Brain Fog, Senior Moments, Brain Farts…How Healthy Is Your Brain?
How is your overall brain health? Generally, you know how many brain glitches you have each day. Seasoned citizens call them “senior moments.” Younger generations may call these occurrences “brain farts.” Others refer to these instances as “brain fog.” No matter what you call these brain glitches, they can happen to anyone. In fact, a new study ranks Nevada as having the seventh worst brain health in the nation. Ouch!
The Best And Worst States For Overall Brain Health
It appears that the folks who live in New England states have the best brain health in the country. Vermont tops the list, with states such as New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Maine ranking in the top 10. That’s according to an article by Michael A. Smith, M.D., on LifeExtension.com. Other states in the top 10 include Oregon, Colorado, Minnesota, Utah, and Washington. The nation’s capital, Washington D.C., also lands in the top 10, although it is not a state.
So, if Nevada is the seventh worst state for brain health, which states rank lower? Per the LifeExtension.com findings, Louisiana residents have the worst overall brain health. Altogether, southeastern states fared poorly in this survey. Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, West Virginia, and Oklahoma all landed in the bottom six.
Here’s How The Rankings Were Determined
Smith’s article states that “Life Extension analyzed seven metrics to determine the states with the best brain health habits.” Furthermore, they utilized “data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Survey of Children’s Health, and Google Trends.”
Per Smith’s article, the first metric under consideration in this study is “frequency of exercise.” Second, “consumption of fruits and vegetables.” Third, number of “hours slept per night.” Fourth, “interest in meditation.” Fifth, the amount of “pleasure reading” adults do. Likewise, the number of “children age 5 and under who are read to every night.” Finally, Life Extension also takes into account “breastfeeding data.”
Tips For Improving Your Overall Brain Health
Basically, from the metrics used in this study, you can tell which activities are important for overall brain health. Obviously, exercise, good nutrition, and an adequate amount of sleep is very important. In fact, Smith’s article points out that the Mediterranean Diet is best for boosting your brain power as you age. Moreover, if you don’t enjoy eating fatty fish like salmon, he recommends adding Omega-3 supplements to your diet.
Besides sleep, nutrition, and exercise, Smith recommends exercising your brain. For example, you can learn how to play an instrument. Or learn a new language. Not to mention, it’s a good idea to keep reading. As a matter of fact, you can scroll down and “keep reading” more content you may enjoy.
