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Neuroscientist explains the best exercise to improve brain functionMental acuity preservation -
However, normal aging does not typically affect long-term memory, recognition, intelligence, comprehension, vocabulary or syntax.
When problems with memory interfere with your day-to-day life and activities, they may require medical attention. Mild cognitive impairment MCI is an early stage of memory loss where a person experiences a subtle but significant decline in memory or thinking skills.
Forgetting to go to scheduled appointments, misplacing items and losing your train of thought mid-conversation are all signs of MCI. According to the American Academy of Neurology AAN , exercising is the best way to maintain your brain health.
Engaging in aerobic exercise at least twice a week can positively influence your cognitive ability and reduce the risk of dementia. Other recommendations for maintaining good brain health and lowering the risk of cognitive decline include getting enough sleep , maintaining a balanced diet, reducing stress and staying socially active.
Inspira Living Independently for Elders LIFE helps participants maintain their active, independent lifestyles through the support of its medical, psychiatric, social and transportation services. This comprehensive care program helps participants manage meal planning, exercise, social life, dental and vision care, nutrition, mental health, appointment scheduling and more.
Inspira Health is a high reliability organization HRO , which means safety is the top priority for patients and staff. Socializing with others is fundamental to healthy aging. This May, during Older Americans Month Recent studies suggest that a slower walking speed from year to year and slowed mental processing The winter season can be risky for older friends and family members.
Home News Maintain Your Brain: Keeping Your Mind Sharp as You Age. Maintain Your Brain: Keeping Your Mind Sharp as You Age. Maintain Your Brain: Keeping Your Mind Sharp as You Age Feb 16, In one study, exercise stimulated the human brain's ability to maintain old network connections and make new ones that are vital to cognitive health.
Other studies have shown that exercise increases the size of a brain structure important to memory and learning, resulting in better spatial memory. Aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking, is thought to be more beneficial to cognitive health than nonaerobic stretching and toning exercise.
Federal guidelines recommend that all adults get at least minutes 2. Walking is a good start. You can also join programs that teach you to move safely and prevent falls, which can lead to brain and other injuries.
Check with your health care provider if you haven't been active and want to start a vigorous exercise program. Being intellectually engaged may benefit the brain. People who engage in personally meaningful activities , such as volunteering or hobbies, say they feel happier and healthier.
Learning new skills may improve your thinking ability, too. For example, one study found that older adults who learned quilting or digital photography had more memory improvement than those who only socialized or did less cognitively demanding activities.
Some of the research on engagement in activities such as music, theater, dance, and creative writing has shown promise for improving quality of life and well-being in older adults, from better memory and self-esteem to reduced stress and increased social interaction.
However, a recent, comprehensive report reviewing the design and findings of these and other studies did not find strong evidence that these types of activities have a lasting, beneficial effect on cognition.
Additional research is needed, and in large numbers of diverse older adults, to be able to say definitively whether these activities may help reduce decline or maintain healthy cognition. Lots of activities can keep your mind active.
For example, read books and magazines. Play games. Take or teach a class. Learn a new skill or hobby. Work or volunteer. These types of mentally stimulating activities have not been proven to prevent serious cognitive impairment or Alzheimer's disease , but they can be fun!
Some scientists have argued that such activities may protect the brain by establishing "cognitive reserve.
Some types of cognitive training conducted in a research setting also seem to have benefits. For the Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly ACTIVE trial , healthy adults 65 and older participated in 10 sessions of memory training, reasoning training, or processing-speed training.
The sessions improved participants' mental skills in the area in which they were trained with evidence suggesting these benefits persisted for two years. Be wary of claims that playing certain computer and online games can improve your memory and other types of thinking as evidence to back up such claims is evolving.
There is currently not enough evidence available to suggest that computer-based brain training applications offered commercially have the same impact on cognitive abilities as the ACTIVE study training.
NIA and other organizations are supporting research to determine whether different types of cognitive training have lasting effects. For more information, see Participating in Activities You Enjoy. Connecting with other people through social activities and community programs can keep your brain active and help you feel less isolated and more engaged with the world around you.
Participating in social activities may lower the risk for some health problems and improve well-being. People who engage in personally meaningful and productive activities with others tend to live longer, boost their mood, and have a sense of purpose. Studies show that these activities seem to help maintain their well-being and may improve their cognitive function.
So, visit with family and friends. Consider volunteering for a local organization or join a group focused on a hobby you enjoy. Join a walking group with other older adults. Check out programs available through your Area Agency on Aging , senior center, or other community organizations.
Increasingly, there are groups that meet online too, providing a way to connect from home with others who share your interests or to get support. We don't know for sure yet if any of these actions can prevent or delay Alzheimer's and age-related cognitive decline.
Still, some of these have been associated with reduced risk of cognitive impairment and dementia. Stress is a natural part of life. Short-term stress can even focus our thoughts and motivate us to take action.
To help manage stress and build the ability to bounce back from stressful situations, there are many things you can do:. Genetic , environmental , and lifestyle factors are all thought to influence cognitive health.
Some of these factors may contribute to a decline in thinking skills and the ability to perform everyday tasks such as driving, paying bills, taking medicine, and cooking. Genetic factors are passed down inherited from a parent to child and cannot be controlled. But many environmental and lifestyle factors can be changed or managed to reduce your risk.
These factors include:. Many health conditions affect the brain and pose risks to cognitive function. These conditions include:.
It's important to prevent or seek treatment for these health problems. They affect your brain as well as your body and receiving treatment for other conditions may help prevent or delay cognitive decline or thinking problems.
Older adults are at higher risk of falls, car accidents, and other accidents that can cause brain injury. Alcohol and certain medicines can affect a person's ability to drive safely and also increase the risk for accidents and brain injury.
Learn about risks for falls and participate in fall prevention programs. Wear helmets and seat belts to help prevent head injuries as well. Overcoming this fear can help you stay active, maintain your physical health, and prevent future falls.
Some drugs and combinations of medicines can affect a person's thinking and the way the brain works. For example, certain ones can cause confusion, memory loss, hallucinations, and delusions in older adults.
Medicines can also interact with food, dietary supplements, alcohol, and other substances. Some of these interactions can affect how your brain functions.
New research shows prservation risk of infection from Metformin and cancer prevention biopsies. Discrimination at preservaation is linked preservaiton high blood pressure. Icy fingers and toes: Poor Thermogenic diet and exercise or Raynaud's phenomenon? Everyone has the occasional "senior moment. Memory lapses can occur at any age, but aging alone is generally not a cause of cognitive decline. When significant memory loss occurs among older people, it is generally not due to aging but to organic disorders, brain injury, or neurological illness.
Presevation research preservatiln Managing depression without medication risk prwservation infection from prostate biopsies. Discrimination at work is linked to high blood Support liver detoxification processes. Icy fingers and Managing depression without medication Mentsl circulation or Raynaud's phenomenon? Every brain changes with age, and mental function changes along with it. Mental decline is common, and it's one of the most feared consequences of aging. But cognitive impairment is not inevitable. Here are 12 ways you can help maintain brain function.
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