妙佑医疗国际员工

大脑重约 3 磅，体积并不算大。但其功能强大。大脑储存记忆、塑造性格，并管控思维、情绪与动作。

大脑内数十亿神经细胞实现以上全部功能。这类脑细胞称为神经元，负责向身体其他部位传递信息。脑细胞若无法正常工作，肌肉活动就可能不再顺畅。身体的某些部位可能会失去感觉。思维速度可能会变慢。

大脑无法修复受损或坏死的神经元。因此保护神经元十分重要。头部受伤、药物使用及阿尔茨海默病和帕金森病等健康状况，可造成脑细胞损伤或减少。

养成健康的护脑习惯非常重要。这意味着确保安全、保持思维活跃并参加各种活动。试试以下健脑小贴士：

保持身体活动的人更有可能保持思维敏锐。定期进行身体活动可能有助于改善平衡感、灵活性、力量、精力和情绪。研究表明，运动可能降低患阿尔茨海默病的风险。

对于大多数成年人，美国卫生与公众服务部建议每周至少进行 150 分钟中等强度的有氧运动（如快走）。或者建议每周至少进行 75 分钟高强度的有氧运动（如慢跑）。最好将运动分散在一周内进行。如果没有时间进行完整锻炼，可以试着白天进行几次10分钟的步行。

脑损伤可能导致思维、记忆、协调能力、语言和情绪发生持久改变。为保护大脑，进行有头部受伤风险的活动时，务必佩戴头盔。例如骑自行车、滑雪、骑马，或使用摩托车、雪地摩托车或全地形车。

头部受伤的其他常见原因包括车祸和跌倒。乘车时系好安全带有助于避免头部受到撞击。为防止跌倒，在梯子上、不平坦的地面或陌生区域行走时，要注意脚下。清理楼梯或走廊上的杂物有助于防止在家中跌倒。保持楼梯照明良好。确保地毯和小地毯牢固固定在地板上，以免滑动。

一些医疗状况可能增加思维和记忆方面出现问题的风险。这些状况也可能增加发生卒中的风险，而卒中可能损害大脑血管。这些状况中最常见的是糖尿病、心脏病和高血压。如果您的医疗问题持续存在，遵循医务人员有关如何进行最佳治疗和管理的指示。如果您未出现这些医疗状况，请咨询医护团队如何预防。

拿不定主意要不要外出和朋友见面，或是邀请亲友来访时，就付诸行动。社交活动有助于抵御抑郁和压力。抑郁和压力都可能加重记忆力减退。与他人隔绝和孤独也与思维能力下降和阿尔茨海默病风险升高有关。

睡眠对人类而言就像为手机充电。晚上睡个好觉有助于改善大脑功能和记忆力，让您保持机敏，并更容易完成日常任务。休息会缓解压力和抑郁。

获得充足的健康睡眠应放在第一位。成人应当每晚睡眠 7 至 9 小时。如果打鼾影响睡眠，请与医务人员约诊。打鼾可能是睡眠障碍的征兆，如睡眠呼吸暂停。影响睡眠的状况可能增加思维能力下降及患失智症的风险。

研究发现，健康饮食可能有助于预防或延缓失智症状。尤其是，MIND 饮食可能是保持脑部健康的重要手段。

MIND 全称是地中海-DASH 干预神经退行性迟缓（Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay）。这种由健脑食物组成的饮食为大脑提供能量，有助于改善注意力，减缓思维能力下降。MIND 饮食强调以植物性食物为主。该饮食包含大量绿叶蔬菜及其他蔬菜、浆果、坚果、全谷物、禽肉和鱼类。这种饮食限制黄油、奶酪、红肉和甜食等食物。

正如体力活动能保持身体健康，调动思维的活动也能保持大脑健康。以下活动可能有助于改善大脑功能和记忆力。玩填字游戏。阅读。玩游戏。学习演奏乐器。尝试一种新的爱好。在当地学校或社区团体做志愿者。

