Trick to keep your brain young as you age
Dr Nicola Gates is a Clinical Neuropsychologist whose PhD and ongoing research examines dementia prevention and optimising health and wellbeing, which she translates into in her Sydney based private practice.
Our memory is crucial for independence and quality of life. It helps us negotiate and function in the present, plan for the future and keeps a sense of everything we have learnt, including who we are, from our past. Unfortunately, the two tiny brain structures that are crucial to memory and learning shrink with age (1-2 per cent per annum from age 50) – and by that I mean normal healthy ageing and not a dementia disease process, in which case it is far worse.
The brain has evolved for learning and memory and thrives on novelty which represents new learning experience. Research demonstrates that the more an individual has been curious and engaged in learning and new experiences throughout their life from education, employment, and recreational activities the more resistant their brain is to clinical dementia. As a result one strategy to optimise function as we age and reduce dementia risk is to exercise your brain.
Keep mentally active and stimulated not by always doing what you excel at but by introducing things that are new and challenging. This stimulates the brain to make positive changes and build its resilience. There are a multitude of options and opportunities for novel experiences, and they do not have to be costly or formal programs. You could for example simply watch documentaries and learn new facts to remember and share with friends or family.
Some great ways to keep your mind active include:
- Find a hobby. Develop a new hobby where you have to learn new skills or acquire new knowledge.
- Travel. Play being a tourist and explore where you live and/or travel further a field
- Join in community events. Take an interest, and even participate in, local events – arts, theatre, sports, cultural days, festival.
- Volunteer. Meet new people and learn new skills
- Socialise. Join or create a social group or club and spend time with friends and family.
- Study. Enrol in a course, educational program or other training course.
The fundamental key is to remain curious and broaden and expand your experiences rather than let them constrict with increasing age.
Click here to purchase Nicole Gate’s A Brain for Life: How to Optimise Your Brain Health by Making Simple Lifestyle Changes Now.
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