Ep. 253 How to Improve Your Brain Health and Performance with Louisa Nicola

I am excited to connect with one of my favorite neuroscience experts today! Louisa Nicola is at the intersection of neuroscience and athleticism. She helps to bring a fresh understanding of what it takes to achieve peak performance through science-based tools and methods. She is also the host of The Neuro Experience podcast, which focuses on brain health, neuroscience, longevity, and athletics. Louisa knows how to take complicated subjects related to brain physiology and hormones and explain them so that people can fully understand and appreciate them. In this episode, she and I dive into her background. We discuss her three pillars for peak performance, alcohol, and how sleep impacts the glymphatic system. We get into strategies for better sleep, the perimenopausal brain, how chronobiology impacts sleep, how to address jet lag, and how exercise improves brain performance and health. We also discuss the best foods and supplements for brain health and how creatine enhances performance. I hope you enjoy listening to today’s conversation as much as I did recording it! IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN: How an accident shifted the trajectory of Louisa’s life. Louisa unpacks the various stages of sleep and explains why sleep is so important. How sleep impacts the glymphatic system. Some common characteristics of perimenopause. Some simple ways to aid the penetration of naturally secreted hormones into the brain. How blood pressure fluctuations impact the brain. What is jet lag, and how can we combat it? How does alcohol affect the brain? Louisa explains cardiac remodeling. The value of different types of exercise for brain health. The difference between physical activity and exercise. How our food choices impact our brain health. How to mitigate the effects of traumatic brain injuries. How does creatine monohydrate improve brain performance? Connect with Cynthia Thurlow Follow on X ⁠ ⁠Instagram ⁠ ⁠LinkedIn⁠ Check out Cynthia’s ⁠website⁠ Connect with Louisa Nicola On X and ⁠Instagram⁠ ⁠The Neuro Experience Podcast⁠ Book mentioned ⁠The XX Brain⁠ by Dr. Lisa Mosconi