Do You Do Things To Keep Your Mind Sharp?

[easysurfer]

Working on keeping my mind sharp is something I've taken for granted.

This article mentions 10 things people do:

1. Fun brain training games to improve memory
2. Keep on learning in as many ways as possible
3. Reject stereotypes about aging
4. Exercise the body as well as the mind
5. Eat these foods to support brain health
6. Get enough sleep
7. Stay connected to family, friends, and community
8. Meditate
9. Listen to music
10. They use their imagination

https://hackspirit.com/people-who-k...age-tend-to-do-these-little-things-every-day/

 

[Amethyst]

This common-sense advice is everywhere these days, given the booming aging population.

#6 is probably the most frustrating, since we have little control over our sleeping, and sleep aids have, ironically, been connected to dementia.

Working on keeping my mind sharp is something I've taken for granted.

This article mentions 10 things people do:

1. Fun brain training games to improve memory
2. Keep on learning in as many ways as possible
3. Reject stereotypes about aging
4. Exercise the body as well as the mind
5. Eat these foods to support brain health
6. Get enough sleep
7. Stay connected to family, friends, and community
8. Meditate
9. Listen to music
10. They use their imagination

https://hackspirit.com/people-who-k...age-tend-to-do-these-little-things-every-day/

 

[easysurfer]

Agree about #6. For me, anytime I stay up past midnight, I feel the effects the following day.

I've also been doing the first one by recently playing chess online Been doing so for about a month and do feel an improvement in my memory. I don't walk into a room and forget why I went there as often. I can even go to the grocery store and not have to write down the 3 things I needed to buy beforehand.

 

[Midpack]

We do all those things, some more than others. I don’t have any doubts the more physically, mentally and emotionally active we are, the better our quality of life will be, now and later. Fortunately DW and I can’t stand to be inactive.

 

[Dawg52]

I need to do more. I'm fine surfing the net which can be helpful for the brain but can turn you into a couch potato. I do go on hikes with the mutt and play some golf which keeps me in touch with friends. But I need more mental and physical exercise.

 

[aja8888]

4, 6, and 7 are my best.

 

[FLSUnFIRE]

I don't get enough 6 or 7 but I work at both. Sleep tends to go in cycles of good and not great but I wake early and often once awake I'm awake so if it's 3:30 that might be the end of the night.

 

[GenXguy]

6. Get enough sleep

Easily said but impossible for some people. I can't get enough sleep even with sleep meds. And ironically, sleep meds are not good for your brain.

 

[Zona]

Good article. I try to do all of those 10 things and am more successful at some than others. I definitely need to be better about exercise, particularly building muscle.

For #1, I do all the brain games - Wordle, Connections, sudoku, crosswords. My latest favorite is a daily logic puzzle called Murdle.

#2 Lifelong learning is important. I enjoy auditing online courses to learn about new topics so I do that from time to time if I find an interesting one. I knew a man who lived to age 104 and he had such a strong sense of curiosity about the world and how things worked, it was inspiring.

For me, #10 is hard as I don't generally do creative things. But I do read a lot of fiction/sci-fi/fantasy books so that exercises the imagination.

#6 getting enough sleep can be a struggle because I have bouts of insomnia that comes & goes. But I try to at least have a semi-consistent bedtime. I read until I fall asleep but then if I wake up in the middle of the night I'll usually have to be awake and go read again for a couple hours before I can fall back asleep. So not 100% in my control.

 

[donheff]

I do most of the list but I don't eat vegetables and I don't like game stuff like crosswords or Wordle. I have read lots of stuff on this topic and the gist of it is stay fit, active, and engaged.

I get enough sleep now, but I can see it becoming a problem as I grow more and more stiff making it hard to stay comfortable. It's kind of an obnoxious, gotcha recommendation. If you can't sleep being reminded that it's a problem isn't going to help you get sleep.

 

[Midpack]

I do Wordle, Connections and the WP crossword every day. Dr. Attia says none of that is helpful, just makes you better at crosswords. All three puzzles have become rote for me so I’m not sure why I continue to play.

I do spend a lot of time on my desktop computer, and use Excel and other tools to solve problems almost daily, I think my spreadsheet work is fairly advanced. I'd like to think that's better mental stimulation?

 

[folivier]

Read. Proofread what you write, check your spelling, have pride in what you write.

 

[MarieIG]

My biggest issue is sleep (in particular when DH goes to help out the DGC - and the doggo wakes me up in the middle of the night.)

Otherwise, I do try to exercise, watch what I eat, take supplements, stay socially engaged to a certain extent, stay spiritually engaged, keep up with the latest science on brain health (which can be somewhat contradictory and issues arise as to the quality of research), pet the doggo, practice on Duolingo.

When I remember I try to incorporate deep breathing, although I do not display an aptitude for deep breathing exercises.

 

[jollystomper]

We do all of those things, in some way, shape, or form, under the umbrella of "staying active" .

 

[MichaelB]

I do Wordle, Connections and the WP crossword every day. Dr. Attia says none of that is helpful, just makes you better at crosswords. All three puzzles have become rote for me so I’m not sure why I continue to play.

I’m not so sure word games don’t help. Loss of vocabulary is a clear indicator of cognitive decline and the puzzles stimulate brain function. Sudokus do as well. They also (probably) serve as early warning indicator ps.

 

[pacergal]

Good article.
I do all of these, but definitely could to do better on:
#2 (have taken some online classes early on, need to find some new interests ) But I do learn something new daily from this Forum!

and

#4 with physical exercise (do brain games, reading, and meditate to exercise my mind)