A new pitch for staying sharp?
March 6th 2008 21:31
Signature Tune
A new skill or hobby keeps your grey matter working longer. Here are some tips for improving brain power. Everything old is new again.
For those of us over the age of 6, research shows that musically trained adults perform better in word-memory tests than those with no musical training.
Listen to music
Boosts your learning and concentration.
Learn a foreign language
Bilingual older people have faster reaction times than those who speak only one language, and are less easily distracted while completing mental agility tasks.
Take up juggling
Learning to juggle causes certain brain areas responsible for visual motion information to grow however,the brain areas shrink again when juggling was stopped for three months.
Make love
Don’t forsake sex with your loved one for reading your book tonight, as the former may be better for your brain. Sex increases the body’s levels of the hormone oxytocin, which stimulates problem-solving.
The postcoital rise in serotonin levels also helps to boost logic and creativity.
Relax
Yoga, meditation and breathing exercises may also help to rejuvenate the brain.
Research also indicates that meditation may improve memory, especially in older people.
Regular meditators have thicker prefrontal cortexes than nonmeditators did. This brain area is linked with short-term memory. The researchers suggested that “meditation may offset age-related cortical thinning”.
Do puzzles
Brain cells work on a “use it or lose it” basis, and brain teasers such as Su Doku and crosswords are thought to improve memory and concentration. A Californian study found that adults who followed a two-week regimen of brain teasers, exercise and healthy diets had better cognitive function than those who didn’t.
To get the maximum benefit from brain-training exercises, scientists suggest that you do them regularly and tackle increasingly challenging puzzles over time. Recent research also suggests that counting and reading aloud can boost memory. Counting aloud to 99 in threes as fast as possible may also increase your memory.
Exercise
Working up a sweat keeps your brain, as well as your body, in shape. Physical exercise such as walking and jogging improves oxygen circulation to the brain. Studies indicate that exercise may help to sustain the number of brain cells in the hippocampus, a part of the brain crucial to memory and learning.
Some animal studies also suggest that physical exertion protects the brain against the effects of chronic stress at the molecular level.
Just a little re-inforcement of what you already know and a new twist or two.
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Comment by tlcorbin
Comment by Rosemary
Alpaca Notes - Tasmania
Playing in a band is the best thing. Great fun and the process of learning new tunes does have a flow on effect to other activities. Concentration and memory all get much better.
Comment by katyzzz
Photography Tips
MS Paint Art
I suspect your meditation techniques are a little "off" but then again if it helps you sleep that can be a good thing.
But you need to expand into new areas, listening to music, from classic to rock will both help and that is something you CAN do while doing other things, your creativity will not be going astray, just get into those puzzles of some sort, even tho you may find them tricky at first, it's the challenging of the brain that gets that sprouting going.
So, well done, and of course don't forget your painting.
Rosemary, your musical activities sound really great, I once asked a musician friend of mine if he thought Tasmania was behind or ahead of us musically, suspecting already what his answer would be. AHEAD. Plus the social activity of such a group will keep your mind going too.
But do attempt some things you find difficult even if you don't like doing whatever it is, attempting it will do wonders for your brain and your self esteem goes UP as you improve, and let's face it if you're NOT good at a particular thing, the only way the graph can go is up. That has to be a winner.
Well, done, the two of you, you've done your homework well.
Comment by KylieW
Celebrity Obsession
Comment by katyzzz
Photography Tips
MS Paint Art
Comment by Miswanderlust
Killer Beats
Ramble On
Hipnotherapy
Mis