Rally lives in Arizona, where dust storms are no joke — even if they are called haboobs. But it’s not just the air outside; it’s the air inside your own home that might matter most for brain health. Rally shares an interesting study on HEPA purifiers and mental sharpness, plus five simple Silver Beast Action Steps for breathing easier, no matter where you live.
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
Oh hey there, Beautiful People. Rally Preston here. Welcome back to the Silver Beast Podcast.
So, I got a quick question for you today.
When’s the last time you thought about the air in your house?
Well, I think about it every time I try to cook something involving a frying pan. I don’t think that much black smoke is normal.
But if you’re a decent cook, you probably don’t give much thought to the air in your house, right? And whenever it seems a little stale or something, you just open a window. You know, problem solved.
Well, I ran across something that says the air quality in your home may be a bigger deal than you think.
Especially for the organ in your body that uses the most oxygen relative to its size. Anybody care to guess which one that is? Yep, that would be your brain.
Now, before we get into that, I got to tell you… I live in Arizona. And if you’re anywhere near the desert Southwest, you probably know what I’m about to say next. Two words for you: dust storms.
In fact, we had two just last week. Yeah, two Haboobs. Now don’t snicker – that’s the official term for dust storms.
You ever see one of those monsters rolling in?
It’s a wall of dust thousands of feet in the air, and like 60-mile-an-hour winds. Looks like the end of the world. The sky goes from blue to an angry burnt orange in about four minutes flat. Google Phoenix and dust storms if you want to see some pics. It’s pretty amazing.
Anyway, every time one of those hits, I think, I really don’t want to be breathing that stuff.
Okay, maybe you’re not lucky enough to live in dust storm country.
But, you know, chances are, you’ve got your own version of pollution, air pollution, of some kind in your area.
Wildfire smoke has been a big one lately, right? It can drift in from fires burning states away. And of course, if you live fairly close to a freeway or heavy traffic areas, there’s another troublemaker for air quality.
So okay, here’s the thing. Outdoor air quality is not something we’ve got much control over, right? But indoor air, in our homes. Now that one, we actually can do something about.
And that matters more than you’d think. Because we spend a ton of time indoors. Especially us older adults. More than the younger folks, I’m guessing.
So, let’s talk about what’s floating around in there. In your house. Well, there’s dust, obviously. Can’t Swiffer it all up. There may be pollen getting in. There could be pet dander if you’ve got a furry roommate. We’ve got dust bunnies the size of pets here. Cooking fumes – oh, that’s my specialty. Mold spores, if there’s any dampness hiding somewhere, basement, showers, whatever. Even the stuff that off-gasses – like carpet, some furniture cushions. Oh, and cleaning products for sure – they’re notorious for off-gassing.
And when it’s smoky or dusty outside – a lot of that wiggles into your home too. It gets through door cracks, vents. Or, every time you open the front door to grab an embarrassing amount of Amazon packages.
Now here’s where it gets interesting.
There’s a study — pretty solid one — that looked at whether cleaning up your home’s indoor air could help your brain.
So, this study, researchers had people use a real HEPA air purifier in their homes for a month. Then later, they used a fake one — looked the same, sounded the same, but didn’t actually filter anything. And nobody knew which one they had.
And the folks using the real purifier, HEPA purifier, especially those over 40, did noticeably better on a test of mental sharpness. Quicker thinking, mental flexibility, that kind of thing.
Now, these mental improvements, they weren’t some massive jump to Einstein level or anything like that. But researchers said the boost was in the same ballpark as what you’d get from being more physically active. And that’s nothing to sneeze at. Yep, pun intended.
Now look, this was one study. And not everybody in it was our age — most were younger, actually here. So we don’t have a mountain of proof this works exactly the same way for us Silver Beasties, you know, specifically.
But here’s my hot take: Breathing cleaner air at home isn’t gonna hurt us, right? And there’s a good chance it’ll help. So why not stack the odds in our favor?
Think of it this way. You already know smoky, dusty air is rough on your lungs. If you need proof, let me cook you dinner sometime. But maybe breathing better air can boost our brainpower too.
Now, back when we were kids, nobody worried about any of this. Air purifiers weren’t a thing. You just opened the windows and hoped for a breeze.
And smoky air? Oh shoot, half the dads I knew were smoking their Lucky Strikes right there in the living room. You better believe mine was. Yeah, nobody thought twice about it.
So we’ve gotten a little smarter since then, I think. We know the air we breathe matters.
Alright, so what can you actually do here?
Okay. Got some ideas here…
So first, and this one costs nothing. Pay attention to bad air days. Most weather apps will show you an air quality number locally, where you live. If you see it’s bad, whether that’s dust, smoke, or just regular pollution, keep the windows shut. Yeah, I know, obviously. But skip the outdoor walk that day, or push it to early morning when it might be a little cleaner out.
Second thing. If you want a little extra help indoors, a HEPA air purifier isn’t a bad investment. You don’t need some giant industrial thing. Just something sized right for your bedroom, since that’s where you’re spending, what, seven, eight hours a night, hopefully. That’s your biggest chunk of exposure, right there, while you’re sleeping. And I’m thinking of getting one of those.
And third, keep an eye on the small stuff. So change your air filters on schedule. Vacuum regularly, ideally with a machine that’s got a HEPA filter too. And crack a window when you’re cooking, if the air outside’s decent that day.
Alright, fourth. If a haboob’s rolling through, or there’s a smoke advisory, that’s your cue to just stay put. Indoors. Give it time to settle down. And it will, all over your outdoor furniture. Yeah, it’s unbelievable.
And look, I know some of you are gonna hear all this and think, eh, I’ve been breathing this air all my life; I’m fine. And yeah, maybe you are. But here’s the thing about hitting your seventies, eighties, nineties — this is exactly the time to find every little advantage you can. The small stuff adds up.
Alright, let’s get to your Silver Beast Action Steps. Super simple stuff to help you breathe easier.
Action Step One: Check your local air quality before heading outside, same as you’d check the weather. And there’s an app for that, of course.
Action Step Two: On bad air days, dust, smoke, pollen, whatever it is, keep windows closed and, you know, skip strenuous outdoor activity.
Action Step Three: Consider a HEPA air purifier for your bedroom. It doesn’t have to be huge. Just the right size for your bedroom.
Action Step Four: Change your filters regularly, and we’re talking your central air now if you have that. And ideally, vacuum with a HEPA-equipped vacuum if you’ve got one. We don’t here, but that’s a pretty good idea.
Alright, Action Step Five: During dust storms, smoke advisories, or just, you know, high pollutant levels, just stay inside as much as you can. Very simple.
Now, I’m not a doctor, and I’m definitely not an air quality expert. So if you’ve got asthma, COPD, or any other breathing issues, talk to your doctor about what’s right for you.
Okay, here’s the bottom line, Silver Beasties. The air in your home — that’s one small part of your life you may have some control over. So if you can get it a little cleaner, why not? And bonus, according to this study, it might be good for your brain too.
Alright, this has been your breath of fresh air, Rally Preston. Hey, thanks for dropping by today, and I’ll catch you next time on the Silver Beast Podcast. Hey, breathe easy, beasties, and take care!