From a Harvard expert: 6 “effective” daily tips to slow down aging
In a report by the American newspaper “The Washington Post,” Rudolph Tanzi, a professor of neuroscience at Harvard University, revealed 6 daily habits to “slow down aging.”
Tanzi, 67, is the engineer of what is known as the “Shield Plan,” which aims to protect brain health .
“I’m working harder, enjoying myself more, and feeling more motivated than ever before in my life,” said Tanzi, who is also the co-director of the Henry Allison-McKans Center for Brain Health at Massachusetts General Hospital.
The plan, which Tanzi says slows aging and protects brain health, is based on:
1. Sleep
Tanzi said: “When you sleep, you not only consolidate memories, but you also flush toxins from your brain. You are essentially cleaning out amyloid toxins, the sticky substance associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Every time you go into a deep sleep, it’s like a brain cleansing cycle.”
If you sleep less than 7 hours, Tanzi recommends taking a short nap in the middle of the day.
2. Stress management
The expert explained that “stress stimulates the release of cortisol,” a chemical that is “toxic to the brain.”
He warned that “the demands of modern life, such as keeping up with social media and responding to messages, are raising stress levels to unprecedented levels.”
He explained: “Many people are stressed because of the constant dialogue. Words often go around in our heads. One trick is to sit down, close your eyes, and gently try to stop words and sentences from entering your brain. Just think of pictures. I have made a point of stopping the internal dialogue as much as possible. Every hour or two, I close my eyes, and anything that comes to mind is acceptable as long as you don’t hear words.”
He pointed out that “focusing on what happened in the past or worrying about the future can be harmful.”
3. Interacting with friends
Tanzi noted that “maintaining an active social life stimulates the brain,” and mentioned that he keeps in touch with a group of his old friends via text messages, but without overdoing it.
4. Exercise
Tanzi advised regular physical activity to promote blood flow to the brain and support the growth of new neural connections, which contributes to the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease .
5. Learn new things
He said: “Learning new things creates new connections called synapses. There are tens of trillions of them, and they form a neural network that stores all your memories. What leads to cognitive decline or dementia is the deterioration of these synapses, and what you are doing here is building up your synaptic reserve.”
Tanzi recommends learning to play musical instruments, watching documentaries, reading books, listening to talk shows, and having new adventures.
6. Diet
Tanzi said: “The most important thing is to follow a diet that pleases your microbiome bacteria. When it’s in the right proportions, it calms the nerves. We used to say that what’s good for the heart is good for the brain, and it turns out that’s true.”
Tanzi follows the Mediterranean diet, which is rich in fruits, vegetables and olive oil.