While our day-to-day role as a wealth manager is to be an advisor and act as a partner to our clients, we believe that Living Richly is more than the sum of your financial accounts. At CWM, we’re not simply planning for more years of financial security. We’re helping plan for more years of living well.
Better Sleep = Better Brain Health
You’ve probably heard before that quality sleep plays an essential role in memory, recovery, and overall brain function. When you sleep, your brain “washes” itself with spinal cord fluid to remove waste that has been built up during the day1. (Fun fact: your brain produces about 5 lbs. of waste per year!)
Other key things that happen while you sleep include2:
- Energy conservation and storage
- Self-repair and recovery (there’s a reason you sleep more when you are sick)
- Brain maintenance (organization and cataloguing of memories and learned information)
Poor sleep may impair normal brain-cleaning processes, which can impact your day-to-day functionality and long-term health. Dr. Milstein emphasized that it’s not the quantity of sleep, but the quality of sleep you get that impacts the washing process.
Dr. Milstein suggests a few simple changes to your nighttime routine to help create an environment for more restorative sleep:
Keep the bedroom cool, dark, and quiet. If you’re an adult, the Cleveland Clinic recommends keeping the temperature of your bedroom between 60° and 67°F. (Suggested room temps for seniors increase to 68°-74°F.)3 When you sleep, your body naturally lowers its core temperature by 1 to 2°F. A cooler room will help trigger this drop and signal the release of melatonin. Sleeping in too hot a room can disrupt REM sleep as the external room temperature can cause your core body temperature to rise.
Timing is everything if you take a pre-bed shower. Over 1,000 studies have shown that taking a warm shower or bath about 90 minutes before bed can help you fall asleep and get better sleep throughout the night. Warming up your body temperature and then allowing about an hour and a half for it to cool down actually allows the brain to release melatonin naturally.
Do a data dump before bed. Got worries, thoughts, or to dos on your mind? Studies have found that if you use a pen and paper to write them down before bed and tell yourself that this information is safe and can be addressed in the morning, your brain doesn’t have to remember them so you can sleep better. In these sleep studies, the people who practiced this fell asleep faster, got better sleep throughout the night, and if they woke up were able to get back to sleep faster.
Dr. Milstein also offered a reassuring reminder: waking briefly during the night is normal. Rather than becoming frustrated or reaching for a phone, allowing yourself to relax can make it easier to fall back asleep.
Power Wash Your Brain by Giving it Something New to Do
Just as physical fitness benefits from a variety of exercises, the brain benefits from different types of stimulation, think of it as “cross-training” your brain.
Discover things outside your field of expertise. As we age, oftentimes we focus on the things that we already know a lot about. But if you pursue a topic or a hobby that is outside of your comfort zone, that feeling of “this is new, this is challenging, this is different” is believed to be the feeling of the brain being power washed.
Challenge the way you move. Balance is “use it or lose it” and our brain controls our balance. When we assess how old we think people are, our brain is actually picking up on subtle clues and determining how good their balance is. Challenging our balance doesn’t need to be extreme, it can be as simple as dancing or yoga – anything that requires us to move in new ways.
Music. When scientists who study brain health put a person in a scanner and just have them listen to music, their entire brain lights up with activity. A recent study asked the question, “What is the impact of listening to music versus playing a musical instrument?” Results of this study indicated that for people who just listened to music – even for just 20 minutes a day a few times per week – their brains looked fuller and plumper and their brain cells looked more youthful. Playing a musical instrument is beneficial, but just listening to music is powerful as well.
Stay Connected: The Power of Friendship
When it comes to living a longer, healthier life, one of the most powerful tools for protecting our brains may be something we already enjoy: spending time with friends! Dr. Milstein highlighted recent research from Harvard suggesting that social interaction is one of the most important factors influencing our healthspan. Connecting with others does more than lift our spirits. Conversations, shared experiences, and meaningful relationships stimulate our brains, encourage learning, and help keep our minds active. Whether it’s meeting a friend for coffee, attending a social event, or simply picking up the phone to catch up with someone, these small moments of connections can make a meaningful difference to keeping our brains healthy as we age.
Stay Connected: The Power of Small, Simple, and Effective Treatments
All five senses play a part in our healthspan. It’s all well and good to say “learn something new” and “have a chat with a friend” to help keep your brain healthy, but if you can’t hear a conversation or read about a topic you’re interested in it’s difficult to stay engaged. Hearing loss, even if it’s mild, doubles the risk of dementia so treating the hearing loss with a hearing aid reduces that risk. Additional recent studies have shown that untreated sight impairment – for instance if you need cataract surgery or glasses/contacts – can also increase your risk of dementia.
The next wave of brain science research is focusing on the powerful impact of the sense of smell. Our brain is right at the top of our nose and studies are showing that just taking the time to smell things is exercising parts of our brain
Nourish Your Brain – The Brain/Gut Connection
Gut inflammation impacts brain health. Our brains have cells called microglia that act like trash collectors in our brains. Microglia are responsible for cleaning up the 5 lbs. of waste our brains produce each year. However, if there is inflammation in our body the microglia can make a mistake and will attack healthy brain cells. A lot of inflammation that spreads to the brain starts in the gut.
Fiber is key. So, what are ways we can reduce inflammation in the gut? Through diet – specifically by incorporating more fiber. 25 to 35 grams of fiber per day (about 8-12 grams per meal) will help reduce or eliminate gut inflammation. A key point to note is that the fiber should be naturally occurring (i.e. whole fiber found in unprocessed foods such as legumes, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains) rather than synthetic fiber that is added to products. Synthetic fiber that is added to food is believed to be an additional cause of inflammation in the gut.
