Maintaining brain health is an essential prerequisite for a long and healthy life. Brain health refers to how well a person’s brain functions in different areas. Aspects of brain health include:
- Cognitive health – how well you think, learn and remember.
- Motor function – how well you can perform and control movements, including balance.
- Emotional functioning – how well you interpret and respond to emotions (both pleasant and unpleasant).
- Tactile function – how well you sense and respond to touch sensations such as pressure, pain and temperature.
Brain health can be affected by age-related brain changes, injuries such as stroke or traumatic brain injury, mood disorders such as depression, drug use or addiction, and diseases such as Alzheimer’s. While some factors that affect brain health cannot be changed, there are many lifestyle changes that can make a difference.
The brain is the most complex organ in the body. It regulates numerous bodily functions, interprets incoming sensory information and processes our emotions. It is also the seat of memory, intelligence and creativity. Although the brain gets plenty of exercise every day, certain activities can help improve brain function and connectivity. This, in turn, can help protect the brain from age-related degeneration.
The brain is always active, even when sleeping. However, certain activities can stimulate the brain in new ways, which can lead to improvements in memory, cognitive function, or creativity.