Many have long suspected that the pandemic had long-lasting consequences for our cognitive health. And indeed, research has shown that specific, at-risk groups could have been negatively impacted by the pandemic: people who contracted COVID may exhibit declines in cognitive health, reflected in slower processing speed, and last year, researchers reported that the pandemic led to accelerated brain aging among teenagers.
Now, a new research study suggests that everyone was at risk of premature brain aging during the pandemic, no matter what age they were, and whether they had COVID or not. Research from the University of Nottingham published in Nature Communications found that our brains suffered on average a 5.5-month acceleration in aging during the pandemic, and that people’s brains showed signs of aging, including shrinkage. The cause of the premature aging is not fully known, but the working assumption is that psychological stress, social isolation, disruptions in daily life, and reduced activity and wellness during the pandemic all contributed to this result.
What is done is done, but there are fortunately many things you can do to keep your brain healthy moving forward. Invest in all the things that are good for your cognitive health:
Get good sleep, try to get as close to seven to eight hours of consecutive sleep as possible
Eat a healthy diet, emphasizing plant-based foods, whole grains, fish and healthy fats – and try to cut back on red meat and salt
Stay socially connected, through work, volunteering, in-person classes, or just helping out with family and neighbors
And stay physically active with regular exercise, trying to get as close to 150 minutes a week of activity as possible
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