药物和酒精可能影响脑细胞之间的信息传递。药物和酒精还可能影响大脑反应、计划、解决难题及控制冲动的能力。严格遵照药品说明书用药。其中也包括非处方药物。

如果您选择饮酒，请控制饮酒频次并减少饮酒量。饮酒过量会增加跌倒的风险并可能造成记忆力问题。还可能导致一些累及大脑的医疗状况（如高血压和糖尿病）恶化。为了保持整体健康，每天饮酒不超过一杯。请勿每天饮酒。饮酒越少越好。

People who are physically active are more likely to keep their minds sharp. Regular physical activity also can help improve balance, flexibility, strength, energy and mood. Research suggests that exercise may lower the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.

For most healthy adults, the Department of Health and Human Services recommends at least 150 minutes a week of moderate aerobic activity, such as brisk walking. Or it recommends 75 minutes a week of vigorous aerobic activity, such as jogging. It's best to spread this activity throughout the week. If you don't have time for a full workout, try a few 10-minute walks during the day.

A brain injury can have a significant long-term impact on a person's life. Brain injuries can affect thinking, memory, coordination, speech and emotions. To protect your brain, always wear a helmet when doing an activity where there's a risk of head injuries. Examples include biking, skiing, riding a horse or when using a motorcycle, snowmobile or all-terrain vehicle.

Other common causes of head injuries include car accidents and falls. Help avoid hits to the head by wearing a seatbelt in the car. To keep from falling, be careful with your footing on ladders, on uneven ground or when you're in an unfamiliar area. Help prevent falls at home by removing clutter from stairs and hallways. Keep stairways well lit. Make sure all carpets and rugs are firmly attached to the floor so that they don't slip.

Some medical conditions can raise the risk of developing problems with thinking and memory. They also may raise the risk of having a stroke, which can damage blood vessels in the brain. Among the most common of these conditions are diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure. If you have ongoing medical concerns, follow your healthcare professional's directions on how best to treat and control them. If you don't have these conditions, ask your healthcare team what you can do to prevent them.

If you're on the fence about whether to go out with friends or invite loved ones over, do it. Being social helps ward off depression and stress. Both can make memory loss worse. Social isolation and loneliness also have been linked to a higher risk of a decline in thinking skills and Alzheimer's disease.

Sleep is the human equivalent of plugging in your phone to charge. A good night's sleep helps improve brain function and memory, keeps you alert and makes it easier to do daily tasks. Rest also eases stress and depression.

Make getting enough healthy sleep a priority. Adults should sleep 7 to 9 hours a night. If snoring disrupts sleep, make an appointment with your healthcare professional. Snoring could be a sign of a sleep disorder, such as sleep apnea. Conditions that disturb sleep may raise the risk for a decline in thinking skills and dementia.

Research has found that eating a healthy diet may play a role in preventing or delaying symptoms of dementia. In particular, the MIND diet can be a valuable tool for brain health.

MIND stands for Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay. This diet of brain healthy foods gives your brain fuel to help improve mental focus and slow decline in thinking skills. The MIND diet focuses on plant-based foods. It includes plenty of leafy greens and other vegetables, berries, nuts, whole grains, poultry and fish. It limits foods like butter, cheese, red meat and sweets.

Just as physical activity keeps your body in shape, activities that engage your mind can keep your brain in shape. And those activities may help improve brain function and memory. Do crossword puzzles. Read. Play games. Learn to play a musical instrument. Try a new hobby. Volunteer at a local school or with a community group.

Drugs and alcohol can affect how brain cells communicate with one another. They also can have an effect on your brain's ability to react, plan, solve problems and control impulses. Follow the directions on medicines carefully. That includes medicines that you get without a prescription.

If you choose to drink alcohol, do so in moderation. For healthy adults that means up to one drink a day for women and up to two drinks a day for men. Drinking too much raises your risk of a fall and can cause memory problems. It also can make worse some medical conditions that affect the brain, such as high blood pressure and diabetes.