When you reach old age, your brain starts losing some of its power. All of a sudden, you find yourself unable to complete the simplest tasks. Moreover, both your short-term and your long-term are at risk of being lost. Here are four ways to protect your memory and delay the onset of age-related cognitive decline.
1. Challenge Your Brain
One of the ways to protect your memory is to challenge your brain on a regular basis. You can solve crossword and jigsaw puzzles, watch quizzes, or draw and paint. Another way to challenge your brain is to take up a hobby, but it needs to be an active one. Go for something that stimulates the brain, like gardening, cooking, or playing an instrument.
2. Exercise Your Muscles
Physical exercise has many health benefits and is also among the best ways to protect your memory. This is because it helps keep your heart healthy. A healthy heart can pump enough blood to keep all parts of your body in optimum shape. This includes your brain, as well. With a steady blood flow, your brain will be able to create new cells that will keep it sharp for a long time to come.
3. Get Enough Sleep
Proper sleep is another thing your body can’t function without. If you don’t sleep enough, your brain won’t be able to take in new information and process it. What’s more, you’ll also have a hard time remembering certain things. This also happens when you sleep too much, so work out how much sleep is enough for you. Eight hours or so do the trick for most people, but you shouldn’t sleep less than seven and a half hours a night.
4. Keep Learning
Your learning habit doesn’t have to end as soon as you finish school. There are plenty of learning opportunities out there for older people, too. Studying helps keep your brain active. It’s also a great way to exercise memory, as you’ll have to remember the things you’ve already learned and apply them to new bits of information. Find something you’re interested in, and look for related courses in your area. You can also do it online if you prefer it that way.
