A neuroscientist has revealed the best morning routine for optimal brain function and explained the surprising link between lack of exercise and dementia.
Dr. Wendy Suzuki, a professor of neural science and psychology at New York University, appeared on Dragons’ Den star Steven Bartlett’s The Diary of a CEO podcast to talk about brain health.
Happy Life, author of books such as Good Anxiety and Healthy Brain, revealed that studies have shown that exercise can “protect the brain from aging.”
She explained: “Exercise can improve your mood, it improves your memory and it improves the function of your prefrontal cortex and I thought ‘wow, that’s amazing.’
The professor went on to explain how her own family situation increased her interest in how exercise affects the brain, after her father’s cognition began to decline.
Dr. Wendy Suzuki, Professor of Neural Sciences and Psychology at New York University, revealed the best morning routine for optimal brain function.
She recalled: “I got a call from my mother to tell me that my father was not feeling well, that he had gotten lost driving home from the coffee shop he had gone to every day for the last 20 years and that the hippocampus is particularly important for spatial function”. memory.’
The hippocampus is a complex brain structure embedded deep in the temporal lobe. It plays an important role in learning and memory.
The doctor added: “As an expert on the hippocampus, I knew it was a telltale sign of dementia and perhaps Alzheimer’s dementia.”
‘While I was talking to my father and of course we went to get him a neurology appointment, I saw that everything that seemed to be improving in me, namely memory and concentration, decreased very, very suddenly in him.
‘The loss of his cognitive functions, which turned out to be Alzheimer’s dementia, made me think that the power of physical activity needed to be explored further.
“That made me shift the focus of my research from memory function to understanding the effects of physical activity on the brain.”
Dr. Wendy went on to explain that brains can change shape and the frontal cortex can be strengthened through mental stimulation and exercise.
He revealed that Professor Marian Diamond discovered brain plasticity in the late 1960s experimenting with rats, placing some of the rodents in a box without stimulation and others in a box with toys and an exercise wheel.
Dr. Wendy explained, “She found that in the brains of rats raised in rat cages at Disney World, the outer covering of the brain was actually thicker.”
Dr Wendy appeared on Dragons’ Den star Steven Bartlett’s (pictured) podcast The Diary of a CEO to talk about brain health.
“Later studies showed that you get almost identical effects by simply giving rats a running wheel. Physical activity does everything that has the potential to change the rodent brain and now the human brain as well.”
The professor added that although the cause of Alzheimer’s and dementia is not known, there are ways for people to “protect their brain from aging.”
She said: “My most powerful tool you can use to protect your brain from aging and neurodegenerative diseases is to start walking.” Why do I start with that? Since everyone can walk, there is no need to buy any new sports outfits, just get out and walk more.
‘According to that study I mentioned, in people aged 65 there is a 30 percent reduction in the probability of getting Alzheimer’s just by walking.’
Elsewhere, the neuroscientist recommended her own morning routine for optimal brain function…
1. 45 minute meditation
She said: ‘Every morning I like to wake up and start with a tea meditation of about 45 minutes. which is a meditation on how to make and drink tea and this is after many years of yo-yo meditation.
‘I knew meditation was good, but I couldn’t really get into it and a monk introduced me to this form of meditation and invited me to tea, and we just did this silent meditation outdoors in a beautiful place.
‘The ritual brewing, Drinking, soaking and starting again kept me in the flow.
2. 30 minute workout
She said: “I try to do strength cardio, sometimes I do yoga, sometimes I just do mobility.”
3. Hot and cold contrast shower
She said: “A hot and cold contrast shower is also a very helpful thing for my brain health because it really gives me that adrenaline boost that gives me energy and I love that feeling at the start of the day.”
After your morning routine, you have breakfast and get to work with a clearer mind.
WHAT IS DEMENTIA?
Dementia is a general term used to describe a variety of neurological disorders.
A GLOBAL CONCERN
Dementia is a general term used to describe a variety of progressive neurological disorders (those affecting the brain) that affect memory, thinking and behavior.
There are many types of dementia, of which Alzheimer’s disease is the most common.
Some people may have a combination of different types of dementia.
Regardless of which type is diagnosed, each person will experience dementia in their own way.
Dementia is a global concern, but is seen more frequently in wealthier countries, where people are likely to live to a very old age.
HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE AFFECTED?
The Alzheimer’s Society reports that there are currently more than 900,000 people living with dementia in the UK. This number is expected to increase to 1.6 million by 2040.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia, affecting between 50 and 75 percent of those diagnosed.
In the United States, there are an estimated 5.5 million Alzheimer’s patients. A similar percentage increase is expected in the coming years.
As a person’s age increases, the risk of developing dementia also increases.
Diagnosis rates are improving, but it is believed that many people with dementia are still undiagnosed.
IS THERE A CURE?
There is currently no cure for dementia.
But new medications can slow its progression and the earlier it is detected, the more effective the treatments can be.
Source: Alzheimer’s Society