Here is why some seniors' brains work as well as those of
people who are decades younger.
Brandon Ballenger • November 26,
2021
When people talk about
“aging gracefully,” they’re usually referring to physical appearance. But you
can also have a gracefully aging mind.
In recent years, scientific research has
delved into the secrets of people in their 80s and 90s whose brains function
well — by some measures, as well as the minds of folks decades younger.
Researchers have started
calling these high-functioning older people “super-agers,”
and we’re learning more about what sets them apart. While some factors are
genetic, many are things within our control.
Following are some of the
best things you can do to keep your aging brain sharp.
1. Stay positive
If you don’t think you
can have any impact on your mental age, you aren’t going to take steps to try
to impact the health of your mind. Although it sounds like a cliche, staying
positive is important.
“How we think about who
we’re going to be in old age is very predictive of exactly how we will
be,” says Shelbie Turner,
a doctoral student at Oregon State University’s College of Public Health and
Human Sciences and co-author of a study on the effects of positive
self-perception in middle-aged and older adults.
“We hold these
tremendously negative stereotypes about aging, and these start from when we’re
really young. By the time we’re older, these are actually having a negative
effect on our health,” says Elissa Epel of
the Aging, Metabolism, and Emotions Center at the University of California San
Francisco (UCSF) in a university blog post.
In addition, the stress
associated with a negative outlook seems to trigger real changes in our bodies
that can accelerate aging by causing cell damage.
2. Keep good company
Loneliness and isolation
cause a lot of physically damaging stress. So, make it a priority to keep in
touch with friends, whether you prefer a wide circle of acquaintances or a few
intimate relationships.
Emily Rogalski of
the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Northwestern
University’s Feinberg School of Medicine does research on super-agers. In a
Northwestern podcast, she notes that one of the distinctive things about
“individuals who are free of dementia, free of cognitive problems, and really
thriving in their community as well” is their endorsement of “stronger positive
relationships with others.”
According to
Rogalski, super-agers who maintain strong social relationships have
four to five times as many of a particular type of neuron in the brain thought
to play a role in awareness and social processing.
3. Stay in shape
One of the
better-understood aspects of aging well is the importance of sleep, exercise
and diet.
Epel and fellow UCSF
researchers have seen physical evidence in the brain that higher levels of
exercise and a
Mediterranean-style diet make us more resilient to aging and
keep us thinking faster and more clearly.
“As we get older, when we
see declines in memory and other skills, people tend to think that’s part of
normal aging,” Kramer says in the UCSF blog post. “It’s not. It doesn’t have to
be that way.”
That’s backed up by
research previously reported by
Money Talks News showing that aerobic exercise and resistance training improve
cognitive abilities regardless of frequency.
Certain foods are
also better for your
brain health as you age, including whole berries and fresh
vegetables. Research also shows that
two or more servings of fish per week may help prevent brain damage.
Research has also shown
that high blood pressure
can contribute to dementia and that smokers have a
greater risk of dementia. Mind and body are clearly linked.
4. Meditate
Epel’s research suggests
meditation can help protect our brains from the damage caused over time by
stress. According to the UCSF blog post:
“Meditation, exercise,
and an anti-inflammatory diet can reduce and possibly reverse some effects of
aging.”
“Our biological aging is
more under our control than we think. If we can make small changes and maintain
them over years, our cells will be listening,” Epel says.
The National
Institute on Aging suggests relaxation techniques such as meditation
and mindfulness to lower blood pressure and reduce stress.
5. Learn something new
Whether it’s finding a
new hobby or reading a good book, there are clear cognitive benefits to
exploring new things. Research even shows that video games don’t actually rot
your brain — they may preserve it.
A 2020 study found
that individuals between ages 60 and 80 had improved memory after playing a 3D
Super Mario game for roughly half an hour daily over a month-long period.
Recently published
research in the journal Neurology found that
activities ranging from reading and writing letters to playing
board games could help delay dementia into your mid-90s.
Other research
shows that being bilingual could delay the onset of dementia.
Never stop learning — or playing!
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information you read here is always objective. However, we sometimes receive
compensation when you click links within our stories.
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