KEEP YOUR BRAIN YOUNG
Prevention|May 2022
Are your behaviors and attitudes aging your noggin or protecting it and keeping it sharp? These signs can tell you-plus, five ways to turn back your brain's clock.
LISA MULCAHY
KEEP YOUR BRAIN YOUNG

It's a common sensation: feeling either younger or older than your age.

A person may be 42 but, during an afternoon of playing laser tag with their kids, feel as if they're 12 again. Or after a tough day of juggling meetings, supermarket slogs, and an emergency vet appointment, they may fall into bed feeling closer to 70.

When it comes to our brains, science shows that this age disconnect is an actual thing: Our brains can essentially age at a different rate than our bodies do. Depending on your health, lifestyle, and personality, you could be much younger (or older) in brain years than you realize. How can you tell whether your brain is fresh and vital or getting more senior by the second? Check out these signs, both good and bad, that can help you determine your true brain age, then read on for ways to keep your brain sharp or reverse course and make healthy changes now.

3 Signs that STAYING YOUNG

As research has shown, these signals indicate that your noggin is doing well.

You feel younger than you are

The age you feel, as opposed to your biological age, is known as your “subjective age.” And if your subjective age is lower than the number of years you've actually racked up here on Earth, that's a good thing! A study from South Korea found that people who felt younger than their ages showed fewer signs of physical brain aging as the years went by-in other words, having a youthful subjective age can positively affect the mechanism of how the brain works and how fast it ages structurally.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der May 2022-Ausgabe von Prevention.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der May 2022-Ausgabe von Prevention.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

WEITERE ARTIKEL AUS PREVENTIONAlle anzeigen
WHY AM I SICK...AGAIN?
Prevention US

WHY AM I SICK...AGAIN?

It's puzzling: It seems as if everyone's UNDER THE WEATHER MORE FREQUENTLY these days than before the pandemic. But that perception may be A COVID MIND TRICK. Here, top doctors help us piece together the truth.

time-read
6 Minuten  |
November 2024
Walk Away Pain - One of the best things you can do to ease joint and back pain and ward off future ouches is so very simple: just take it step by step.
Prevention US

Walk Away Pain - One of the best things you can do to ease joint and back pain and ward off future ouches is so very simple: just take it step by step.

Prevention's loyal readers are walking superfans, so we know you're aware of the boundless benefits of walking a regular routine keeps you fit and helps you maintain muscle strength (crucial during later-life years), and walking is fantastic for flexibility and balance. Yet here's one win from walking that you might not know as much about: It's a proven pain reducer.

time-read
4 Minuten  |
October 2024
A Solo Trip at 55 Boosted My Confidence - When I retired, a big, beautiful world opened up to me.
Prevention US

A Solo Trip at 55 Boosted My Confidence - When I retired, a big, beautiful world opened up to me.

I had never taken a solo vacation before, and when I arrived in St. Maarten two years ago, the fact that I was traveling alone really hit me. I was 55 and divorced, and very apprehensive and self-conscious: With whom would I have dinner? With whom would I sit at the bar? But I put on my big-girl pants the first night and told myself I would grab a bite to eat and then head back to my room and read a book.It didn't turn out that way. I met a fabulous group of other retired women and men, and we talked and danced and drank and laughed all night. We hung out periodically throughout the week, whether at the pool or joining one another for dinner or drinks.

time-read
2 Minuten  |
October 2024
Hormones, ADHD, and the Midlife Balancing Act -  Being in perimenopause is all kinds of challenging. Now more women are discovering that their brain fog, lack of impulse control, and constant feeling of distraction may be a clue to something else entirely.
Prevention US

Hormones, ADHD, and the Midlife Balancing Act - Being in perimenopause is all kinds of challenging. Now more women are discovering that their brain fog, lack of impulse control, and constant feeling of distraction may be a clue to something else entirely.

