5 Ways to Keep Your Brain Wired and Fired to Help Beat Dementia
Surprise and stimulate your brain
Dementia is the leading cause of death in England and Wales, and there are expected to be more than 135 million sufferers worldwide by 2050.
But dementia is not inevitable. We can stave off brain illness in the vast majority of cases.
Physical exercise plays a crucial role in reducing the risk of dementia, but just as vital are exercises that stimulate the mind.
So what kind of things are we talking about?
1. Do the obvious things — brain puzzles
Sudoku or crossword puzzle books are often sold in shops under the title ‘brain teasers’ etc. They’re not joking.
Problem-solving stretches the brain, but don’t dive in to tackle the most difficult puzzles — work your way up from the easiest levels or your brain might get stressed instead of getting a workout.
2. Try a memory game
Again, an obvious choice but it works. Download an app or buy a book, or work it into your everyday life.
When you go shopping, for example — try to memorise your groceries list.
Another exercise designed to help your brain and its ability to memorise involves finding a random sentence, in a book, a magazine, wherever.
Read it 10 times, say it out loud 10 times. Then try to repeat it in half an hour.
3. Surprise your brain
We all know life can get in a rut. So change your routine, break patterns. That wakes up your brain to the fact that something new is happening.
It doesn’t have to be anything major. If you always brush your teeth and then wash your face, do it the other way round. Take the more scenic route to visit your friend, or try doing things with your left hand instead of your right.
4. Do something new
Boost the capacity of your brain by learning a new skill or just doing something you’ve never done before. That can be anything from learning to baking cakes to playing guitar, to visiting a new place or learning a new language.
Take a course, even one you can do at home. Anything to take you out of your comfort zone and get those cogs whirring in your brain.
5. Be Creative
If you don’t count yourself as a creative person, don’t worry. Anybody can create things. They don’t have to be perfect. Creating things has been found to reduce stress and also improve our problem-solving abilities.
So draw or paint a picture, however simple; sew or knit something; write a limerick, even.
Head into the garden and make a new arrangement of plants, head into your shed and construct a shelf. Anything at all — just create!
We must also eat well, sleep well and exercise regularly for a longer, happier, healthier life, staving off illnesses and helping to beat dementia.
Scalesceugh Hall & Villas founder Dr Anita Herdeiro believes that exercise — whether it is physical or mental — should be a fabric of everyday life, enabled by its environment.
“The brain is like a muscle; books are the diet and writing is the workout.”
