lot of potential for things to go wrong. Each year in the U.S., some 1.2 million people are diagnosed with neurological disorders, according to research by the Family Caregiver Alliance. That leaves between 13.3 and 16.1 million Americans living with brain diseases at any given time.
This poses the question: What can we do to keep our brains healthy? We asked psychologist and neuroscientist Marlen Z. Gonzalez, executive director of the Community Neuroscience Initiative (CNI), a project hosted at Cornell’s Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research, which seeks to make neuroscience more accessible and helpful.
Gonzalez provided four evidence-based actions that promote brain health. (This review article provides a science-based summary of her tips, she said.)
“We’ve been calling these ‘grandma’s rules,’” Gonzalez said. “That’s because your grandma probably told you to do these things first. But now neuroscience supports it.”
1. Cardiovascular health is important.
“Your brain needs oxygen,” Gonzalez said. “Move your body. It’s good for everybody at every age, and especially good for your brain.” There are dozens of research examples of how exercise improves health. Gonzalez specifically cited a growing body of research that suggests exercise plays an important role in preventing Parkinson’s disease, and can perhaps even slow the progression of symptoms for people already diagnosed.
2. For goodness’s sake, go to sleep.
Sleep is important for consolidating memory and cleaning out the waste products of the brain, Gonzalez said. She cites research by Gina Poe, neuroscience professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, that demonstrates how essential sleep is for memory, learning, and emotional regulation. Poe’s research is exploring sleep as a tool to prevent and treat opioid addiction, post-traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia, and Alzheimer’s disease.
3. Be in community.
“Go out and play!” Gonzalez said. “We know that social support is about as good for you as quitting a two-pack-a-day smoking habit.” Gonzalez personally studies how social connections impact brain function, and specifically, the mechanisms the brain uses to solve problems. “We have learned that social support impacts the way your brain responds to stress,” she said.
4. Eat fresh food.
“There appears to be a relationship between the amounts of processed foods people eat and disease pathology related to brain health,” Gonzalez said. Research published last year clearly demonstrates a connection. While scientists don’t fully understand the factors at play, they suspect that it has to do with the impact of ultra-processed foods on brain regulation of eating behaviors and metabolic systems, Gonzalez explained.
The take-home message: Lifestyle choices that include exercise, enough sleep, social connection, and healthy eating are the best ways to protect your neurological health.