Keep Moving, One Step at a Time
When it comes to physical activity, consistency matters more than perfection. When we exercise, a protein called BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor) is produced. BDNF acts like food and fertilizer for your brain cells which helps to keep your brain full and plump.
Dr. Milstein highlighted that walking for just 30 minutes a day may reduce the risk of dementia by as much as 60%! Better yet, those minutes don’t have to happen all at once. Three 10-minute walks or six 5-minute walks can add up to the same daily goal.
Of course, knowing the benefits of exercise and making a consistent habit are two different things. Find ways to make movement easy, enjoyable, and part of everyday life. Leaving your walking shoes by the door, parking farther from your destination, or taking a walk with a friend can help turn good intentions into lasting routines. The goal isn’t perfection, but finding ways to move consistently that you can enjoy and sustain over time.
Rethinking Stress: It’s all About Perspective
We’ve often been told that stress is bad for our brains, but Dr. Milstein shared a surprising insight: Stress isn’t necessarily the enemy. In fact, short bursts of stress can actually benefit the brain. The key is finding a healthy balance. While brief periods of stress can help us stay alert and respond to challenges (keeping our brains full and plump), chronic stress without adequate recovery can shrink our brains and negatively affect brain health.
Interestingly, our bodies respond to stress and excitement in remarkably similar ways. An increased heart rate, elevated blood pressure, and heightened energy can signal either feeling overwhelmed or feeling energized. The difference often lies in how our brains interpret those physical sensations. For instance, a professional athlete may interpret pre-game nerves as excitement and readiness, while less experienced athletes might experience those same sensations as anxiety.
By changing our perspective on stress we can change how we respond to it. Rather than allowing ourselves to be overwhelmed, Dr. Milstein encourages recognizing stress as a signal to take action, focusing on one task at a time, and allowing time for recovery. Even something as simple as taking a walk or practicing breathing exercises can help restore a sense of calm. By reframing challenging moments and incorporating intentional breaks, we can better manage life’s pressures while supporting long-term brain health.
Get a Grip
There are some recent and fascinating studies indicating that grip strength is one of the most powerful predictors of how long we’re going to live and how long we’re going to keep our memory. The parts of the brain that are involved in cognitive health are the same parts of the brain that are involved in grip strength. If you’re working your grip strength you are also working parts of your memory! And you don’t need to climb a rock wall to work your grip strength – light weights, bodyweight exercises, rubber bands, or squeezing a stress ball consistently a few times per week will help improve your grip strength. (Check out this article from Silver Sneakers for 5 Exercises to Strengthen Your Grip.)
Look for the Good
There’s compelling research that suggests optimism may be associated with a significantly lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease, even among individuals with a genetic pre-disposition. Why? Optimistic people are more likely to engage in brain-healthy behaviors such as maintaining social connections, sleeping well, and managing everyday worries.
Interestingly, our brains are wired to focus on negativity. Dr. Milstein illustrated this with a relatable example: If you receive nine compliments and one insult, which are you most likely to remember? That single negative comment! This tendency, rooted in our evolutionary need to recognize threats and survive, can sometimes cause us to dwell on what’s wrong rather than appreciate what’s right.
While this instinct can help us anticipate problems and make decisions, constantly focusing on the negative can contribute to chronic stress (see above). Fortunately, awareness gives us the opportunity to shift our perspective. Something as simple as practicing gratitude, acknowledging positive experiences, or appreciating what we already have can help counterbalance our natural negativity bias. The goal isn’t to eliminate negative thoughts, but to create a healthier balance that supports our emotional well-being and long-term brain health.
One Size Doesn’t Fit All
Individualized care is important when approaching brain health. Dr. Milstein addressed many actionable and easy steps you can take to help improve the health of your brain as you age. But sometimes, especially when it comes to sleep disorders and chronic conditions, it is important to speak with your doctor to get appropriate treatment.
Small Changes, Lasting Benefits
The good news is that supporting brain health doesn’t require a complete lifestyle overhaul. It can begin with a short walk, a better bedtime routine, a conversation with a friend, a tasty bowl of lentil soup, or the decision to try something new.
While we can’t control every aspect of aging, we can make intentional choices that support our physical, mental, and emotional well-being along the way. And it’s never too late to start.
The goal isn’t to simply live longer. It’s to make the years ahead as healthy, fulfilling, and meaningful as possible.
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At CWM, we believe that planning for the future means more than preparing financially. It means helping you make the most of the years ahead. As we continue to explore the important topic of healthy aging, we look forward to sharing additional resources, insights, and opportunities to help you and your loved ones navigate life’s transitions with greater confidence. Because living richly isn’t just about how long we live, but how well we live.
Events like these are available exclusively for clients of CWM. If you’d like to explore becoming a client, contact us at (425) 778-6160 to schedule a complimentary 30-minute meeting to discuss whether we might be a fit to help you Live Richly.
1https://www.science.org/content/article/scientists-uncover-how-brain-washes-itself-during-sleep
2https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/12148-sleep-basics
3https://www.empowersleep.com/articles/the-role-of-temperature-in-regulating-sleep-and-circadian-rhythms
Comprehensive Wealth Management, LLC (CWM) is an SEC registered Investment Advisor and Pacific Northwest wealth management firm that partners with clients to articulate and help achieve their financial goals as prudently as possible. Our high-touch, client-focused investment planning and implementation are designed to make us a trusted resource for executives, business owners, and other thoughtful investors seeking to strengthen their financial health holistically and intentionally, while managing risk and pursuing long-term growth.
All investments involve the risk of potential investment losses as well as the potential for investment gains. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. This communication is informational only and is not a solicitation for investment advice.
