Keep Your Mind Sharp
Published Wednesday, January 19, 2022
Bryan Opaski (Registered Nurse, Emergency Department) enjoys both collecting comic books and spending time with his family. He combines the two by taking his kids to the comic book store and seeing them get the same excitement that he gets when picking out comics.
Keep Your Mind Sharp
By Lily Colquhoun, Prevention and Screening Clinical Services
Your brain can do amazing things. It has billions of neurons firing messages each second that control thought, memory, emotion, motor skills, respiration, vision, hunger and every process that regulates our body.
Just like other parts of our bodies, our brains change with age and mental function changes along with it. As we age, our brains begin to shrink in size, and our ability to access memories and add to our knowledge becomes less efficient. These are all typical signs of aging. Fortunately, there are easy things you can do to slow this decline. Adopting new healthy activities while maintaining current healthy habits are an effective way to help slow the decline of memory and lower your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.
Keeping your brain in shape doesn’t have to be challenging. For instance, engaging in mentally stimulating activities is a simple way to keep our minds sharp. And although most people think of word puzzles or number games to do so, activities like reading, writing or playing video games that require hand-eye coordination and mental effort are also good for your brain.
Another way to keep your brain active is to step out of your comfort zone and learn something new. Practicing a new and challenging activity is helpful for building and maintaining our thinking, understanding, learning and remembering skills. Learning another language, taking a course or starting to play an instrument can help to create new connections between brain cells and keep the brain healthy.
Are you getting enough sleep? Recent Canadian statistics report that one third of Canadians are getting less than the recommended amount of sleep. Getting seven to eight consecutive hours of sleep is important to help reset the brain, allow it to heal and restore mental health. Try turning off all electronics and screens at least 30 minutes before bedtime to help settle your mind and body.
Exercise is also important for maintaining brain health. The brain can benefit from a good workout just like the body can. Exercise can prompt the development of new neurons, which can improve cognitive function.
For more ideas to keep your mind sharp, check out https://bit.ly/tenwaystoloveyourbrain.