Stress and anxiety levels today are three times higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Hélène Lavretsky, MD, an integrative geriatric psychiatrist at UCLA Health.
That’s the bad news. The good news is that we can increase our resilience to these emotional responses and, in turn, improve our brain health through simple daily practices.
“Our lifestyle choices – our sleep habits, our diet, our exercise, our exposure to drugs and alcohol, all of it – shape this response that rebuilds our body and how we deal with chronic stress,” said Dr. Lavretsky at “An integrated U: integrative medicine throughout life», a conference presented by the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine.
Our stress response is affected by exposure to trauma, developmental experiences, toxic exposures and genetics, she said. It also depends on lifestyle choices. These practices – like eating healthy foods regularly, managing stress, socializing, getting seven to nine hours of sleep a night, and getting physical and mental exercise – support brain health, which allows us to thrive cognitively, social, emotional and behavioral.
- Data shows that sleeping at least seven to nine hours each night “cleans out all the unnecessary toxic waste from the day before” and improves emotion regulation and cognition, Dr. Lavretsky said.
- Exercise promotes cardiovascular and cerebrovascular health and is linked to better cognitive performance and better mood regulation.
- A healthy diet, such as the plant-based Mediterranean diet, has a direct effect on cognitive and emotional states, such as depression and anxiety, Dr. Lavretsky said.
- Reducing stress and improving social support have been shown to improve brain function.
- Purposeful activities that give life meaning, like volunteering, also improve longevity and brain health.
- Joyful and fun activities lead to positive emotions.
If each of us incorporated these lifestyle practices, “it would really have a profound effect on population-wide cognitive resilience, reduce dementia and reduce health care costs,” said Dr. Lavretsky.
In addition to its effects on the brain, chronic stress produces inflammation in the body, which can lead to high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes. Lifestyle medicine can also help here, she said.
Backed by research
Dr. Lavretsky’s research at UCLA Health supports the brain-boosting and stress-reducing effects of lifestyle practices such as mindfulness, yoga, and tai chi.
Dr. Lavretsky led a study which found that mindfulness and yoga increase gray matter and functional and structural connectivity in the brain.
Another study compared yoga and memory training in women aged 50 and older with cardiovascular risk factors. Yoga has been found to be superior to memory training in preventing gray matter volume decline and, in fact, increasing gray matter volume in several areas of the brain.
A third study found that tai chi training reduced depression, decreased emotional reactivity, and improved resilience in people aged 60 and older with depression.
Such mind-body practices “can alter the biological response to stress and lead to more resilient, mental and physical outcomes,” Dr. Lavretsky said.
Virtually everyone can improve their brain health by adopting healthier habits, she said: “Brain health across the lifespan is an important target for treatment and prevention. »