{"id":2279,"date":"2021-11-09T01:42:43","date_gmt":"2021-11-09T01:42:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sudlatnid.com\/wp\/?p=2279"},"modified":"2021-11-09T01:48:07","modified_gmt":"2021-11-09T01:48:07","slug":"how-to-maintain-a-healthy-brain-psyche-guides","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sudlatnid.com\/?p=2279","title":{"rendered":"How to maintain a healthy brain | Psyche Guides"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"How Adopt these lifestyle changes and you will not only sharpen your mind today but also reduce your risk of dementia later on<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

by Kailas Roberts<\/p>\n

Photo by Peter Kovalev\/Tass\/Getty<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Kailas Roberts <\/a>is a psychiatrist and specialist in brain health working in private practice in Australia. He is the author of Mind Your Brain: The Essential Australian Guide to Dementia<\/em><\/a> (2021). He is also the creator of BrainScan, a soon-to-be-released phone app that helps users optimise their brain function.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Edited by Christian Jarrett<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n

Need to know <\/span><\/h2>\n
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Over the past 100 years, the average lifespan has almost doubled. At the turn of the 20th century,<\/span> in the industrialised West, you could expect to live until your 40s, on average. In the modern-day United States (and the figures are similar for other Western nations), the typical man can anticipate remaining on this Earth until he is 75. If you\u2019re a woman, you can expect a few more years.<\/p>\n

Although this is obviously a welcome development \u2013 largely brought about by improvements in healthcare and the defeat of infectious diseases \u2013 it is a double-edged sword. The body could well keep going throughout all these decades, but the brain might not; and, if you are left able-bodied but with a permanently compromised brain, then you will be in an unenviable position. Such is the concern that a recent survey<\/a> by Alzheimer\u2019s Research UK showed that, for almost half of the respondents, dementia is the condition they fear the most, rising to more than 60 per<\/span> cent among those aged over 65.<\/p>\n

I have worked in the area of brain health for almost 20 years<\/span> in my role as a psychiatrist, and one of my major areas of interest is dementia (a progressive loss of brain function due to an illness, such as Alzheimer\u2019s disease). I\u2019ve come to believe that everyone should be thinking about their brain health much earlier than the age of 65. That\u2019s because there are ways to substantially reduce your risk of dementia and cognitive impairment, and the earlier you address problematic lifestyle choices and health conditions, the more successful you are likely to be.<\/p>\n

Avoiding dementia is only one consideration, however. Of equal importance is optimising brain function throughout your lifespan \u2013 allowing this vital organ to function at its best in the many decades before dementia becomes most relevant. Doing this will help you enjoy greater productivity, happiness and life satisfaction.<\/p>\n

Ageing changes the brain, but it\u2019s not all bad news<\/strong><\/p>\n

When considering ways to optimise your brain health, it\u2019s useful to be aware of the forces acting in the opposite direction. In general, the brain fails for a number of reasons:<\/p>\n