Are you always forgetting where you left your keys? Do you remember to send important birthday cards?
With the constant distractions of modern life – phones ringing and emails popping up all day long – everyone can be forgiven for being absent minded sometimes. But as we get older, forgetfulness can start to feel a bit frightening, particularly if older relatives have conditions such as dementia.
Every day the human brain loses thousands of cells, and as we reach our late 50s, the rate of loss begins to speed up. But there’s plenty you can do to slow this decline: recent studies show keeping your brain busy can decrease cognitive deterioration by 15%.
Don’t rely on technology
We seem to rely on technology for everything
Many of us no longer try to recall the name of a song or a restaurant we like; we’ll whip out our iPhones and use Google to find the answer instead.
"There’s research to show these technologies are changing the shape of our brains, and the way they function – it’s worrying to think about what’s going to happen to future generations," says Patrick Fagan, an associate lecturer in Consumer Psychology.
Occupational psychologist Suzanne says, "I recommend people turn off their email alerts: only check your inbox three or four times a day and give them your full attention, rather than being constantly distracted."
Exploring new areas of the country can have a beneficial effect on your mind, but the benefits are lost if you blindly follow a sat-nav. Instead, challenge yourself by reading a map and taking in your surroundings.
Get some exercise
It may seem odd to hit the gym to boost your brain power, but a study by the University of Georgia found that doing as little as 20 minutes of aerobic exercise a day is enough to significantly improve mental function.
"Physical exercise has a great effect on your cognition: it keeps your body healthy and improves circulation, which means your brain is able to get fresh oxygen more quickly," says cognitive neuro-psychologist Dr Ashok Jansari.
Be sociable
Hanging out with your friends is not necessarily what springs to mind when thinking about ways to improve your brainpower, but a study from PLOS Medicine has shown that people who are very lonely are more than twice as likely to develop dementia.
"Maintaining a good level of social contact is key when it comes to thinking about cognitive health," says Dr Jansari. "Someone who lives alone and doesn’t see many people is not going to be as mentally agile as someone who regularly talks to a lot of people."
Socialising is mentally stimulating and promotes cognitive functions such as reasoning, intuition, thinking, and feeling – all of which help create a reserve of brain cells and encourage the formation of new connections in the brain.
Play games
Brain training games rake in nearly a billion pounds a year worldwide. There are plenty of apps which claim to increase concentration and boost memory, but, last year, 73 leading psychologists and neuroscientists signed an open letter claiming the games were based on ‘exaggerated and misleading claims’. Rather than improving cognitive wellness, they may actually worsen brain health by making the player less physically and socially active.
A better and cheaper alternative are games like chess or Scrabble, which is great for improving your vocabulary. Abstract or rare words are stored separately from common words in the brain, and without regular use, these areas can wither away in older people.
Recalling forgotten vocabulary refreshes and restructures the brain – so why not try reading a challenging book with unfamiliar language?
Sleep more
This is the simplest way to help your brain out. As well as getting 7-9 hours a night, a recent study shows that the humble afternoon nap may be beneficial in the battle against brain degeneration.
"The ideal length is 10 minutes – anything less doesn’t have any significant benefits, and anything more means you have to wait for sleep inertia (grogginess) to dissipate," says Patrick.
It’s important to get good-quality sleep, which means winding down for an hour before bed. Checking your phone or laptop last thing at night is a big no-no because the blue light emitted has been shown to disrupt natural sleep cycles.