Ellen Coughlan (Mailonline)
Updated May 24, 2024 15:33, May 24, 2024 16:23
A neuroscientist reveals the best morning routines for optimal brain function and explains the surprising link between lack of exercise and dementia.
Dr. Wendy Suzuki, a professor of neuroscience and psychology at New York University, appeared on Dragon’s Den star Stephen Bartlett’s podcast, Diary of a CEO, to talk about brain health.
The author of best-selling books such as “Good Anxiety” and “Healthy Brain, Happy Life” revealed that research shows exercise can “protect the brain against ageing”.
She explained, “Exercise makes you feel better, it improves your memory, it improves your prefrontal cortex function, so I thought, ‘Wow, that’s amazing.'”
The professor went on to explain that his own home environment sparked his interest in the effects of exercise on the brain after his father’s cognitive abilities began to decline.
“My mother called me and said my father wasn’t feeling well. He had gotten lost on his way home from a coffee shop that he had been going to every day for 20 years,” she recalled. “The hippocampus is particularly important for spatial memory.”
The hippocampus is a complex brain structure embedded deep within the temporal lobe that plays a major role in learning and memory.
The doctor added: “As an expert on the hippocampus, I knew that this was a clear sign of dementia, probably Alzheimer’s disease.”
“After speaking with my father and, of course, consulting a neurologist, we discovered that my memory and concentration, which had seemed to be improving, had suddenly deteriorated in my father’s case.
“His cognitive loss, which turned out to be due to Alzheimer’s disease, prompted us to realise we needed to explore the power of physical activity in greater depth.”
“That’s when my research focus switched from memory function to understanding the effects of physical activity on the brain.”
Dr Wendy went on to explain that mental stimulation and exercise can change the shape of the brain and strengthen the frontal cortex.
She revealed that Professor Marian Diamond discovered brain plasticity in the late 1960s through experiments with rats, in which some of the rats were placed in boxes with no stimuli and others in boxes with toys and an exercise wheel.
Dr. Wendy explained: “She found that the outer covering of the brain of rats raised in mouse cages at Disney World was actually thicker.”
“Subsequent studies have shown that just giving rats a running wheel has much the same effect. Physical activity has all the potential to produce changes in rodent brains, and now in human brains.”
He added that while the causes of Alzheimer’s and dementia are unknown, there are ways to “protect the brain from ageing”.
She said, “The most powerful thing you can do to protect your brain from aging and neurodegenerative disease is to start walking. Why would I start with that? Because anyone can walk. You don’t have to buy new fitness clothes, just get outside and walk more.”
“The study I mentioned found that for a 65-year-old, simply walking reduces the chance of developing Alzheimer’s by 30 percent.”
Elsewhere, neuroscientists recommend their own morning routines for optimal brain function…
1. 45 minutes of meditation
She said: “Every morning I wake up and meditate for about 45 minutes while drinking tea. this is This meditation involves brewing and drinking tea, and it is the result of years of yo-yo meditation.
“I knew meditation was good for me, but I found it hard to concentrate. So a monk invited me for tea and introduced me to this technique, and we meditated quietly in a beautiful outdoor location.”
“The ritual Brewing, Drinking, soaking, and starting again has helped me feel like I’m in the flow.”
2. 30-minute workout
She said: “I try to do cardio, sometimes I do yoga, sometimes I just do range of motion exercises.”
3. Hot and cold contrast shower
She said: “Hot and cold showers are really beneficial for my brain health because they give me an adrenaline rush that energises me. I love having this feeling at the start of my day.”
She completes her morning routine, has breakfast and heads to work feeling refreshed.
