September 16, 2026
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Q: Along with my aging body, I am concerned about dementia. I have close friends who are trying to manage it with their partners and it looks very challenging. What can I be doing now to improve my brain health?
A: That is an excellent question and one that warrants attention. As a society, we are living longer so it should not come as a surprise that we are seeing an increase in various neurological (brain) disorders.
To begin, let’s talk about this mighty organ. The brain is quite small and weighs only about three pounds. Within that small brain, however, there are billions of neurons (brain cells) that are responsible for storing your memories, controlling your body’s movement, thoughts, emotional state and your personality. That is very impressive for such a small organ.
When our brain experiences damage to our neurons, it can affect any or all the brain’s functions. What’s more, if some of your neurons do get damaged or die, your brain is incapable of repairing them which makes protecting them ever so important. However, all is not lost because with patience, persistence with exercise, you can help the brain “rewire” itself to keep it functioning.
You might be wondering how our neurons can be damaged. There are several possibilities, including brain trauma (concussion), drug and alcohol use, health conditions (stroke), among others.
As with so many articles that we provide, we routinely discuss how to prevent the concern in the first place. You may also notice that the prevention methods for many ailments have many common elements. Prevention for our brain health is no exception. The following lifestyle choices have been researched and show promise for keeping our brain healthy.
Exercise
Exercise is known to improve our body’s strength and heart health, while reducing the risk of many other ailments. Exercise increases our heart rate and gets our heart pumping which delivers blood to various parts of our body, including the brain. Our brain needs a lot of blood to keep functioning properly and the stronger our cardiovascular system is, the better it can supply our brain with it.
This makes sense. If our blood supply to our brain gets compromised, it results in a stroke and depending on the severity and/or timing, the loss of brain function can be life-altering. If you know someone who has suffered a stroke, then you know how devastating it can be and the huge impact it can have on the whole family.
The more vigorous the exercise, the better the blood will get pumped into the brain, the better the protective effects will be on the brain. So, now is the time to get up and get your heart rate up. If you are not yet convinced that you should get physical exercise for your brain, read on to learn other ways exercise can help your brain health.
Exercise also helps our body manage our blood pressure and our blood-sugar levels which, in turn, are a benefit to our brain. Both high blood pressure and diabetes are major risk factors for suffering a stroke which we know is detrimental for our brain.
When we exercise, our body releases hormones (dopamine, serotonin and endorphins) that assist our mood and our body’s ability to function and relax properly. This has shown to improve cognitive function, prevent worsening of our cognition and lower the risk of dementia.
We’ve already hinted at another positive effect of exercise on the brain. It encourages neuroplasticity (the rewiring mentioned above) which allows your brain to find new pathways within itself to continue to learn and function properly, as well as improving our memory and our brain's ability to make sound decisions and function properly.
In terms of how much exercise is recommended, we should set a goal for 150 minutes each week. That is just over 20 minutes each day or 30 minutes for five days of the week. If you are hindered in your ability to exercise for that length of time, consider breaking it up into smaller amounts of time several times per day. But do be sure to work up a sweat as the harder you exercise, more blood will be pumped into your brain and the more benefit you will receive.
Stimulate your brain
Though it is good for our brain to do a daily crossword puzzle along with the many brain games on-line (Wordle, Connections, chess, etc.), it is recommended to further challenge our brain by asking it to do or learn something new. Regression is often seen when we do not challenge our brain. Some examples that push our brains are:
Cook a new and more difficult recipe for dinner. Staying with the tried-and-true is easier as you likely don’t even need to follow a recipe. Challenging your brain not only gives you variety in your diet, but it keeps your brain active.
Learn to play an instrument. Why not try your hand at playing the piano or the guitar or even a recorder? Start with just a few minutes per day so you don’t get too frustrated and give up altogether.
Learn a new language. Is there a language you wished you could be more fluent in? You don’t have to be proficient in it but tasking your brain with words and/or phrases of a new language fires up your brain muscles.
Enroll in an academic course either in the community or on-line. Maybe you always wanted to learn accounting or maybe you love history. Whatever your heart desires, find a class to enroll in and do your homework. Not only will you get joy from learning, but your brain will benefit too.
