July 25, 2025: Lifelong learning & links between weight and blood flow

Welcome to this week’s edition of Boost Brain Health, sharing two healthy habits and one lesson.  

Two Brain Health Habits

Make life-long learning a priority. As we learn new things, we increase connectivity within our brain. The biggest rate of brain growth is when we are young, up to the age of five. After that, our brain health is boosted by expanding the connections between nerve cells.

Keep weight under control. A surprising connection has been found between weight and blood flow to the brain. If we’re overweight, blood flow decreases to the brain and we age faster.

One Lesson

More data on the importance of sleep. A new study has added more detail as to how a lack of sleep increases the risk for Alzheimer’s, particularly among middle-aged and older adults.

The study found that a lack of slow wave sleep, also known as deep sleep, is associated with shrinkage of regions of the brain involved with memory.

You can read the results in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.

One Quote

“When we long for life without difficulties, remind us that oaks grow strong in contrary winds and diamonds are made under pressure.”

Peter Marshall