Video: 10 ways to keep your brain young By Mayo Clinic Staff Share Facebook Twitter Print details You may not be able to ward off wrinkles as you age, but science has discovered ways to help keep your brain flexible for years to come. Take a look at 10 actions you can take starting today to improve mental sharpness, decrease your risk of cognitive problems and even reduce your risk of memory loss. You may even find some surprises in this list. (Hint: What's good for your body is good for your brain, too.) Show transcript 10 ways to keep your brain young Socialize more. In one large study, memory declined at half the rate for adults with the most social involvement. Keep moving. Physical activity boosts neuroplasticity — your brain's ability to think, remember and adapt. Take a class. New knowledge and experiences may lower your risk for memory loss. Online classes work! Eat plants. People who eat more fruits, vegetables and healthy fats like olive oil stay sharp longer. Love your pillow. Not getting enough sleep can result in problems with memory and thinking. Train your brain. Puzzles, games and even online brain challenges can improve mental sharpness. Ditch the smokes. Smoking increases the risk of cognitive problems. Quit now and your risk goes down day one. Manage stress. Relax more often to ward off conditions like depression that drain mental function. Protect your head. Concussions early in life can increase the risk of cognitive problems later on. Keep blood pressure in check. What's bad for your heart is also bad for your brain. Guidance from the physicians, nurses, researchers and patient education specialists in the Mayo Clinic Departments of Neurology and Neurosurgery.Get more healthy action tips delivered daily when you download the Mayo Clinic App. Show references 10 ways to love your brain. Alzheimer's Association. https://www.alz.org/brain-health/10_ways-to-love-your-brain.asp. Accessed October 10, 2016. De Beaumont L, et al. Brain function decline in healthy retired athletes who sustained their last sports concussion in early adulthood. Brain. 2009; 132:695. Power MC, et al. Blood pressure and cognition. Epidemiology. 2013; 24:886. Preventing Alzheimer's disease: What do we know? National Institutes of Health; National Institute on Aging. https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/preventing-alzheimers-disease-what-do-we-know. Accessed April 12, 2022. Ertel KA, et al. Effects of social integration on preserving memory function in a nationally representative US elderly population. American Journal of Public Health. 2008; 98:1215. Roder B, et al. Beneficial effects of physical exercise on neuroplasticity and cognition. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews. 2013;37:2243. Smith GE, et al. A cognitive training program based on principles of brain plasticity: Results from the Improvement in Memory with Plasticity-based Adaptive Cognitive Training (IMPACT) Study. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. 2009;57:594. Press D, et al. Prevention of dementia. UptoDate. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/prevention-of-dementia. Accessed Nov. 3, 2016. VID-20305619