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The impact of brain health on our finances is a follow up to my February 5 Setting Financial Goals: Your Path To Financial Freedom post in which I use the analogy of physical exercise challenges when it comes to setting objectives and goals. Shortly after composing that post I stumbled upon a presentation entitled Help Your Clients Age-Proof Their Brains on Hartford Funds website. In this presentation, Dr. Marc Milstein, a neuroscience researcher, discusses:
- Why someone’s brain might be younger (or older) than their actual age
- How brain health impacts lifestyle and finances
- Simple lifestyle changes to help prevent cognitive decline
Coincidentally, my February 5 post touches upon my observations over the last several years of having visited various family members in retirement homes or long-term care facilities.
I am not a neuroscience researcher but much of what Dr. Milstein discusses is pretty much common sense.
Age Versus Brain Age
Some people lead a sedentary lifestyle because of a debilitating physical or mental ailment(s). In such cases, it is perfectly understandable that they may be limited in what they can accomplish. However, I see people in various age groups who lead a sedentary lifestyle. Generally people with this type of lifestyle are of an age that differs from their brain age.
Dr. Milstein states that the buildup of 'brain trash' and toxins is one of the things that make a brain age prematurely. Our brain collects residual waste from chemical reactions, environmental toxins, old, damaged cells, and that are no longer needed. The average 3 pound brain makes ~5 pounds of trash a year. This trash is normally recycled or flushed out, but if not, the build up of trash can diminish focus, result in the loss of productivity, and a lead to a drastic reduction in overall energy.
The Financial Cost of an Unhealthy Brain
Dr. Milstein's presentation is based on US statistics, and therefore, the data presented may differ from your country of residence. Nevertheless, the cost of a population with an unhealthy brain is significant.
Sometimes the burden (financial and otherwsise) of caring for someone with an unhealthy brain falls upon family members. Unless these family members take care of themselves, they could also end up with an unhealthy brain.
Age-Proofing Your Brain
A quality, deep, restorative sleep is crucial to our brain health.
There are 3 stages of sleep that make up a 90-minute cycle. Each cycle creates various levels of brain electricity:
- Light sleep: Electrical activity is similar to the amount when we are awake;
- Deep sleep: Very low electrical activity relative to light and Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep; and
- REM sleep: A higher level of electrical activity than when we are awake
Most people need 7 - 9 hours of sleep for optimal brain health. The number of hours, however, will differ and be specific to you.
Dr. Milstein indicates that a rare group of people called 'short sleepers' can function at high physical and mental levels on significantly less sleep. This group, however, likely accounts for less than 1% of the population.
Some people who think they are short sleepers are actually sleep deprived. This makes them vulnerable to all the issues that come with lack of sleep.
On the other hand, there are people who regularly require more than 9 hours of sleep. Excess sleep can be a sign of conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and depression, and can raise the risk of memory issues, back and neck pain, and obesity. If you sleep more than 9 hours a night, Dr. Milstein suggests a medical evaluation.
Action Steps To Improve Your Sleep
The following are 3 easy to implement strategies to improve sleep and keep our brain young and our immune system strong.
- Sleep in true darkness. Rid yourself of the cell phones, nightlights, televisions, and computers in your bedroom.
- A cool room (~68F or 20C) will help us fall asleep. This is because during the first 20 - 30 minutes of the first phase of the sleep cycle, our brain lowers our core body temperature to transition from light sleep to deep sleep.
- Rise and Shine (EARLY). We can prepare for a good night’s sleep by getting natural light first thing in the morning to set our brain clock. Be active. Don't go straight to your cell phone or television.
What Are You Eating!?
I see what other people have in their shopping carts and what the cashier is ringing in. A TON of what people eat is not fit for human consumption. Clearly, people don't read the list of ingredients in the stuff they buy. I see shopping carts full of processed foods and no fruits and vegetables.
Our gut is somewhat like a 2nd brain. It contains 500-million brain cells that communicate with our brain. This communication is called our gut-brain axis.
What happens in the gut impacts our mood, memory, and how we age. Our food consumption can also calm or increase inflammation, help us lose or make us gain weight, and even improve our brain function.
Dr. Milstein states that research points to a Mediterranean-type diet as being optimal for brain health. This diet is filled with fruits and vegetables, beans, nuts, and whole grains, and features fish,
seafood, and healthy fats such as olive oil. Medical studies show that the Mediterranean diet lowers the risk of Alzheimer’s disease even in those with a genetic risk factor for the disease.
Stress
Some stress is beneficial because it focuses the brain and can even slow down brain aging. We must, however, find the optimal amount of stress to keep our brains and immune systems running.
Dr. Milstein references a study that found that stress and unhappiness can be caused by a wandering mind. I witness this when I visit elderly people in a retirement residence. They have nothing to do so their mind wanders and they worry about:
- worrying;
- the kids;
- the grandchildren;
- stuff that happened years ago; and
- whatever comes to mind.
