Control your blood pressure

Having a healthy blood pressure level is one of the most important things you can do for brain health. High blood pressure is a common condition and there may be no symptoms, so it’s important to get checked. Over time, high blood pressure damages blood vessels, which can affect blood flow to the brain.

Physical activity, healthy eating and good quality sleep can improve blood pressure. And, if needed, you can talk with a health care provider about medications that can be effective at controlling blood pressure.

Know your numbers: According to the National Institutes of Health, normal blood pressure is less than 130/80. The top number is called systolic, and the bottom number is diastolic. Get regular blood pressure screenings and work with a health care provider to control your blood pressure as needed.

Manage diabetes

Regular blood sugar screenings can help you track your risk of pre-diabetes and diabetes. High blood sugar can harm the brain directly, and diabetes also raises the risk of heart disease and stroke, which damage the heart and blood vessels that the brain depend on to stay healthy.

Talk with a health care provider and get regular diabetes screenings to know your blood sugar levels. Health care providers can identify pre-diabetes and diabetes by looking at blood work.

For both preventing and controlling diabetes, healthy habits such as healthy eating and exercise can be effective as well as some medications. These are things that are good for blood pressure, too.

Maintain a healthy weight

Weight is complex and can sometimes be associated with factors outside a person’s control. Midlife obesity increases risk for cognitive decline and possibly dementia. So, maintaining a healthy weight earlier in life and throughout adulthood is important.

Talk with a health care provider about what weight is healthy for you. In addition to making healthy changes, there are new medications that may be appropriate for some individuals to help maintain a healthy weight.

Be smoke free

Cigarette smoking poses a risk to brain health because it shrinks the part of your brain that deals with memory and thinking, reduces blood flow to the brain, and increases risk of stroke.

There are many health benefits when you quit smoking, including benefits for your brain. For people who quit smoking, the risk of dementia decreases over time, back to a similar risk level as non-smokers.

There are resources to support people trying to quit smoking. 1-800-QUIT-NOW is a national hotline managed by the National Cancer Institute in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. You can also talk to a health care provider for local resources to support quitting efforts.

The long-term effects of e-cigarettes and vaping on the brain and heart are not yet known. Short-term nicotine use, including e-cigarettes, increases heart rate and blood pressure, which may have long-term consequences.

More ways to protect brain health

• Other habits that can support these areas of health, like eating a brain-healthy diet and getting physical exercise, can also protect brain health.
• Learn more about other 10 Healthy Habits for Your Brain.
• Take the (re)think your brain 6-Step Challenge.