When we talk about feeling younger, we oftentimes view it through the lens of physical health. We wish that our knees felt stronger or our hips weren’t sore after sitting on the couch for a while. However, it’s not just our joints and ligaments that feel the effects of aging. Our brains also show signs of aging, and perhaps you’d like to turn back the clock a few years and have an improved memory or be able to concentrate better.
According to researchers, you may be able to make your brain feel younger by regularly pursuing some healthy habits. In today’s blog, we explore some of the factors that are associated with improved brain health.
Feeling Younger In Your Mind
To get a better understanding of brain aging and health, researchers tracked 128 adults in midlife or older adulthood, most of whom had musculoskeletal pain related to or at risk for knee osteoarthritis. Over the course of two years, researchers used MRI scans processed through a machine learning model to estimate a participant’s “brain age” and compared it to their chronological age. The difference between the perceived brain age and the actual brain age offered a measurable data point for whole brain health.
Participants also self-reported certain lifestyle habits or issues they faced during their daily life. Some of these habits were considered hardships, while others were classified as protective benefits. Research showed that having more self-reported hardships in your life was associated with brains that appeared older, but these associations decreased over time. More interestingly, researchers founds that self-reported protective habits showed a stronger and longer lasting positive association.
The protective health habits studied included:
- Regular restorative sleep
- Health body weight
- Avoiding tobacco
- Effective stress management
- Supportive relationships
- Optimistic
Conversely, some of the detrimental health habits researchers tracked were:
- Chronic pain
- Lower income
- Limited education
- Social disadvantages
According to researchers, participants with the highest number of protective health factors began the study with brains that looked eight years younger than their actual age, and their brain aging continued to progress more slowly over the course of the two-year follow-up.
“The message is consistent across our studies, health promoting behaviors are not only associated with lower pain and better physical functioning, they appear to actually bolster health in an additive fashion at a meaningful level,” said Kimberly Sibille, Ph.D., an associate professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at UF and senior author of the report.
Perhaps best of all, many of the positive health factors are controllable. You can focus on improving your sleep, you can avoid tobacco products, you can try to build your social circle and become a more optimistic person. Your brain health is in your hands. You can actually help your brain feel younger by pursuing healthy habits, so be mindful of the habits you choose to pursue!
For more information about this study, or for assistance managing a foot or ankle condition, reach out to Dr. Silverman by clicking here.