Have you noticed your mind getting sluggish over the last few months and aren’t sure what’s wrong? Or maybe you can’t remember things like your work passwords as clearly as you used to and need to write them down.
Everybody experiences a little “mental slowing” as they age. It’s one of the most frustrating things about getting older and can impact your life in many ways. However, you have the power to fight against it, to keep yourself mentally sharp and vibrant.
At A Cognitive Connection, we help people like you struggling with cognitive decline. We can help you retain your mental edge as you age through various simple therapies. Here are five clever brain exercises that can hone your mind and keep you mentally strong.
Halting or Reversing Cognitive Decline: You Can Do It!
Before checking out these fun and engaging exercises, let’s examine aging’s ultimate villain, cognitive decline, and how to fight against it. A slight mental slowing occurs in most people as they age, but sharper losses have varying triggers. According to Healthline, cognitive decline causes may include:
- High blood pressure
- Vascular disease
- Depression
- Diabetes
- Sleep deprivation
- Frontotemporal dementia
- Alzheimer’s disease
However, proactive steps, such as changing medications, sleeping more soundly, and eating healthier, can prevent and reverse cognitive decline. That said, even something as simple as memory games can boost your memory and fight cognitive decline.
5 Fun Brain Exercises to Combat Cognitive Decline
You’ve probably heard of brain exercises before but weren’t sure how well they could help you. Well, a neuroscientist writing for CNBC reports that 90-120 minutes of brain exercises a week can improve cognitive abilities, such as:
- Learning
- Memory
- Focus
- Reasoning
- Thinking
She suggests three or four 30-minute sessions a week, though you could do 12-17 minutes daily to get the same benefits. Whatever approach you take, these five exercises can help you overtake your cognitive decline and regain at least some of your cognition.
1. Put Together a Jigsaw Puzzle
Jigsaw puzzles might seem like kids’ games, but research has shown that putting them together challenges many areas of the brain. They require strong visuospatial reasoning, pattern recognition, extreme focus, and patience. Puzzles are also very inexpensive, which makes them an excellent choice for anyone on a budget. You might even find discounts on them at pawn shops.
Here’s how to get setup:
- Place a folding table in a spare room where you can focus on your puzzle without distractions.
- Keep the door shut against cats — they’ll love messing up your hard work!
- Now, choose a puzzle that fits your lifestyle and availability.
A 10,000-piece puzzle is great if you have the time and energy for it…but even a 200-piece puzzle can provide real cognitive-health benefits.
2. Dance the Night Away
Psychology Today reports that dancing improves physical health (such as building flexibility, strength, balance, and coordination) and enhances cognitive strength! Very Well Mind reports that dancing helps keep your mind sharp, boosts self-esteem, and releases endorphins. It may also help prevent:
- Dementia
- Boost memory
- Anxiety
- Depression
Learning a new dance style (such as salsa, tap, ballet, and hip-hop dance) gives your exercises structure and purpose, further boosting the cognitive benefits. However, you can also try free-form dance, meaning you dance using whatever style you want! All these options should improve your mental sharpness, so choose one that makes the most sense for you.
3. Learn a New Skill
Have you ever felt like your life peaked years ago, and you’re mostly going through the motions now? This feeling can cause mental sluggishness and cognitive decline, especially if you stop trying to learn new things. Wellness coach Dr. Dennis Buttimer says, “We’re meant to grow, stretch, extend, and expand” when discussing the importance of continual learning as we age.
Practicing a new skill (no matter how late in life) activates long-dormant parts of the brain and forces you to start thinking more carefully again. Consider these options:
- Pick up a guitar and start strumming.
- Start painting your masterpiece.
- Practice coding with online tutorials.
- Learn to sew or crochet.
Your new abilities will keep you sharp and reverse mental decline. Even if you never become a master, it’s worth learning new things.
4. Play a Tough Strategy Game
While games like chess, backgammon, checkers, Go, and modern equivalents seem childish, research shows they provide real cognitive health benefits. In a paper published by the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, researchers stated that playing chess could protect against dementia and other cognitive decline.
Furthermore, research by Psychology Today revealed chess therapy (i.e., using chess as a tool for mental health recovery) dates back to at least 1937. Even if you don’t like chess, similar games could improve your cognitive and mental health and hone your mind into a sharp and active tool. You can quickly sign up to play chess free online with people worldwide.
5. Try Sudoku
Sudoku is a logic-based puzzle that exploded in America in the early 2000s, though European newspapers featured similar brain teasers as early as 1895! Likely invented in 1979 by Howard Garns, modern Sudoku was introduced in Japan in 1984 and earned its name here. Its simple design makes it easy enough for kids to learn while providing real cognitive health benefits.
Studies have found that regularly doing Sudoku puzzles may increase logical reasoning, problem-solving, pattern recognition, and critical thinking abilities. You can easily find paper-based Sudoku puzzle books in supermarket checkout lines or even download Sudoku apps for your phone. After a few minutes of learning the rules, you should be ready to go!
Turn Your Brain Into a Fine-Honed Tool With A Cognitive Connection
By taking control of your brain health, you can retain your mental sharpness and even reverse some losses to make your mind a powerful tool for good. At A Cognitive Connection, we’re here to give you the tools you need to beat cognition loss and keep good thoughts flowing for years to come. Contact our team at A Cognitive Connection today to wrestle back control of your mind from aging’s cruel grip! Check out our classes designed to help your mind improve!
