The Four Questions You Should Ask Yourself About Brain Health

I don’t watch much TV, and when I do, I rarely pay attention to commercials. But a new ad caught my eye the other day: in it, a middle-aged accountant talks frankly about his passion for his work. Numbers, he says, just come naturally to him, and he feels like his brain is firing on all cylinders when he’s working at something he loves. Then, the CEO of AARP walks into the frame and announces a new website featuring quizzes, games, and other applications designed to promote the brain health of older Americans. Having spent a good portion of my career working to make brain health as well-known a term as heart health, I was thrilled to hear the phrase used on national television by such a large and reputable organization. But now that we’re finally talking about brain health, it is important that we know just what it is we are talking about. The health of our brains, like the health of our bodies, impacts our enjoyment and quality of life in many ways. When our brains are healthy we’re able to perform tasks of daily living and intellectual pursuits with ease and pleasure. We don’t feel stressed or tired and we can concentrate well. Like the gentleman in the commercial, we can enjoy how well our brains are working for us. Neuroscience discoveries are helping us to learn more about how to optimize brain recovery restoration and optimize functioning. Through our research we are learning more about how many factors—such as sleep, nutriti...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - Category: Science Source Type: news