STAYING CURIOUS

 

Learning new skills leads to better neuroplasticity – the brain's ability to form new connections between existing neurons, explains Dr Brockis.

 

"It used to be thought we only had a short period of relative plasticity in early childhood."

 

"But although our brain's plasticity does decline with age, we don't lose it."

 

ACTION : Why not take up a musical instrument or an evening class?

 

GOOD QUALITY SLEEP

 

"Studies have shown being deprived of sleep for 24 hours decreases memory and concentration," says Dr Michael Wasserman of the American Geriatric Society. "But regular, restful sleep improves memory."

 

Scientists think that while asleep, we shift recent experiences over to more efficient storage regions in the brain where they become long-term memories.

 

It's how we learn and remember facts and skills.

 

ACTION : Try and get to bed before midnight and aim for 7-8 hours kip.

 

ACTION: See your GP about losing some weight if you are obese¹.

 

CROSSWORDS² BY THE CLOCK

 

You've probably read how doing puzzles can help keep your brain young.

 

But if you want to stoke up synapses⁴, get out the stopwatch.

 

ACTION : "Try timing⁵ yourself when you solve a crossword³ or Sudoku," he adds. "You'll get faster and even eliminate that tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon (where you can describe a word but can't remember it)."

 

AEOBIC EXERCISE

 

Besides increasing blood flow, exercise leads to an increase in the BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) our brain secretes⁶, says Dr Brockis. BDNF has been dubbed⁷ Miracle-Gro for brains as it helps grow and strengthen them, allowing us to learn and remember information better.

 

ACTION: The best exercise for brains? "Anything that gets your heart rate up and makes you puff⁸ a bit," says Dr Brockis. "A 30-minute plus session of aerobic⁹ exercise is ideal. Whether it's walking, swimming, running, cycling, table tennis, kayaking, rugby or golf, the trick is to schedule it on a regular basis, start slow and gradually increase the number of sessions each week, and their duration."

点击收听单词发音