Get Plenty of Sleep
One of the best things you can do for your brain is to give it proper rest. Dr. Milstein says sleep is a time when you clean your brain, when you wash it out and remove those toxins and waste. Some theories state that sleep also helps consolidates memories, which boosts your overall memory and brain health. In our 30s and 40s, sleep quality can diminish based upon responsibilities and some physiological changes too. Aim for at least seven consecutive hours of sleep per night, not fragmented sleep of two- or three-hour increments. Consecutive sleep gives your brain the time it needs to consolidate and store your memories effectively.
Listen to Music
Johns Hopkins researchers found that there are few things that stimulate the brain the way music does. If you want to keep your brain engaged throughout the aging process, listening to or playing music is a great tool. It provides a total brain workout. They say you should listen to both old, familiar music (which brings back memories and feelings) and new music from different genres (which triggers creativity and inspiration). It might not feel pleasurable at first, but that unfamiliarity forces the brain to struggle to understand the new sound.
Challenge Yourself
You always want to be learning new things. Remember how curious you were as a kid? That was really important. But in our 30s and 40s, we often get stuck. It’s easy to get focused on our career or other things, but suddenly, there’s not a lot of newness in our lives. You might be getting more and more skilled at a certain set of skills—for your job, say. And that’s good, too. But Dr. Milstein says doing things outside of your comfort zone that are new and challenging is really important, because that builds new connections in the brain. Every time you learn something new, you make a connection.
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