Bloggin Noggin

Pets are good for your health. A 12 year study looking at nearly 3.5 million people  showed that owning a dog was related to a lower risk for heart disease, stroke and heart attack.

Eat better, manage stress, exercise, spend time outside, less time on screens- there are so many small changes we can make to help us feel better and look after our brains.

Can being active really make a difference in later life to the health of your brain? How much of a difference and HOW active do your really need to be to see the benefits?

My top ten tips for a better nights sleep. I ask all my patients about sleep. It’s so important for general health and well being. Taking into account research and my own experience here are my top 10 tips for a better nights sleep.

Exercise is about more than just movement regardless of age. Having medical problems, being on medication, a lack of access to facilities or a lack of interest in exercise can all have an impact on people’s ability to exercise in later life.

Healthy Heart Happy Brain? Researchers have confirmed over recent years that looking after our heart health is important for our brain health. Avoiding high blood pressure, exercising and reducing stress are all factors that are important to reduce the risks of heart disease and it seems helps our brains too. But this week we saw some emerging research on this that suggests we are never too young to start looking after our brains A study looking at 189 people with the average age of 24 were followed for 30 years as part of a large research project  What they found that those people studied with better measurements for heart health at the beginning of the study ( such as non smokers, having a healthy weight and blood pressure ) were more likely to have better results on their tests of memory and thinking skills 30 years on.  This is a starting point for yet more research but what it does suggest that what we do and how we live in our younger years may make a difference to our brain health in later years.  Small changes do make a difference to how we feel and the health of our brains. And it seems the earlier we start making these small changes the more we we may benefit in later life.  What are some of the things that matter for heart and brain health- even in our 20’s?  Keeping active, maintaining a healthy weight, not smoking and finding ways to manage our stress- small changes really do make a difference to how we feel and our brain health, at any and every age.  https://home.bt.com/news/science-news/heart-problems-in-your-20s-may-affect-brain-health-decades-later-11364433719196 Dr Clara Russell 

Walk faster for a healthier brain. Movement and exercise are 2 of our key building blocks to Brain Health at Noggin the Brain People. Keeping active is an essential part of looking after our brains and studies have shown time and time again how exercise can help reduce our risk of heart disease and dementia. But how much exercise? And what type do we need to be doing to get the most benefits? 

We’re learning more about how important it is to look after our gut. More than just feeling the odd tummy pain, or a bit bloated, this long tube that winds from our mouth all the way though our bodies is more than just about what happens when the food goes in and the food comes out.

I always used to judge how well I’d slept initially by how well I remembered my dreams and what type of dream it was. It seems that dreams are only one part of a four stage puzzle. 

Sleep is one of the most important things we can do for our overall health and sense of wellbeing. How well we sleep plays a role in how we feel on a day to day basis as well as having an impact on our immune system & our ability to fight simple illnesses and how we make choices especially in relation to our food choices (and it isn’t always positive).

Yet more evidence this week about the importance of fruit and vegetables in our diet- this time specifically related to risk of the most common type of stroke. 

The role of vitamin D and its importance for childrenVitamin D deficiency is now recognised as pandemic. As very few foods naturally contain vitamin D, it is recognised that the major cause of deficiency is the lack of appreciation that sun exposure in moderation is the major source of vitamin D for most of us.