Vibra Hospital of Richmond LLC recently issued the following announcement.
We all wish to live a long and happy life. To do so, we have to prioritize our health, especially our brain. The brain sits at the core of our ideal well-being as it determines all aspects of our health. Adjusting our lifestyles will benefit us in the long run, allowing our brains to match our longer life spans.
There are many ways to measure and look at brain health. At its core, the brain requires a certain level of blood flow to reach peak performance. Without it, you will begin to experience cognitive decline, atherosclerosis, and stroke. This decline can start at a young age, so it is important to incorporate lifestyle changes early on to support a healthy brain.
Poor Brain Health
According to the American Heart Association, three out of five Americans will develop a brain disease in their lifetime. Failing brain health is a public health epidemic that isn’t reserved just for the elderly. Some conditions like cognitive decline, also known as dementia, can start as early as age 20. Taking steps toward a healthy day-to-day routine can be life-changing.
Tips for a Healthy Brain
When evaluating changes to implement in your life, remember, if it’s good for the heart, it’s good for the head. This includes core areas like exercise, a healthy diet, and sleep.
Julia Cowan, CEO at Vibra Rehabilitation Hospital of Denver explains, “You want to exercise at least three times a week or try to work in a small amount of movement every day.” Exercise improves blood flow and memory while stimulating chemical changes in the brain. These changes enhance learning, mood, and thinking.
Sleep is critical to the overall well-being of our immune system and brain health. The goal is to get eight hours of quality sleep per day. Getting this amount of proper sleep may reduce buildup in the brain. The buildup consists of an abnormal protein called beta-amyloid plaque, which is associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
“You are what you eat.” This saying holds true, especially for brain health. As our age goes up, so do our stress levels, resulting in oxidation in our brains. This process damages brain cells, leaving us more susceptible to conditions like Alzheimer’s disease. Food rich in antioxidants, like different kinds of berries, can help fend off the harmful effects of oxidation in the brain. Other food, including oily fish, like salmon or sardines, contain high levels of Omega-3’s that support a healthy brain.
At Vibra Healthcare, we treat many patients that have suffered a traumatic brain injury from a fall to a car accident. They come to us needing a multidisciplinary approach with clinicians that specialize in brain injury neurorehabilitation. Julia states, “We have physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech-language pathologists. Our physiatrists are physicians who specialize in rehabilitation medicine, and of course, we have an excellent nursing team. We help people recover from brain injuries and get them on the path to regaining their life back.”
Original source can be found here.
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