According to an Acclaimed Neurosurgeon, These are the 5 Pillars of Brain Health

How to optimize your brain and keep a sharp mind.

Ready to be pleasantly surprised?

According to neurosurgeon and brain health expert Sanjay Gupta, your brain is the only organ that can get stronger as you age. Every single day, our brains produce up to 700 new neurons that can reinforce whatever mental capacity we want.

This is called Neuroplasticity, our brain’s ability to continue growing and adapting as long as there’s proper stimulation.

In his critically-acclaimed book, Keep Sharp: Build a Better Brain at Any Age, Dr. Gupta explains the 5 pillars that create the perfect environment to nurture our brains. They are the lifestyle choices that, regardless of our background and age, help us maximize our brain’s potential.

#1. Exercise Holistically

“A body in motion tends to stay in motion.”

— Dr. Gupta

The connection between physical fitness and brain health is clear, direct, and powerful. Research cited in Dr. Gupta’s book shows that movement can supercharge our brains because it helps increase, repair, and maintain neurons.

Besides stimulating the release of growth factors, exercise gets our blood circulating, helps with blood sugar absorption, and reduces inflammation, conditions necessary for the creation and protection of neurons. Moreover, exercise also improves mood and sleep, positively affecting the brain’s structure and function.

Most importantly, though, is that not exercising can be devastating.

“Physical inactivity,” Dr. Gupta explains in his book, “has been calculated to be the most significant risk factor in cognitive decline and the development of dementia.”

In other words, being active must be a priority. There is no pill in the world that has the same brain and overall health benefits with so little risk.

Where to start:

• Avoid prolonged sitting. Aim for at least two minutes of walking for every sitting hour.
• Ensure you exercise holistically every week. By exercise, Dr. Gupta refers to a combination of cardio ( swimming, cycling, walking), strength training (free weights, gym machines, bodyweight exercises), and flexibility routines (yoga, pilates, stretching). To optimize your brain, you should practice all of them every week.
• Make active choices. Instead of the elevator, opt for the stairs. Instead of sitting in front of the TV, walk around the block.
• Add one active hobby. An easy way to include more activity is to have a hobby that allows you to have fun while getting your heart pumping. Some examples are gardening, dancing, and hiking.

#2. Build Your Cognitive Reserve

“Active aging involves more than moving your body. You also need to move your brain, exercising it in ways that keep it healthy.”

— Dr. Gupta

In his book, Dr. Gupta introduces us to the concept of cognitive reserve.

“If you think of your brain’s networks like a series of roads,” Dr. Gupta says, “then you can see how the more networks you have, the more options are available to shift direction and arrive at the same destination if one road becomes impassable. It’s a simple way of looking at this, but those networks or roads are the cognitive reserve, and they develop over time through education, learning, and curiosity.”

In other words, cognitive reserve is a backup system in the brain that helps it troubleshoot whenever any of its parts malfunction. Those who boast a massive reserve manage to keep their minds sharp even when parts of the brain have been damaged, allowing them to avoid degenerative diseases, a true superpower.

A superpower all of us can have if we put in the work.

As long as we keep challenging our brains to think, strategize, learn and solve new problems, we’ll create enough roads to keep our brains healthy.

Where to start:

• Delay retirement as long as possible. One study cited in Dr. Gupta’s book showed that for each additional year of work, the risk of getting dementia is reduced by 3.2 percent.
• Sign up for an online course. The topic doesn’t matter. What matters is to continue learning new things. Bonus points if it’s language-related.
• Try any of these brain exercises.

#3. Relax

“Chronic inadequate sleep puts people at higher risk for dementia, depression and mood disorders, learning and memory problems, heart disease, high blood pressure, weight gain and obesity, fall-related injuries, and cancer.”

— Dr. Gupta

A lack of sleep and chronic stress raise the body’s levels of inflammation while keeping the tissues and organs, including the brain, from repairing the day’s damage. Over time, the results are catastrophic.

That’s why Dr. Gupta emphasizes that we must make proper relaxation a priority. We need to ensure we sleep between seven and nine (whatever works best for you) hours per night, engage in calming activities, and avoid those that hurt our brains.

