Introduction: As women reach middle age, they often juggle family and career, only to find their memory and concentration declining. What can be done? Experts point out that for women to maintain their beauty, they need to care not only for their skin but also for their brain. Here, the editor of the iMee Health Channel introduces 6 simple tips for you to try!
Experts note that it's not just about appearance and figure that need maintenance; mature women should also learn a few tricks to restore their brain's youthful state. For women over 40, how to maintain a clear mind mainly comes down to the following tips—
Tips 1
Don't Stay Up Late
Perhaps many mature women have a history of staying up late in their youth, pulling an all-nighter to cram for an exam, and still feeling energetic and writing with speed the next day. However, time is relentless. After 40, you'll find that staying up late leads to a sluggish mind the next day, struggling to think clearly. This is because the body's sympathetic nervous system is designed to rest at night and be active during the day to support daily work. For those who stay up late, their sympathetic nervous system becomes active at night. Consequently, the next day, it fails to become fully active, resulting in daytime fatigue, a foggy head, memory loss, poor concentration, slow reactions, forgetfulness, dizziness, and headaches.
Prolonged late nights can also cause the cerebral cortex to be suppressed for too long, leading to a degree of artificial brain dysfunction, which impairs comprehension and memory. Furthermore, staying up late weakens the immune system, disrupts the body's biological rhythms, making one lazy, irritable, and prone to agitation. At the same time, poor blood circulation and delayed nutrient delivery throughout the body affect metabolism, leading to a haggard appearance and premature aging.
Tips: Maintain a regular lifestyle and try to get to bed before 11 PM.
Tips 2
Use Your Brain More
As the saying goes, "the more you use your brain, the more flexible it becomes," and there is scientific truth to this. Many clinical studies have found that among people with Alzheimer's disease, the incidence rate is significantly higher in those with lower education levels. This is because people who use their brains frequently keep their cerebral blood vessels in a relaxed state, ensuring excellent blood circulation to brain tissue, which keeps nerve cells well-nourished and prevents premature brain aging. Conversely, those who are lazy about thinking receive less information stimulation, which can lead to premature brain aging. It's like a machine: if left unused, it will rust; if kept running, it stays lubricated.
Tips: Use your brain, think more, and maintain a strong desire for knowledge.
Tips 3
Exercise More
Exercise plays a significant role in enhancing the nervous system, especially brain function. When exercising, every movement is directed by the brain, coordinating various parts of the body to work together. Regular exercise can increase the intensity, balance, and flexibility of cerebral cortex activity, thereby improving its analytical and comprehensive abilities.
Research shows that the human brain accounts for only 2% of body weight but consumes 20% of the body's oxygen. The energy for brain tissue mainly comes from the aerobic oxidation of glucose. If the brain's blood and oxygen supply is insufficient, it will enter a state of "oxygen starvation," leading to a decline in reception, comprehension, and memory, as well as interference or gaps in thought processes, an inability to concentrate, and even dizziness and eye strain. Therefore, it's crucial to meet the blood flow demands of the brain during intellectual activities. Only with an abundant blood supply can intellectual thought flow freely.
Tips: Engage in aerobic exercise, but be sure to do it in a place with fresh air. Take the opportunity to travel to the suburbs to see green mountains and clear waters and breathe in air rich in negative ions. Exercising in noisy, crowded, and polluted air until you're out of breath is better than not exercising at all.
Tips 4
Healthy Diet
The relationship between diet and the brain is also very important; a healthy diet can help the brain function better.
The saying "a well-fed brain and a full belly" implies that eating too much greasy food can accelerate brain aging. This is because as people get older, their ability to break down fats decreases. Undigested fats gradually accumulate in the blood vessels, including those in the brain, leading to arteriosclerosis, which can also make the brain sluggish. Besides eating a light diet, you should also avoid overeating at meals. When you eat, the blood vessels in the digestive tract expand, and blood is concentrated in the gastrointestinal tract, leading to a relative lack of blood and oxygen to the brain. Insufficient oxygen supply to the brain accelerates the aging of brain cells. However, this doesn't mean the less you eat the better. If energy intake is insufficient and you lack nutrients like protein, nucleic acids, acetylcholine, and lecithin, you may experience slow reactions, poor reception, and diminished thinking and memory abilities.
Tips: For women of a certain age, brain-healthy foods include seafood, lean meat, milk, eggs (rich in high-quality protein), fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts like walnuts, sesame seeds, and pumpkin seeds, and legumes. These help with concentration, improve memory, and relieve fatigue. At the same time, avoid smoking and drinking, as both can cause damage to the brain.
Tips 5
Don't Get Pregnant Frequently or Have Many Children
"Having children makes you dumb" has a certain truth from a neurologist's perspective. To ensure the fetus develops normally, the mother's body directs most of its blood and nutrients to the fetus, leading to a relatively reduced supply to the brain. This is why many mothers feel they become less intelligent after childbirth. In fact, clinical surveys have also found that mothers who have experienced frequent multiple pregnancies do indeed show a decline in memory.
Tips: Consciously implement the family planning policy. However, this doesn't mean not having children will make you smarter. Reproduction is a natural physiological process. Women who have never been pregnant are prone to endocrine disorders and have a significantly higher risk of other diseases, such as breast diseases. The brain is closely related to every organ in the body, and any illness in an organ can indirectly affect the brain. The human body needs to maintain a state of balance.
Tips 6
Family Harmony
Good interpersonal relationships can keep one in a happy mood and with clear thinking. For most mature women who have already started a family and career, a harmonious family life and smooth work, along with pleasant relationships with family and colleagues, are especially helpful in maintaining the normal and efficient operation of the brain.
Tips: It's inevitable to encounter troubles in life. When something unpleasant happens, you should find ways to vent or distract yourself, such as going for a walk in the suburbs, talking to a close friend, or watching a favorite movie. When facing difficulties, be confident; this helps to clarify your thoughts, overcome obstacles, and get through adversity.