3 Resolutions for Better Brain Health

You have the experience and wisdom from years of making resolutions. Now it’s time to start and keep goals related to your health.

It’s even more important to take steps to protect your brain around menopause. Here’s why menopause matters for dementia risk—and what you can do to keep your brain health on the right track.

Menopause & Brain Health

Alzheimer’s disease disproportionately affects more women compared to men. Women comprise two-thirds of people living with Alzheimer’s disease, regardless of age and ethnicity. While previously thought to be a disease of old age, the early stages of Alzheimer’s actually start in middle age. Recently, researchers have implicated the menopause transition as a potential contributor.

In a 2017 study, researchers analyzed the brain activity of 42 healthy 40 to 60-year-old women. Those in perimenopause were beginning to show changes in brain metabolism associated with Alzheimer’s. Those in postmenopause showed the beginning of brain plaques. While small amounts of brain plaques do not always indicate that the disease is present, they do increase the probability of Alzheimer’s developing in the future.

Fortunately, studies show that there are a few key lifestyle changes that women can implement to reduce their risk of developing Alzheimer’s risk factors in midlife. Think of it as your window of opportunity to make changes to offset cognitive decline.

Adopting a few small lifestyle changes now will pay off not only in helping to banish your midlife brain fog but also lower your risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. While there are many ways to boost brain health, try these three resolutions for the most benefits.

Resolution #1: Manage Your Stress

Stress is an unavoidable part of daily life. Midlife can be an especially challenging combination of stresses from caring for aging parents, teenage children, career transitions, and changing physical health.

Add hormonal fluctuations to the mix, and the situation can become almost overwhelming. Depression, anxiety, and irritability are common during menopause.

Our bodies are meant to respond to short-term stresses, but chronic and unmanaged stress can negatively affect brain health. Using positive coping strategies and mindfulness-based techniques helps improve mental health and cognitive function in midlife.

Mindfulness to Manage Stress

Mindfulness practices and other stress management techniques allow people to better identify and respond to thoughts, sensations, and feelings.

A 2018 study measured the effect of mindfulness-based therapies such as yoga, sitting and walking meditation and body scans on the experiences of women around menopause. Those who used mindfulness practices experienced less depression and stress than those who didn’t.

While stress management is not the magic bullet to resolving all menopause symptoms, it can help you feel more positive and in control as you navigate your day-to-day. Instead of feeling hopeless or frustrated when hot flashes occurred, women who managed stress were able to tolerate symptoms without having them negatively impact their daily lives.

By learning how to deal with stress, women can better cope with the menopausal transition and improve their mental wellbeing.

Resolution #2: Improve Your Diet

Diet affects the brain through multiple pathways. Your nutrition can help prevent cognitive decline by keeping your brain’s blood vessels and tissues healthy.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Studies show that diets high in omega-3 fatty acids, particularly docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), decrease dementia risk by as much as 50%. Lower levels of Alzheimer’s-associated protein tangles are found in the blood of individuals who consume higher amounts of omega-3 fatty acids.

Get your daily omega-3s by consuming low mercury-containing fish like wild salmon, scallops, and sardines at least three times a week. For those who aren’t fond of fish, omega-3 fatty acids are present in avocados, nuts, and flaxseeds. Walnuts contain a type of omega-3 fatty acid, alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), that has been found to increase cognitive function.

Fruits & Vegetables

A diet rich in leafy greens and fruits can slow cognitive decline. Vegetables with vibrant green leaves such as kale, collards, and spinach are high in lutein, Vitamin K, and folate—all nutrients required for excellent brain health.

Broccoli, carrots, and sweet potatoes also contain brain-healthy nutrients like beta carotene. The same pigments that give fruits their beautiful colors are also what makes them significant for brain function. Flavonoids, the pigment in berries, have been shown to boost memory.

High-Fat Diets and Vascular Diseases

Vascular symptoms such as hypertension and high cholesterol can contribute to cognitive decline. The good news is that these conditions can be prevented or treated through a healthy diet.

Vascular dementia, the second most prevalent dementia after Alzheimer’s, can occur when inadequate blood flow slowly kills cells in the brain. A diet high in fish, fruits and vegetables, and low in fatty meats can help boost cardiovascular health and preserve brain function.

Resolution #3: Get More Exercise

Studies confirm that exercise prevents cognitive decline and improves cognitive functioning. Exercise improves brain health by building new blood vessels (angiogenesis) and promoting blood flow. It can also increase verbal and spatial memory.

You don’t have to be an elite athlete to get the benefits of exercise. The amount of activity matters more than what you do, but the key is that your body is working at least moderately hard.

Both strength training and aerobic training can have dramatic positive effects on brain health, cognition and dementia risk.

A 2017 article followed older adults over an eight year period. Those who exercised moderately or vigorously for 30 minutes, three to four times per week showed a lower risk of cognitive decline.

A recent study found that strength training protected the hippocampus (a brain structure that plays a major role in learning and memory) from the shrinkage associated with Alzheimer’s. This profound discovery could make strength training a standard part of dementia risk-reduction strategies.

Participants did a total of 90 minutes of strength training over two to three sessions per week. While they strength trained for six months, the effects lasted for a year after they stopped.

A leisurely walk can be good for your mental health, but low-intensity movement will not create the healthy adaptations that you’re looking for. Pick up the pace, choose heavier weights and don’t be afraid to push yourself.

Investing in Your Brain Health

There’s no better time to start a brain health routine. While these healthy lifestyle changes can feel like a major shift, they’re the exact same principles that can keep menopause symptoms at bay and set you up for healthy aging in all of your other body systems.

Invest in your brain health today!