The good news is that you don’t have to go to great lengths: these nine small changes in your daily life promise big results.
Do only one thing at a time
The so fashionable multitasking does not hold from the neuroscientific point of view: it is proven that the brain is incapable of making two decisions at the same time. Forced to distribute attention, your performance declines and you become stressed. To avoid this, experts propose focusing leisure on a single activity. Reading, cooking or doing crafts improves concentration and reduces the risk of cognitive decline by almost 50%.
Practice neurobics
Brushing your teeth with your non-dominant hand, showering with your eyes closed, or driving with gloves are “some ingenious ways to grease the circuits of attention,” explains neurologist Lawrence Katz in his book The Awakened Mind . Because our brain needs unexpected stimuli to improve memory and logical and creative thinking . Neurobic is Katz’s name for these exercises, defined by him as “carrying out daily tasks in a slightly different way.”
Do not stand still
Our brain mass enjoys like a dwarf the hours we dedicate to the gym or running , as they provide it with an extra supply of blood, loaded with oxygen and nutrients. You don’t even have to get tired: according to a scientific study carried out in 2011, thirty minutes of intense walking a day is more than enough. And in people over 65, three days a week of physical activity can reduce the risk of dementia by a not inconsiderable 38%.
Eat with your head
Olive oil, fruits, vegetables of all colors, legumes and fish are the basis of the Mediterranean diet, a model of eating with great benefits. While too much sugar can damage the hippocampus – the center of memory operations – recent research suggests that a menu rich in fresh produce and including fish at least twice a week prevents dementia and even slows its symptoms.
Learn languages or music
As we age, the brain gets used to carrying out familiar tasks, and it tends to leverage itself. There is less stress, true, but that tranquility, that routine, is not good for neurons. Learning languages is an excellent trigger and protects against cognitive decline : it can delay the onset of Alzheimer’s by up to five years. The brave may be most seduced by learning to play a musical instrument, one of the most demanding and effective forms of mental stimulation, with profound and long-lasting effects.
Open up to others
To fertilize the brain, nothing better than meeting new people, going out with friends or chatting for a while: interpersonal relationships offer more benefits than other helpful techniques to revitalize the mind, such as solving Sudoku puzzles or crosswords. In fact, according to a study carried out in Sweden, those who live alone or have few social ties are 60% more likely to suffer from dementia.
Sleep like a baby
If we don’t get adequate rest at night, our mood, motivation, judgment, and perception of events will most likely be affected. And, more importantly, our memory will fail us. Hundreds of investigations suggest that the brain does not turn off when we sleep , but is dedicated to consolidating and archiving memories.
Relieves tensions
Stress is a natural mechanism, but it ravages the western population. In excessive doses, it carries serious health consequences and, according to a study carried out by scientists at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, increases the risk of developing dementia. Yoga, allied with meditation, is ideal for relaxing the mind and training the body , with impressive effects from day one.
Have a laugh
Laughing is undoubtedly an effective medicine: it exercises muscles, reduces stress and releases hormones that contribute to a feeling of well-being. But also a good laugh reactivates neural connections. As a study conducted in Japan shows, people in their 80s who simply watched a twenty-minute sitcom once a week already experienced noticeable improvements in their symptoms of cognitive decline.
