S stands for Sleep.
Seven to nine hours of good quality sleep every night is essential for a healthy brain because while we sleep our brain detoxifies and clears out aberrant amyloid and tau proteins — two of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s.
The detoxification process is ingenious. The spaces between our brain cells widen, and what’s known as glymphatic fluid flushes through to wash out potentially toxic by-products of brain metabolism that accumulate throughout the day.
If we don’t get enough sleep, there isn’t time to remove all the toxins. People who have less than six hours of sleep for decades of their lives have a 30% increased risk of dementia. And if you snore, please see your doctor for a sleep study to exclude obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). OSA means your brain is not getting enough oxygen while you sleep, which is lethal to brain cells.
Thus we need to prioritise sufficient sleep every night. It isn’t a badge of honour to pull all-nighters for work or study; it’s a fast track to Alzheimer’s.
Click here to read more about sleep and brain health.
We’ve now come to the end of the acronym for 10 powerful brain boosters. But it’s not the end of the Pekoe Trail. I still have 4 days to complete the last 6 stages. Spoiler alert: I did it! So I’ll give you one final report tomorrow, which I recorded after crossing the finishing line.
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This is a photo of Nine Arches Bridge from Stage 16 (of 22 stages) of the 300+km Pekoe Trail.
For more photos of my time in Sri Lanka, click here.
If you’d like to trek the Pekoe Trail yourself, please contact Deen at srilankatrekkingclub.com
I highly recommend you do it in the recommended 22 days, not the high speed 14 days that I did it in! You can also choose to only do one or a few of the stages to get a taste of Sri Lanka’s glorious tea country. Happy hiking – it’s a fabulous brain-boosting activity!
Please share this Health-e-Byte with anyone with an interest in brain health or a diagnosis of dementia.
