Just like the body that is attached to it, the brain needs nourishment, including what I call "watering". Just like the plant that is parched, our brains need water to help keep those trillion cells well hydrated. Of course, liquids are not the only nourishment needed; certainly there is a need for the correct foods and essential vitamins to help keep cells healthy as well.
Sleep is required at any age and resting our brain cells at regular intervals is important. Sleep is when your brain processes new memories, practices and hones new skills - and even solves problems. Say you're trying to master playing the piano. Instead of grinding away into the wee hours, you would be better off playing for a couple
of hours, then going to bed. While you are asleep, your brain will reactivate the circuits it was using as you learned a particular song, rehearse them, and then shunt the new memories into long-term storage. When you wake up, you will play better.
Another factor is exercise. Simply walking for half an hour three times a week can improve abilities such as learning, concentration and abstract reasoning by 15%. The effects are particularly noticeable in older people. Senior citizens who walk regularly perform better on memory tests than their sedentary peers. What's more, over several years, their scores on a variety of cognitive tests show far less decline than those of non-walkers.
One factor that can negatively impact memory is the abuse of the brain cells from either alcohol or drugs. In small amounts, the effects are not permanent. However, regular and ongoing abuse of either can impact memory significantly, in addition to being dangerous to overall health. Be careful with prescription medication too, as some medications can impact your mental abilities.
Aging, therefore, in itself, is not the cause of memory loss.
How can active healthy adults improve their memory?
Studies have shown that "exercising the mind at any age may stimulate brain growth and help maintain robust mental functions throughout life." This means that mentally stimulating and challenging activities provoke new cells and new connections within the brain!
There are benefits to mental training, and "teaching that old dog new tricks!" Because the human brain can regenerate, the new cells are being taught all the time. We have known this information from our animal studies, but now we have studies that show dendritic systems proliferate in response to active interaction and changing environments.
There are many ways to continue to challenge your mind and improve your memory skills. Here are just a few:
- Memorize poems, learn to identify birds, or develop some other interest
- Concentrate by playing chess or a card game
- Plan a garden or do organization work
- Join a book club or learn a new language
- Take a pottery class or an art class
- Do a puzzle, or learn a musical instrument
- Visualize the day's events just before going to bed
- Practice writing down a task list for the next day
- Change your routine regularly
- If you drive, use a new route to do your errands
- Memorize one phone number each day
- Use humor!
a variety of
