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GREY MATTERS To juggle your life you need a sharp, alert brain. Here's how to get one: |
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o you find it harder than you used to to concentrate on two things at once? Is music, once an essential aid to concentration, now a distraction? |
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If so, you're noticing the effects of your brain ageing. Like it or not, our brains become less flexible as we get older. More than anything, we become forgetful. We find our minds sometimes go blank and we can't recall that we've already paid the phone bill. So how can you beat the clock and keep your brain fit and healthy? Here's the plan: |
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Physical Exercise WALK at least two miles a day, says Jason Henry, London-based fitness trainer. "Research has just revealed that every extra mile counts when it comes to halting mental decline." Studies have found that animals who have plenty of exercise end up with twice as many new neurons, and perform better on tests of learning and memory. That, explains Henry, is because of better circulation and oxygen supply. |
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Boost your Endorphins THESE feel-good brain chemicals help you relax, boosting circulation to the brain. Doing something you really enjoy will make your brain release endorphins, explaining why you may feel fresher after a few days on holiday or as you come out of a great concert. You also produce endorphins during exercise. Five hours training will boost your endorphins for up to a day, and just moderate exercise such as swimming 15 lengths or cycling 5 miles will be enough to increase endorphins for about an hour – enough to clear your head. |
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Mental Exercise STUDYING will improve your memory, and working at maths will boost your ability to deduce and calculate. Chess, mental arithmetic and computer games are particularly good. Mental exercise strengthens neural networks in the brain, improving intelligence. Professor Hindmarsh says; "Any form of mental jogging, like playing cards or doing crosswords, can prevent cognitive decline. The more circuits in the brain, the more deep-rooted they become. An older brain may not be as fast as a 25-year-old brain, but you can keep it flexible – a mentally active 50-year-old could easily have a better memory and reasoning than a lazy person who is half their age. |
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Don't Smoke NICOTINE is a brain stimulant which increases concentration for short periods, but it devastates long-term memory for names and facts. That's because when you smoke, carbon monoxide replaces oxygen in the blood, lowering oxygen supply to the brain. (Note: In reality, we only need about one-third of the oxygen we inhale, the rest is exhaled. That's how and why rescusitation works. Axiompc.) |
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Don't Get Drunk ALCOHOL is a depressant, and while small amounts alleviate stress, improving conditions for memory retention, any more than one or two glasses of wine will reduce capacity for learning. |
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Reduce Stress IN studies, chronic stress has been found to impair both memory and learning ability. It is also thought to contribute to Alzheimer's in later life. Stress can harm the brain – high levels of stress hormone cortisol kill brain cells. Cortisol also constricts blood vessels, reducing the oxygen supply to the brain. So if you've had a bad day, a hot soothing bath or a walk in the park will help you wind down and you'll be able to think clearly again. (See note in 'Don't Smoke'.) |
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Drink Water, Eat Oily Fish THE brain is 80 per cent wayer, contained in a sophisticated network of unsaturated fatty acids. Electrical charges from the water and fatty acids work to pass neural messages. According to Barbara Wren, principal of the College of Natural Nutrition, most people are under=hydrated and deficient in essential fatty acids (EFAs). For optimal brain performance, she suggests drinking at least two pints of water a day and having a regular intake of EFAs found in oily fish such as salmon and tuna, flax oil and seeds like linseed and hemp. In trials, a diet rich in the EFA linoleic acid improved learning powers and concentration. |
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Avoid Pollution THERE is evidence that pollutants age the brain. According to Patrick Holford, founder of the Institute of Optimal Nutrition, there are higher than average levels of toxins such as aluminium in the brains of people with Alzheimer's. He suggests avoiding aluminium pots, pans, foil and indigestion remedies with added aluminium. He says zinc found in wholegrains, green leafy vegetables and seafood protects against aluminium and other metal toxicity. |
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Brain Supplements LEVELS of the brain messenger chemicals (such as acetylecholine and serotonin) decline with age, says nutritionist Patrick Holford. "Supplementing with neutrients that make those chemicals – like Phosphatidylcholine and Vitamin B5 – can maintain healthy levels. He recommends the Advanced Brain Food by Higher Nature (£14.70 for 60 capsules). Professor Hindmarsh has studied the tree extract Ginkgo biloba and found it to improve memory and concentration levels and increase oxygen levels in the brain. Ginkyo will be of particular benefit to those over 50, when circulation begins to decline. He recommends Ginkyo by Lichtwer Pharma (£19.99 for 90 tablets or £9.99 for 50ml of tincture). |
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Memory Exercises ACCORDING to Dominic O'Brien, former British and World memory champion, the secret to keeping your brain young is keeping it active. One of the best ways of doing this is by boosting memory. "Images and feelings are far easier to remember than dry facts, and the more surreal they are, the better," he says. The following techniques will not only boost your memory and intelligence, they should also prove tremendously useful in your everday life. Names : Before you take in someone's name, study their face. Who do they remind you of? If it's Victoria Beckham, imagine the person singing with the Spice Girls. Then when they're introduced as Sharon Smith, the name might trigger an image of a blacksmith. Combine the two images and you have Sharon bashing at an anvil on stage. Events : Dont rely on diaries – they get lost. Instead, think of a journey with 31 stages, each representing days of the month. You could use a walk which climbs to the top of a hill. The stages could be fields, ditches, houses and fences. To remember a hot date on the sixth, imagine your potential partner eagerly waiting at your stage six. |
