By: Kisco Communities
As seniors age, even those in good health can sometimes experience feeling a little “foggy,” basically, not thinking as clearly as they once did. While this is a common complaint among seniors, there are plenty of things you can do to improve brain power and keep your mind sharp as you age.
Consider taking a little time to challenge your brain! These challenges come in the form of mental stimulation. Stimulation improves brain function and actually protects against cognitive decline, the same as with physical exercise.
Believe it or not, the human brain is able to continually adapt and rewire itself. Even in later years, it can grow new neurons. While severe mental decline is usually caused by disease, most age-related losses in memory are simply a result of inactivity and a lack of mental exercise and stimulation. In other words, there is a lot of truth to the old saying, “Use it or lose it”.
Tips for Brain Health
Here are some suggestions from the Wellness Directors at Kisco’s Triad communities to help you dust off the cobwebs and regain your edge:
Switch the hand you use to do some of your daily tasks (writing, brushing your teeth or operating the TV remote with your non-dominant hand). These exercises can strengthen neural connections and even create new ones in the brain.
Imagine increased muscle strength! Researchers at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation discovered a muscle can be strengthened just by thinking about exercising it.
Engage your brain. It is important to challenge your brain to learn novel tasks, especially processes you’ve never done before. Square-dancing, chess, tai chi, yoga, sculpture, or even learning a new language are all great things to try.
Watch less television! Your brain goes into neutral during the time you spend watching TV and not actively engaging it.
Physical exercise boosts your brain. Most of us know physical exercise is good for our general health, but did you know physical exercise is also good for your brain? A recent five-year study at the Laval University in Sainte-Foy, Quebec, showed physical activity provides a protective effect on the brain and its mental processes and may even help prevent Alzheimer’s disease. This study also suggests the more a person exercises, the greater the protective effect.