I hate to quote Woody Allen, but I do love his line from Sleeper: “Don’t touch my brain, it’s my second favourite organ!”

The human brain is a true miracle. It only weighs about 3 lbs, but it is our control centre. Nothing in our body can function without our brain. There’s a reason why cessation of brain function is the legal criterion for death – we can be brought back from the loss of most other organs, but not this one. It is the seat of consciousness, it controls our nervous system and tells our glands which hormones to make. Living as it does inside our skulls, it’s pretty vulnerable to damage, and we need to treat it with care. Brain fog can be caused by many things, such as hormonal changes (including menopause). It can be very frustrating.

Nobody is surprised to learn that our brain tends to shrink as we get older, although science has learned that we still make new connections and learn new things – people can come back from strokes and other brain damage to a surprising extent. You can, in fact, teach an old dog new tricks. But the dog has to be willing to learn. 

Viral infections such as COVID can also affect our brains, as well as our other organs. Brain fog is very much part of the recovery from COVID – even if you are fortunate to escape Long COVID, you may still find that your mental acuity and memory are not what they had been. It may take patience and perseverance before they come back, if indeed they do. Other viruses can have similar effects.

So what can we do to preserve that precious clump of cells? We can start by protecting ourselves from infection and doing our best to develop a healthy lifestyle. Exercise, good nutrition (including appropriate supplements), and most importantly, sleep. We can try to protect our noggin from physical trauma by using helmets as required, and maybe reconsidering the kind of activities we engage in – repeated concussions have been shown, in pro football and hockey players, to lead to brain damage and dementia. Who wants that?

Just like our muscles can atrophy if we don’t use them, the same is true of our brains – studies have shown that people who engage in mental exercise, whether it’s reading, doing crossword puzzles or taking up a hobby, are less likely to lose brain function as they get older. Social interactions are also good for your brain – talking with other humans definitely stimulates those brain cells.

Everyone is going to lose some function as they age, but we don’t have to go down without a fight. 

What are you doing to keep your brain functional? I’d love to know!