The Longevity Compass: Medicine, Mind, and Meaning by Gabriel Lasala, MD

5. Brain Health

  • The main idea here is that you need to do everything mentioned in the other chapters to promote optimum brain health. If you optimize your diet, your exercise, your sleep (chapter 7), cognitive activity, and control stress (chapter 6), you will avoid brain disorders and even improve those that exist. You need to have an active social life, do unexpected nice things for others (altruism), and engage in philanthropy to the extent your finances allow.
  • It is also important to avoid repeated head trauma, which is often associated with playing American football and some other sports. Look for activities that blend exertion with pleasure, like gardening, dancing, invigorating hikes, or cycling for bolstering physical and mental health.

6. Stress

  • Stress management is an ongoing process that we must all engage in. There is a technical explanation here of how stress disrupts the function of our hormones and leads to poor health and more rapid aging. In general, all of the other advice in this book can help reduce stress. Gabriel goes into a good deal of philosophy here that you might want to skip.
  • In addition to everything else in this book, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is mentioned as a way to reduce stress. This involves regular sessions with a therapist who can help you to stop focusing on the negative aspects of your past and give you other stress reduction techniques.

7. Sleep

  • Sleep is a dynamic biological process that is essential for cellular renewal, emotional stability, cognitive clarity, and the long arc of healthy aging. Sleep deprivation can lead to impaired tissue repair, reduced muscle mass, and weakened immunity. During sleep, your brain reorganizes information by turning short-term memory into long-term memory. Impaired sleep can lead to Alzheimer’s and/or Parkinson’s disease.
  • For better sleep, you should try to go to sleep and get up at the same time every day, even on weekends. Sleep in a quiet, cool, and dark room with a comfortable mattress and bedding. Stay hydrated during the day and don’t eat a big meal within two hours of bedtime. Exercise early in the day. If you have a sleep disorder, consult your doctor. If you have a stress, anxiety, or depression problem, he may suggest Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia. Also ask about sleep support supplements.

8. Supplements and Nutraceuticals: Micronutrients, Antioxidants, and Cognitive Enhancement in Longevity Medicine

  • This chapter provides a lot of detail about what vitamins, minerals, and other micronutrients are and what they do in our body. It does not, however, contain any recommendations regarding what to take.
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