Where to start:

• If you’ve been taking sleeping aids, seek professional help to stop. “Virtually all sleep aids,” says Dr Gupta, “whether they are prescription or over-the-counter (OTC), will help you fall asleep faster, but they do not allow you to experience sleep as restful as natural sleep. Some even increase the risk for brain decline and dementia.”
• Apply Dr. Gupta’s top ten secrets to slumber: 1. Stick to a schedule and avoid long naps. 2. Try to go to bed before midnight. 3. Wake up to early morning light to help set your body clock. 4. Engage in regular physical activity. 5. Avoid caffeine after lunch (2:00 PM) and don’t eat or drink for three hours before bed. 6. Ensure your medication doesn’t have ingredients that affect sleep. 7. Sleep in a cool (60–67 degrees Fahrenheit), quiet, and dark room. 8. Eliminate electronics from the bedroom. 9. Establish a bedtime ritual that primes your body for sleep. 10. Seek help if you still can’t seem to fall or stay asleep.
• Practice whatever style of meditation works for you. Simply find one that helps ground you in the present moment — or rather, disconnects you from stressful moments.
• Try Japanese forest bathing. This means being in the presence of trees, absorbing substances known as phytoncides, which protect trees from insects and other stressors — and help us relax.
• Look for things to make you laugh. Humorous movies, books, online videos — it doesn’t matter. What matters is that you laugh, as it triggers the secretion of “feel good” hormones.
• Don’t multitask. Our brains don’t like to do that; it’s too much effort. Instead, aim to work on what’s called your attentional ability: Focus and concentrate on one task at a time and avoid distractions.
• Declutter your environment. Clean out closets, basements, storage spaces, and garages. Mess creates distraction, and distraction creates stress for the brain.
• Set aside fifteen minutes each day for yourself. No explanation needed.

#4. Nourish Your Brain With the MIND Diet

“You can breathe a sigh of relief: I’m not talking about following a particular branded diet. I’m referring to a way of eating — a dietary style with general guidelines.”

— Dr. Gupta

In his book, Dr. Gupta shares the MIND diet, which was created by taking the basics of the Mediterranean (shown to boost brain health) and the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diets and modifying them to include scientifically-proven changes that keep our minds sharp.

In it, you’re encouraged to eat vegetables (especially green leafy ones), nuts, berries, beans, whole grains, fish, poultry, olive oil, and wine. And you’re asked to reduce red meats, butter, margarine, cheese, sweets, and fried or fast food.

If followed, the MIND diet can reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s by up to 53 percent. Wow.

Where to start:

• Aim for seven different-colored foods every day.
• Choose frozen vegetables and fruit, which are typically low in salt and high in essential nutrients when you’re creating fresh meals instead of buying frozen, ready-to-eat meals.
• Eat fish at least once a week.
• Switch to a smaller plate to reduce your portions.
• Opt for healthier cooking methods like boiling, poaching, steaming, or baking.
• Use vinegar, lemon, aromatic herbs, and spices to increase flavor of food without upping the salt content.

#5. Connect, Connect, Connect

“Enjoying close ties to friends and family, as well as participating in meaningful social activities, may help keep your mind sharp and your memories strong.”

— Dr. Gupta

Everyone knows human beings are a social species. Nevertheless, isolation and feelings of loneliness are on the rise in our hyperconnected society, the most ironic of paradoxes — and a dangerous reality.

According to research cited in Dr. Gupta’s book, loneliness has been shown to accelerate cognitive decline in older adults. If we feel disconnected from the world, our brains will shut off, sometimes forever.

Staying socially engaged, though intimidating for many, is necessary for our brains to thrive.

Where to start:

• Volunteer in your community.
• Look for programs in your community that allow you to pass along skills you have.
• Consider adopting a pet. As Dr. Gupta says, “taking care of pets can give a sense of purpose and structure to a pet owner’s day.” Not to mention the sense of companionship.
• Join a club. Mutual interests connect people.
• Reach out to a friend or family member at least once a week.

Be the Architect of Your Fate

“Moment by moment, we choose and sculpt how our ever-changing minds will work. We choose who we will be in the next moment in a very real sense.”

— Dr. Gupta

Neuroplasticity is our body’s greatest strength, for it allows us to sharpen our brains and keep our identity from slipping through our fingers.

But it has a dark side as well.

Like a two-way street, our brains will adapt to whatever stimuli we provide, good or bad. Negative thoughts and constant worrying can make us more susceptible to depression and anxiety. Worse, bad choice after choice will inevitably take us to the point where we no longer have decision-making power.

That’s why the five pillars of brain health can drastically improve our lives. With them, we can build a resilient brain, a brain that can withstand ongoing trauma, think differently, stave off brain-related illnesses, and retain memory for as long as we live.

We hold the power to shape our brains. We are the architects of our fate.

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