Levi-montalcini, who won the Nobel Prize for his discovery of nerve growth factor (NFG), worked until he was 103. Her 5 daily habits to keep your brain from aging
1 ，Early rising habit
She made it a habit to get up at 5 a.m. every day, not for exercise, not for meditation. It's about getting straight into complex scientific work when your mind is clearest. The brain works best in the early morning. Working in the morning maximizes your brain's cortisol peaks.
Cortisol is an "invisible alarm clock" that helps you create a circadian rhythm. When you wake up at the same time every day, your body releases cortisol.
2 ，Eat like a bird
She eats only one meal a day for lunch, and occasionally she will have a small bowl of soup or eat an orange in the evening. It's not about losing weight, it's about keeping your mind clear. She found that a light diet made her mind sharper and more focused.
Scientific evidence suggests that eating less and fasting can protect brain function at the cellular and metabolic level.
"Eating less" reduces the digestive enzyme requirements of the digestive system, allowing more metabolic enzyme resources to be used for other important metabolic and biochemical synthesis activities, such as participating in cell repair and waste removal processes, so that cells can more efficiently remove free radicals and toxins, slowing down the aging process
"fasting" triggers autophagy, which is essential for the health of the nervous system and helps reduce the risk of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease
3. Continuous work
By the time of her death in 2012, she had published 171 articles. During that time, her articles have been cited more than 19,000 times, with several of them being cited more than 1,000 times each. Your brain is like a muscle, stop using it and it starts to decline.
4. Mental commitment
Despite her age, she refused to stop learning. Keeping your brain active is crucial for a long life. This is not just about everyday tasks, but also about constantly solving problems and challenging existing theories.
Keeping your brain active is indeed an important factor in living a long and high quality of life. Learning new knowledge and skills activates the brain's neural networks, increases synaptic formation, and enhances neuroplasticity. This process not only helps maintain memory and cognitive function, but also reduces the risk of developing neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease.
5. Be positive
Stress and negative emotions can have a detrimental effect on brain health. Positive emotions help reduce inflammatory markers in the body and make the immune system more stable, thereby mitigating potential damage to the brain due to inflammation.
"Thanks to the accumulation of experience, my intellect is stronger now than when I was 20," she said at the age of 103. She maintained a sharp mind until her last day, proving that aging does not necessarily mean mental decline.
Our brains don't decline with age. With the right habits, you can keep your mind sharp well into old age.