Pick up a new hobby. There is a long list of hobbies that help your brain, such as knitting, sewing, drawing, painting, gardening. Find what interests you and get to it.
Smart food choices
The saying “you are what you eat” holds true when it comes to your brain health. The MIND diet - a Mediterranean-DASH (dietary approaches to stop hypertension) Diet Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay) encourages foods that can have the greatest gains for our brain (grains, leafy greens and berries) and limiting foods that have the most negative effects on the brain (red meat, baked goods).
Following the MIND diet improves our brain health by offering it good sources of fibre, Vitamin E, folate, omega-3 fatty acids, carotenoids and flavonoids. Not only will the MIND diet be good for our brain and lower our risk of Alzheimer disease or dementia, and improve our memory, but it is also great for lowering our blood pressure.
The goal of the MIND diet is to prevent a decline in our brain health which has been proven with ongoing research. For people who strictly adhere to the MIND diet, the risk of Alzheimer disease was reduced by 53 per cent. For those who only moderately follow the MIND diet, their risk was reduced by 35 per cent.
Social skills
Stay involved or get involved in group activities. Keeping your social skills up with conversations, encourages your brain to stay active. Conversely, for those who choose to not get involved socially, there is an immense risk of cognitive decline and, thus, an increased risk of Alzheimer disease and other dementias.
As we mature, many of us notice a decline in our hearing. Though you might think it is easy enough to turn the volume up to hear the television or radio, if you live with others, that might be too loud for their ears. You may also find you cannot hear everyone in a social setting. After numerous requests to repeat what was just said or to speak louder, people stop participating in conversations or they just stop going out altogether.
There is a strong correlation between hearing loss and dementia. Many people do not have an issue correcting their vision by wearing glasses or contact lenses but many appear to have an issue wearing hearing aids to correct their hearing. If you find yourself in this situation, do your brain a favour and get your hearing checked and don’t be afraid to “listen” to the specialist's recommendation.
Sleep
If you find you are not feeling well-rested in the morning, you are likely not getting enough good quality sleep. Consistently getting less than five hours of sleep per night can double your risk of dementia. If you struggle with falling asleep, your risk of dementia is increased as well. It might be time to review your sleep hygiene practices and look for areas to improve your sleep.
Protect your head
Research continues to prove that head trauma impacts our brain health in a negative way. Decades ago, when we were young (and foolish) and did not understand the importance of protecting our head, when we did suffer a blow, we just called it “getting our bell rung” and continued on. We went downhill skiing, roller skating, ice skating, bicycling without any head protection other than a hat to keep our ears warm. Now, many of us wouldn’t consider going down a ski hill or hopping on a bike without a helmet. It just makes sense.
Consider the impact of head trauma for professional football players. It has been shown that 25 per cent of NFL players showed evidence of CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy). For those of us who are not playing for the NFL, we can protect our brain by wearing a helmet during known risky activities. There are some activities for which helmet use is on the rise, such as recreational ice skating and curling. Don’t be afraid to protect your head. Your brain will thank you later.
Drugs/alcohol consumption
It is very well-known that both drugs and alcohol use negatively impact the brain and increase the risk of falls and memory issues. Furthermore, there is no amount of usage that is considered safe for your brain. There are recommendations for alcohol use but there have not been any recommendations for drug use other than it should be avoided for those 25 years of age and younger while your brain is still developing. With respect to alcohol, it is suggested to not consume alcohol every day and limit your intake to one drink. The fewer drinks you consume, the better for your brain.
Following the above suggestions, strictly, seven days per week, 52 weeks per year, may be asking too much for any of us. However, you could try to improve your brain health by adopting these guidelines most of the time.
Stay tuned for a more-detailed discussion on the MIND diet and how you might incorporate that into your daily food habits.
For more information about this or any other health-related questions, contact the pharmacists at Gordon Pharmasave, Your Health and Wellness Destination. Also check the website at www.gordon-pharmasave.com/ and the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/GordonPharmasave/.
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