Your Brain is SHRINKING! (Here’s How to STOP It)

There are all kinds of body parts that start shrinking with age—and unless you’re talking about your waistline, none of them are good. 

But the worst of all has to be your brain. 

You can’t see it happening (like you can with, say, your muscles), but you can’t miss the effects. 

 It can start as a seemingly harmless “senior moments,” and progress to language problems, behavior changes, memory loss, and even dementia. 

Fortunately, there’s a way to ensure that your brain stays nice and plump… not matter your age. 

And you can get started today.  

Blood pressure and heart health go hand in hand, but hypertension can have devastating effects on your brain as well. 

Studies consistently show that when you have high blood pressure in middle age, you’re at an increased risk of cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s as you get older. 

Believe it or not, high blood pressure predicts Alzheimer’s disease even more than having the Alzheimer’s gene! 

You can’t choose your genes, but you CAN make lifestyle choices that impact your blood pressure. 

The reason why high blood pressure has such harmful effects on your brain is because it impacts your blood vessels. 

People who have high blood pressure have stiff, inflexible arteries. This means that with every beat of your heart, the pressure can damage the blood vessels in the brain and cause tiny microbleeds. 

Not only are these microbleeds associated with cognitive impairment, but they can also cause the death of brain tissue. 

Less brain tissue = smaller brain. 

This tissue death can also cause holes in the brain, as well as silent strokes. 

All of these assaults on the brain literally shrinks your brain, especially the area called the hippocampus, which is responsible for important functions like learning and memory. 

One study in particular that used MRIs to look at the brain found a significant association between visualized arterial disease and brain shrinkage.  

The same study also showed that folks with visual signs of arterial disease were TWICE as likely to lose brain volume. 

So while high blood pressure is obviously bad for your heart, there’s no denying its impact on your brain as well. 

Fortunately, hypertension is preventable—and if you already have it… reversible. 

Not with a drug, but with a few simple changes in your life, like taking afternoon naps, eating blueberries, and exercise.