- Saturday, April 20, 2024
By: Eastern Eye Staff
There are so many ways you can improve your memory and cognitive skills. As you grow older, you may become concerned that your sharpness is declining. While cognitive decline is possible as we age, it is not an inevitability. There are things we can do to maintain our memory and even improve cognitive function.
While there are computer games that claim to help, you need to engage both hemispheres of the brain to give it a full workout. This workout can only be achieved by exploring, practicing and learning new things in the real world. Indeed, computer games increase a sedentary lifestyle and can therefore reduce the functionality of the cerebellum, or the little brain.
With all this in mind, here are what the experts claim will help to improve your memory and cognitive skills.
#1 Physical activity
Your brain health is linked to your physical wellbeing. As much as we like to separate our mind from our bodies, they are intimately connected. To be fair, when you probe this thought a little deeper, you can see this is common sense. However, the link is more powerful than you might think. When you exercise you release hormones that are helpful to memory. Also, there are molecules released during endurance exercise that are thought by Harvard Medical School to protect the brain from degeneration. This molecule has been identified as irisin and is believed to be a neuroprotective.
#2 Being open to experience
Learning new skills and maintaining an active social network are crucial to the maintenance of cognitive skills. Even low demand tasks such as completing a wordsearch and listening to classical music have a tremendous impact on the mind. Equally, memory is a use it or lose it function. Therefore, if you want to maintain a sharp recollection, you have to undertake activities that exercise your brain.
However, the University of Texas is certain that getting out and doing something new is the best tonic for the brain. People need to get outside their comfort zone and work on constantly enhancing their experience. The effect of attempting something new is mentally challenging and will therefore exercise the brain.
Fortunately, this is not a one way street. If you work on training your brain regularly, you are also more likely to feel comfortable with new experiences. Those people who actively train the mind to stay sharp are also constantly looking for ways to do new things.
#3 Be curious and be creative
Michigan State University found that participation in arts and crafts as a child makes it more likely that you will innovate as an adult. People who seek patents or start new businesses were said to have enjoyed crafting when they were young – with up to eight times more exposure to art than other children.
It is not just art. There has been a lot of focus recently on the impact of music on those struggling with dementia. Indeed, neuroscientists have long known that musical training improves brain functionality and connectivity between different regions in the brain. Therefore, rather than waiting to listen to music once the brain is in decline, you might want to take up a musical instrument.
Equally, reading and writing books or other such brain stimulating activities can help to preserve memory. Scientists state that reading a novel alone can improve brain function on many levels, as like with music, it increases connectivity between different parts of the brain. It improves empathy, visualisation and a general ability to exercise imagination.
#5 Making social connections
Loneliness is one of the most toxic factors in the decline of the brain. We are social creatures and we need psychological and emotional stimulation to maintain mental and physical health. Isolation causes elevated blood pressure, a disruption to sleep and an increase in the stress hormone cortisol. Most powerfully, it can increase the chances for depression. All these factors can come together to feed into a decline in cognitive function.
In contrast, being around people can help as we are stimulated but also because people we love stimulate the release of positive hormones that counter cortisol.
#6 Mindfulness
Finally, the brain is significantly changed in those who undertake regular meditation. Not only does it reduce the impact of stress on the brain but it also helps to focus the mind and increase cognitive function. A lot of age-related disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease, are a consequence of the continued ravages of stress and rampant thoughts. While meditation isn’t for everyone, there are mindfulness apps that can give your brain a 10 minutes break in the day and give you the tools for allowing disruptive thoughts to pass by rather than ravage you.
Mindfulness just before your bedtime will also help you sleep. Getting enough sleep is one of the most powerful factors in maintaining your memory and function.
Author Bio
Chetan Sharma is a blogger and digital marketer by profession. He handles a network of multiple websites like teacher text & various others. He helps clients all over the world to achieve digital success.
