There is more to staying cognitively sharp than simply having good genes. Unlike looks and physical factors and appearance, your genetics don’t dictate your cognitive abilities alone; there are multiple factors that influence this.
And long-term studies, there's an especially interesting one in different brain stages from the University of Cambridge, point to cognitive decline being earlier than many people realise. Some people experience it as early as 44. And your midlife era can quickly highlight changes in processing speeds, working memory and attention.
But what matters here isn’t the decline actually happening; it’s the speed at which it progresses.
But just because changes to your cognitive health are normal as you get older and, to some extent, should be expected, it doesn’t mean there’s nothing you can do to help you preserve it or delay the deterioration.
And honestly, it’s not that complicated, really. If you can remain mentally engaged by performing consistent actions and behaviour over time, mostly things you do on a regular basis anyway, you slow the decline and preserve thinking, memory and focus for as long as possible.
With that in mind, let’s take a little look at what you can be doing each day to keep your mind sharp as you age.
Stay Social
Loneliness is a silent killer in senior communities. That’s not scaremongering, it’s a fact.
Those who are more isolated as they get older are scientifically found to experience faster cognitive decline than those who immerse themselves in regular social activities.
So, in the name of science and good health, get out there, talk to people, join in group activities, indulge in a little mindless gossip, have lengthy discussions on the state of the world, younger generations, the economy, or even the calibre of the recent Oscar winners. Anything — it doesn’t need to be a meeting of the minds on a daily basis, but you do need to engage with other people.
A phone call, a meet-up for a coffee, a regular working partner who likes to have a chat — all beneficial, all engage your memory, reasoning, attention and emotional aspects of your brain.
Keep Learning
There’s so much you can do under the umbrella of “learning” each day. It doesn’t mean you need to go out of your way to learn something complicated, that is, unless you really want to.
But the process of learning helps you to form new neural pathways, and it’s these pathways that help keep the brain engaged as you get older. Studies have shown that adults who regularly engage with new things and are embracing ongoing learning show measurable results in improvement in memory and attention compared to those who don’t.
What can you learn?
- A new language
- How to play an instrument
- Learning new technology
- Learning a new skill, i.e., DIY or artistic endeavours
- Discover a new culture.
It can be anything specific or just general knowledge you acquire; just make yourself focus to learn something new as much as you can.
Read Regularly
Reading is up there with sleep as being beneficial for brain health (yes, sleeping boosts brain health and helps you remain sharp), but reading especially is one of the most accessible ways to keep the mind engaged.
And honestly, the format, despite being hotly contested in some circles, doesn’t matter. Books or e-readers both have the same impact; it’s personal preference here. The topic doesn’t matter either. The only impact is how regularly you read — it needs to be something you can and want to do on a regular basis.
It might be a full book a night if you’re of the binge-reading persuasion, or 10 pages or a chapter a day. It’s nearly up to you — just read. And for topics that have the most impact?
You’ll be shocked to know the best option for brain health is a topic you enjoy. Yep, that’s it. It can be fiction, romance, sci-fi, thrillers, non-fiction, investigative journalism — anything. You just need to enjoy it and be engaged with it.
Use the Brain in Low-Pressure Ways
You don’t need to be doing demanding mental activities for them to be beneficial for your mind or even to keep it sharp; you simply need to build habits that will require thought and decision-making to complete them.
Some great examples of low-pressure activities include:
- Reading newspapers or magazines
- Indulging in online articles, blogs, short stories and news articles
- Doing quizzes
- Playing card or board games like solitaire or FreeCell
- Learning new recipes
- Solving riddles
- Watching documentaries and discussing them
- Doing a daily crossword
- Working through logic problems
- Playing strategy games with others
Despite being low-pressure, these activities will stimulate your working memory, reasoning and pattern recognition, as well as your attention, and experts agree that light mental pressure on a regular basis is more beneficial than sporadic use of “formal brain training” programmes.
Move More
Not only does exercise — even gentle exercise — boost dopamine, which makes you feel good (and who doesn’t love feeling good), but it also supports brain health directly too. When you exercise and raise your heart rate, you’re improving oxygen delivery in the brain and supporting the growth of new neurons, specifically in areas linked to memory.
A meta-analysis in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that regular physical activity was associated with a 28% reduction in dementia risk. If that’s not reason enough to get moving, what is?
You don’t need to become a gym bunny and devote your life to fitness unless you want to and can, of course. Simple exercises like walking, swimming, yoga, stretching and light strength training all matter. It’s about consistency, not intensity, and reducing the amount of time you’re sedentary, too.
Improving brain health isn’t a big, dramatic overhaul. You don’t need a wealth of pills and potions; you just need to implement regular, consistent habits and activities into your life that get your brain doing what it needs to be doing. So get moving, improve your sleep, eat a balanced diet and talk to people, it's really that simple.