Practice mindfulness techniques to overcome constant worry.
- Many mindfulness exercises often involve breathing. The internet has a wealth of information of how to modify your breathing to practice mindfulness.
- Change Your Perspective. Dr. Milstein provides the example where you are standing in the '10 items or less' lane at the grocery store and the person in front of you has 30 items. He suggests we silently thank them and shift our perspective.
- Dr. Milstein uses the Rose, Thorn, and Bud analogy. Think of the best thing that happened in the last 24 hours. This is your rose. Next, think of the most challenging part of the previous 24 hours. This is your thorn. Finally, think of something specific you are looking forward to in the next 24 hours. This is your bud.
Exercise
A study at Cardiff University in the UK found that simply walking 30 minutes a day (and not even consecutively) lowers the risk of dementia by ~65%. There are 1440 minutes in a day. Everyone should be able to find 30 minutes!
Another study asked 50-year-old women to use an exercise bike, then placed them in 4 categories based on endurance. The categories ranged from “high physical fitness” to “could not finish
the fitness test.” Forty years later the researchers found:
- 5% of the women in the high physical fitness category developed dementia;
- 25% of the women in the moderate and low fitness categories developed dementia; and
- 45% of the women who couldn’t finish the fitness test developed dementia.
I suspect the statistics for men would be similar.
A study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease investigated two groups of adults age 60+. For a year, the group did aerobic exercises while the other group just stretched. Afterward, the aerobic exercise group showed a ~47% average increase in memory scores while the stretching group saw no memory improvement.
Fortunately, even small changes can make a big difference. A study found that people ages 19 - 79 who consistently took the stairs had a younger-looking brain.
According to research, it can take anywhere from 18 to 254 days for a new behavior to become a habit. The average person needs around 66 days of consistent repetition to solidify a new habit into their routine. Given this, many people may find it difficult for exercise to become part of a daily routine.
To make exercise a habit, think of the CARS acronym (Cue, Action, Reward, Support).
- Cue: Setup visual reminders. Place your walking shoes where you can’t miss them. This will remind you to take your daily walk.
- Start small: It is best to start small and build when it comes to exercise. You don't want to pull muscles you forgot (or never knew) you have.
- Reward: Do something you enjoy. Exercise must be fun and rewarding or it is unlikely to become habit forming.
- Support: Find someone (or a few people) with whom you can workout.
Take Out The Trash
Learning new information plays a significant part in disposing of brain trash via a 'power wash'.
One of the body's most effective brain cleansers is norepinephrine. This is a hormone and neurotransmitter that regulates:
- heart rate;
- attention;
- memory; and
- cognition.
Our brain squirts norepinephrine from a brain structure called the locus coeruleus when we learn something new. This breaks up the waste and trash in our brain so it can be excreted when we sleep.
Learning helps produce new myelin. This is a coating around our brain cells that makes the electrical signals travel faster. Myelin is like insulation around an electrical wire. The thicker the myelin coating, the more easily we can learn new things.
Learning something new is good for our brain. To get a real good spray of norepinephrine, however, we must embrace challenge and the frustration of learning something new.
Approach learning as follows:
- Cross-train your brain by mixing mental and physical learning activities. Do not do the same things repeatedly.
- Try the Pomodoro time-management technique that was developed in the late 1980s. Begin by eliminating ALL distractions. Set a timer for 20 minutes and focus on just one important task. Commit to 20 minutes (at the very least) of distraction-free work. Take a 5 minute break to distract your brain so as to reengage focus. Repeat this process as often as required to accomplish what you want to accomplish. If 20 minutes is too difficult then start with 10 minutes and progress to 20 minutes over time.
- Place your phone, computer, or tablet out of sight so it is out of mind.
Final Thoughts
The impact of brain health on our finances is wide ranging. An unhealthy brain can lead to long-term health issues that may well lead to a drain on our finances. The cost of living in a retirement residence or long-term care facility can be very expensive!
A healthy brain starts by doing the right things at an early age. Start now if you did not start at an early age! Gradually increase your level of physical activity, however, if you are just starting so as not to injure yourself.
Stimulate your mind. Keep learning. Warren Buffett (94 years of age) - the chairman and majority shareholder of Berkshire Hathaway - is voracious reader. His close friend, Charlie Munger was also an avid reader until he passed away in 2023 at the age of 99. The desire to learn and to continually think is what kept them young mentally.
I wish you much success on your journey to financial freedom!
Note: Please send any feedback, corrections, or questions to [email protected].
Disclaimer: I do not know your circumstances and do not provide individualized advice or recommendations. I encourage you to make investment decisions by conducting your research and due diligence. Consult your financial advisor about your specific situation.