Being in perimenopause is all kinds of challenging. Now more women are discovering that their brain fog, lack of impulse control, and constant feeling of distraction may be a clue to something else entirely. Melanie Hutchinson had always been messy, but in 2020, as she entered her 50s, her home became overrun with clutter. A mountain of laundry overtook her bedroom and piles of paper and junk accumulated everywhere. Before Zoom meetings, she'd hurriedly throw things into laundry baskets and stash them in the basement to avoid an embarrassing background.

time-read
9 Minuten  |
October 2024
Ease Your Allergies - These holistic remedies may provide relief from seasonal symptoms.
Prevention US

Ease Your Allergies - These holistic remedies may provide relief from seasonal symptoms.

For people with seasonal allergies, sniffling and sneezing are just the tip of the drippy, itchy iceberg. And symptoms can range from mildly annoying to truly debilitating.Seasonal allergies, also known as hay fever, are allergic reactions to airborne allergens like pollen and mold spores, says Katie Marks-Cogan, M.D., an allergist at Clear Allergy in Culver City, CA. Normally harmless, certain allergens can prompt an immune response in some people, leading to itchy, watery eyes; sneezing; runny nose; congestion; coughing; and shortness of breath.

time-read
2 Minuten  |
October 2024
Mammogram Confusion, Solved! - It's the rare woman who doesn't vividly remember certain firsts
Prevention US

Mammogram Confusion, Solved! - It's the rare woman who doesn't vividly remember certain firsts

It's her first period, first bra, first use of a tampon, first kiss, and, yes, first mammogram. But for most women, the age at which they should get that first screening test has changed. Earlier this year, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) issued new breast cancer screening guidelines suggesting that women get a mammogram every two years starting at age 40.

time-read
3 Minuten  |
October 2024
5 Myths About Arthritis- Creaky joints are a pain, but some facts” about them are pretty twisted.
Prevention US

5 Myths About Arthritis- Creaky joints are a pain, but some facts” about them are pretty twisted.

Arthritis isn't the only culprit when it comes to achy joints. Infection, injury, bursitis (swelling of the fluid-filled pads that cushion the joints), and tendinitis (inflammation of the tendons that attach muscle to bone) are all reasons they might hurt, says Kirsten Ambrose, M.S., associate director of the Osteoarthritis Action Alliance at the University of North Carolina Thurston Arthritis Research Center. Joint pain is also a symptom of autoimmune diseases like lupus and Hashimoto's disease. So how can you tell if it's osteoarthritis? Get it checked. To diagnose arthritis, doctors typically rely on a patient's history (family background, injuries, and symptoms); a physical exam (looking for bony enlargements or swelling); or imaging like an X-ray or an MRI, Ambrose says. Blood test can show markers of inflammatory arthritis such as rheumatoid arthritis and gout. If it is osteoarthritis, over-the-counter pain medication, physical therapy, and general movement can ease symptoms.

time-read
3 Minuten  |
October 2024
What's Up With...Smelly Gas - You can blame it on the dog, but it happens to everyone.
Prevention US

What's Up With...Smelly Gas - You can blame it on the dog, but it happens to everyone.

The average person toots around 14 times a day-it's how your body releases the extra gas that accumulates when you swallow air and digest food, says Shilpa Ravella, M.D., author of A Silent Fire: The Story of Inflammation, Diet, and Disease. If you chew gum or smoke, you'll have even more gas buildup, she adds.

time-read
2 Minuten  |
September 2024
WHAT'S UP WITH ...EARWORMS
Prevention US

WHAT'S UP WITH ...EARWORMS

When a song gets stuck in your head, here's how to shake it off.

time-read
1 min  |
October 2024
NUTRITION for Healthy Breasts
Prevention US

NUTRITION for Healthy Breasts

YOU KNOW THAT EATING MORE CALORIES THAN YOU BURN can cause your body to accumulate fat.

time-read
3 Minuten  |
October 2024