Brain Health

Middle Age (Ages 40 To 64)

BRAIN ACTION: While myelin development typically has peaked by this stage, you can still continue to strengthen your brain's connectivity by constantly challenging yourself, says Dr. Chapman. You may also start experiencing the occasional memory blip, such as forgetting a neighbor's name or misplacing your keys, but this isn't necessarily a cause for concern, says Dena Dubal, MD, PhD, assistant professor of neurology at University of California, San Francisco.

"Changes now tend to be in the frontal lobe, which is responsible for executive function—focus, attention, the ability to hold a thought in the mind while doing something else," she says. This is a great time to get serious about brain health and make your brain more resilient against future deficits, says Dr. Chapman.

HEIGHTENED RISKS: All the health risks of middle age—obesity, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, onset of diabetes—can affect brain health.

Brain-Savvy Strategies

Think harder. One of the most effective ways to exercise different areas of the brain, keeping those lesser-used synapses strong, is to stretch your thinking in practical ways, says Dr. Chapman. This can mean anything from reading editorials that clash with your own political point of view and finding ways to see from the author's perspective, to watching and interpreting movie genres you aren't typically drawn to.

You may even want to take up a new language if you can use it in a meaningful context like traveling to a different country. A 2014 study published in Annals of Neurology by researchers at the University of Edinburgh found that becoming proficient in a new language in middle age had some protective effects against age-related cognitive decline, especially in reading and verbal fluency.

Take control of diabetes. Scientists have long seen a connection between type 2 diabetes, which tends to appear in the early to mid-fifties, and the onset of dementia, especially among those who have serious complications. But a large German study published in Annals of Neurology in 2013 showed that when people effectively controlled their diabetes with medication, their risk of dementia was cut in half. If you have diabetes, check in with your doctor to make sure you are on the best regimen for controlling your blood sugar.

Get serious about weight loss. A 2012 study from the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research published in Neurology found that even when obese middle-aged adults were metabolically healthy, meaning they did not suffer from high blood pressure, diabetes, or other serious health conditions, they still had increased cognitive decline over the course of 10 years. Researchers in Australia have also found a connection between increased body weight and a decreased size of the hippocampus, an area of the brain important for learning and memory. Commit to cardiovascular exercise for at least 30 minutes three times a week, and talk to your doctor about losing weight through a healthy diet or bariatric surgery, if appropriate.

Solve your sleep apnea. Around 25 million Americans have sleep apnea, a condition in which breathing stops up to dozens of times a night because of obstructed airways. A study from New York University School of Medicine published in Neurology in 2015 found that adults with sleep apnea experience cognitive decline at an earlier age than those without sleep disorders. Losing weight may resolve the problem; you can also contact a sleep specialist to discuss using an oral appliance or a continuous positive airway pressure machine, a mask that blows air through the mouth and nose to keep the airways open at night.

Reassess your workplace. A Florida State University study published in 2016 in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine found that two job-related factors can lead to cognitive decline: a lack of challenge and change in your work, and a dirty work environment. If you're coasting in your job, ask to take on more responsibilities or consider taking outside classes to learn new skills—which you can either use in your current job or to find something more stimulating—and make sure your office or workplace is cleaned regularly.

Think #seismic6 For Your Brain health