The Power of Mental Stimulation: Protecting Your Brain from Alzheimer’s and Dementia

2023-07-30 14:00:00

Also exciting: Alzheimer’s and dementia – these are the differences > >

We still want to protect our brain. The motto is “use it or lose it“What is not used is lost. Puzzles and crosswords are therefore very popular with many people. The cognitively stimulating leisure activities are designed to protect our brains from premature deterioration. in this country resolved nearly 38 percent of peoplen regularly or now and then puzzles.

But do riddles and jigsaw puzzles do anything at all? Can it protect our brains from degradation?

Science agrees: Yes! Researchers were able to produce what are probably the clearest results in a 2021 study represent. In a long-term study with 1,903 participants, they examined when and whether dementia and Alzheimer’s occurred. The 457 people who actually developed some form of dementia in the course of the observation were analyzed as to how regularly they undertook cognitively stimulating activities in the years before the onset of the disease.

The results of the evaluation are astounding: The people who regularly performed cognitive stimulating activities developed dementia and mental deterioration an average of five years later than people who did little or rarely cognitively challenge themselves.

The more the brain is used, the better equipped it is in old age

The best ways to regularly challenge your brain and prepare it for old age are

To read: Reading books, magazines, or newspapers can help keep the brain active and engaged.Write: Writing can help improve cognitive skills and can be a great way to express thoughts and ideas.Crosswords and Jigsaw Puzzles: This type of games can help improve memory and stimulate thinking.Learn a new skill: Learning a new skill, like a foreign language or a musical instrument, can challenge the brain and promote mental flexibility.Physical movement: Regular physical activity can improve blood flow to the brain and help maintain cognitive abilities.social interaction: Engaging in conversations, participating in group activities, or meeting friends can help keep the brain active and healthy.

Learn more: These are the signs of dementia > >

Anyone who uses their brain regularly also benefits in old age in a completely unexpected way. Because no matter how fit our brain is, mental deterioration inevitably occurs with age. The neurons no longer fire as quickly, connections between the synapses are no longer made as easily.

But whoever has built up a solid cognitive reserve throughout his life protects himself according to the rule: If you know a lot, you can also forget more before important intellectual abilities are lost. In an interview with Medical News Today explained Dr. Joyce Gomes-Osman it like this:

Every thing we learn is like a book on a bookshelf. With each book we add, the library grows (…) With a particularly large library in mind, it matters less if many books are lost – there are still plenty of books left to serve as backups or alternatives, to replace lost ones.

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