How to Keep Your Brain Healthy Even as You Age

Reminiscent of a slow-burn horror movie, starting in your 30s, your brain undergoes small changes — unnoticeable at first, until those tiny changes snowball with every additional candle you blow out on your cake.

Bam. You wake up one day feeling like the ignition key (or start/stop button, if you have an EV) to your brain has mysteriously gone *poof*.

Where are your keys? Can’t find them. What’s the name of the actor in that movie who embarked on a ruthless rampage to seek revenge on the thugs who killed his puppy? Can’t remember. Time to read … but ah, can’t concentrate!

As we said, it’s like a horror movie. Terrifying. But thankfully, it’s one you could opt out of starring in; below, discover how you can help keep your brain healthy, in the game, and mentally sharp even as the years pass.

How does the brain change with age?

A few pieces of crucial background information you first need to know about the brain (we’ll keep it brief, don’t worry):

Communication: The brain contains billions of tiny cells called neurons that help relay information from one part of the brain to another and the rest of the body by sending “messages” using a form of electricity.
Energy source: As one of the most energy-consuming organs in the body, your brain meets its energetic demands through glucose, which it gets through the bloodstream from blood vessels that extend into and around the brain.

With age, the brain experiences several unwelcome changes: certain parts shrink, communication between neurons falters, and blood flow (or, in other words, energy flow) decreases.

These affect brain performance — causing frustrating signs and symptoms that you may already be all too familiar with.

Right. Did that just send shivers down your spine? While you can’t defy aging and “cling wrap” your brain so it stays at its peak, there are things you can do to support mental clarity, productivity, and critical thinking.

Keep your brain healthy with …

#1: Strong social connections

Research increasingly shows that strong social ties are crucial to your brain health.

Wondering why? Experts think there are 2 ways social interaction might help healthy brain aging:

Stimulation: As you’re talking, laughing, and engaging in activities with friends and families, you activate brain circuits, keeping them flexible. Think of them like a muscle; the more you use it, the stronger it gets.
Stress management: Stress interferes with memory and many other brain functions, including mood and attention. That’s because, during stress, the part of your brain that governs your survival instincts takes over, leaving the other parts (e.g., those responsible for higher-order tasks) with less energy and resources to get their own jobs done. Social connections appear to provide stress relief and enhance your brain’s resilience to stress.

If you have an empty social calendar, here are a few tips that’ll help you improve connectedness and keep your brain healthy:

Check in on a friend or family; ask them how they’re doing
Look for local meetup groups based around your interest areas (e.g., food, photography, running)
Consider volunteering

#2: All 5 senses

How do you make sense of what’s happening around you?

That’s right — through your 5 senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. Your eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and skin send signals to your brain, which helps you interpret and respond to the environment.

Remember the exercise analogy we mentioned?

It applies here, too; if you experience a decline in any of your senses, a particular part of your brain won’t be used as much, and it can start to wither away.

Plus, heading out may become a bother when your senses don’t function as they should (e.g., difficulty hearing friends and family). This can lead to social isolation, which, as explained earlier, compounds the problem by decreasing much-needed brain stimulation.

So, how can you keep your 5 senses healthy? A few broad tips:

Sight: Wear sunglasses, limit screen time, and keep an eye on your blood sugar levels
Hearing: Avoid exposure to loud noises, go for regular hearing checks, and use hearing aids if needed
Smell: Stay away from cleaning products and other chemicals with strong fumes
Taste: Maintain solid dental hygiene, watch your salt intake, and eat a well-balanced, nutritious diet
Touch: Maintain good skin health and always apply sunscreen to exposed areas when going out in the sun

#3: Physical activity

Exercise keeps your brain healthy by:

Promoting cardiovascular health (encourages better blood flow to your brain, which means it gets enough oxygen and nutrients for optimal functioning)
Decreasing overall levels of stress, which is bad for the brain
Supporting neuroplasticity, or your brain’s ability to form new neural connections

But … how much exercise are we talking about?

You can reference the recommendations set out by the current Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. If you feel overwhelmed by the amount of exercise you should get weekly, remember that you don’t have to go all-in right from the beginning.

You can start with small, achievable goals, such as walking daily for 10 minutes after dinner.

Once you’ve met that for a week or two, gradually increase the intensity and/or duration until you hit the recommended levels (tip: check out these endurance supplements).

Also, remember that some activity is better than none; and that every little bit counts.

#4: A healthy lifestyle

As you age, your body produces more reactive oxygen species (“free radicals”) and becomes less efficient in its antioxidant defense. A double-whammy effect that leaves your brain vulnerable to the damaging effect of oxidative stress.

Of course, unless you have a time-travel machine, you can’t undo age-related oxidative stress.

But you can minimize its ramifications by embracing healthy lifestyle habits that could positively influence your body’s oxidative balance. Examples include:

Getting 7 to 9 hours of good-quality sleep nightly
Limit consumption of ultra-processed foods and added sugars
Don’t smoke or use drugs, and only drink in moderation
Take care of your gut health
Eat plenty of vegetables and fruits that are rich in antioxidants

And speaking of antioxidants… there’s a special one you should know.

#5: Molecular hydrogen

Molecular hydrogen.

It sounds really fancy, but it’s just another term for hydrogen gas. And how does it contribute to a healthy brain?

Well, you already know about the antioxidant bit (this means molecular hydrogen stabilizes free radicals by donating its electrons), so let’s get to the exciting part.

Because of how tiny the hydrogen molecule is (it’s the smallest-sized molecule), H2 gas can cross the tightly governed blood-brain barrier and diffuse into the mitochondria to support optimal energy production right at the brain level.

Translation: molecular hydrogen helps your brain get the energy it needs to function properly for sharp thinking and memory retention.

Wondering how on earth you’re going to get molecular hydrogen?

No, you don’t have to devise a crazy contraption to “harvest” it from the air. (Just so you know, there’s only about 0.000055% H2 gas in Earth’s atmosphere; yeah, too many zeros.)

All you have to do is get Nutrionic™ H₂Energizer tablets, plop 1 into a cup of water, wait a few minutes, and there you have it: up to 10 ppm of molecular hydrogen goodness ready to power your brain (and your body).

See why our hydrogen tablets are better than the rest here; click here to shop.