We often observe various
misconceptions and wrong ideas related with what aging does to your brain and
about the things that you can do to improve your brain muscles in senior years.
So, we from Comfort Keepers thought of clearing up some of the major
misconceptions and at the same time guide you towards the right way to improve
your brain health, memory and overall cognitive faculty.
Simple Exercise
One of the major misconceptions
is that most of us think aging of the brain and the consequent decay is
inevitable. However, this is not altogether a true statement. Although it is
natural that with age the brain is likely to shrink but with just a bit of
added measure you can also reverse the brain shrinking quite significantly. A
study conducted by the University of Illinois and the University of Pittsburgh
combined have found out that just simple exercises like walking or stretching
can increase the size of the hippocampus, the main area of the brain
responsible for memory, up to 2% in just one year. Besides, the study also
suggested that seniors who exercise regularly are likely to have less amount of
amyloid, the sticky plaque found in the brain in case of Alzheimer’s disease.
Eat Fish
Another common misconception is
that supplements can boost memory and brain power. This cannot be asserted for
sure. The evidence and reports on this matter often portray conflicting
information on the results of supplements. Although vitamin E has been shown to
slow down cognitive decline with age, high doses come with some obvious side
effects. However, there’s a natural brain health booster that is unknown to
most of us is fish. A UCLA study has found out that among the seniors over the
age of 65 who ate at least one meal a week centered on fish items had higher
amount of gray matter in their hippocampus than those who had less fish or
didn’t have at all. The research concluded that the more you eat fish, up to
three servings per week, the lesser the chances of cognitive decline.
Learn New Things
Although many of us tend to
believe that playing games like crossword puzzles help to boost our brain power
but in reality, it is not exactly the case. Actually what helps is learning
anything new. Be it a game like crossword puzzle or a new skill like playing a
musical instrument. But, keep playing the same game won’t help. Doing
repetitive tasks won't help in creating new neural connection or improving your
brain but learning new things will. A recent Swedish study reports that
learning a new language increased the size of some brain parts. So, keep
learning new things be it small games or huge task like learning a language.
Your Mind Actually Gets Better with Age
Contrary to popular beliefs our
brain actually get better with age. This happens because the left and the right
hemisphere of the brain sync better due to the richness of neural connection
that is achieved with age. That’s why we often see wisdom and emotional balance
increasing with age. Due to the same increased left and right connectivity
creativity also soars in senior years. Besides, with a huge reservoir of
skills, knowledge and experience accumulated throughout the whole lifespan our
senior loved ones develop a crystallized form of superior intelligence.
Now, with these ideas in your
head we can rightly hope that you will never allow the negative misconceptions
about aging take the upper hand on you. For any help and support regarding
senior health and well being do not hesitate to contact Comfort Keepers San Mateo!
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