TIPS TO KEEPING YO U R B R A I N SHARP

7. LIMIT ALCOHOL INTAKE: Binge drinking can cause blackouts, as well as effects that last after you sober up. Long-term heavy drinking can shrink the brain’s frontal obe, leading to memory problems and impaired thinking.

8. QUIT SMOKING: We usually focus on the damage that smoking does to the lungs, but research shows that smoking causes thinning of the brain’s cortex, the part where memory, language and thinking are processed. This thinning happens with age, but smoking accelerates it.

9. PROTECT YOUR HEAD: Whether it’s from your days as the star quarterback on the college football team, a car accident or taking a tumble on the ski slopes, head injuries can have a devastating effect on brain function. A study found that three years after a concussion, the risk of Alzheimer’s disease increases by more than 40%.

10. USE YOUR SENSES: You recall how certain smells like chocolate-chip cookies baking or orange peels can trigger a vivid memory? That’s because the sense of smell is rooted in the limbic system, the primal part of the brain that also controls taste. Make it a habit to stimulate this part of your brain by constantly seeking out new aromas and tastes.