COVID-19 made our brains age faster: « COVID-19 is leaving all kinds of legacies on our health, both on our bodies and our brains. Researchers report that living through the pandemic aged our brains—whether or not you were infected with COVID-19. »
## Did the Pandemic Make Your Brain Older? (Spoiler: Maybe.)
Okay, so I stumbled across something pretty interesting (and slightly alarming) today. Apparently, all that time spent doomscrolling and trying to figure out what day it was during the pandemic might have actually aged our brains. Yep, you read that right.
I saw a post over on Reddit linking to a Time article about research showing that the pandemic might have accelerated brain aging, even if you *didn’t* get COVID-19.
Crazy, right?
It makes sense when you think about it. The constant stress, the isolation, the disruption of routines… that’s a lot for anyone to handle. I know I spent most of 2020 in a constant state of low-grade anxiety.
Think about it – what was your daily life like? Probably a lot different than it was before.
* Less socializing, maybe?
* More screen time?
* Definitely more worrying!
So, what does this mean for us? Are we all suddenly going to be forgetting where we put our keys and asking “Who are you?” at an earlier age?
Well, probably not. The research is still pretty new, and it’s not like we instantly aged 20 years overnight. But it does suggest that the pandemic had a real impact on our brains.
Honestly, it just confirms what a lot of us probably already felt. The last few years have been… a lot.
The good news? Knowing is half the battle. Now that we know this might be a thing, we can take steps to protect our brains. Things like:
* Getting enough sleep (easier said than done, I know!)
* Exercising regularly (even a short walk helps!)
* Staying socially connected (even if it’s just a phone call)
* Doing things that challenge your brain (puzzles, reading, learning a new skill)
Basically, all the stuff we *should* be doing anyway.
So, maybe the pandemic aged our brains a little bit. But it also taught us a lot about resilience and the importance of taking care of ourselves. And that’s something that’s definitely worth remembering.
What do you think? Did you feel like the pandemic affected your brain? Let me know in the comments!