Even Light Exercise Keeps Your Memory Sharp
By Laurie Tarkan | August 2, 2011
From www.bnet.com
Being forgetful is a dreaded affliction of middle age–having words on the tip of your tongue and forgetting what you were just about to say–but it turns out that it doesn’t take much effort to stave off the effects of aging on your memory and your mind. A growing body of research shows that you can slow the progression of memory loss and dementia by regular light exercise, like by walking or gardening. You don’t have to do moderate to high intensity exercise to get the oxygen flowing to your brain. So if you needed a tad more motivation to walk to work or exercise during your lunch break, here it is:
Go for a walk
In one study published in Archives of Internal Medicine, researchers at the University of Waterloo in Ontario measured the energy expenditure and cognitive functioning of elderly adults for two to five years. The “active” adults did not exercise, but instead did things like walking around the block, gardening and cleaning. But this moderate activity protected them from cognitive decline over several years compared to people who were more sedentary. About 90 percent of those with the greatest daily activity could think and remember just about as well over the course of the study.
Prevent brain shrinkage
Another recent study found that exercise counteracts brain shrinkage that occurs with age. The hippocampus “shrinks” in late adulthood, and this reduced volume is associated with impaired memory and increased risk of dementia, explained Dr. Eric B. Larson, the study’s author. But his study found that hippocampal volume increased by 2% compared with declines in the control groups.
Not Just For The Elderly
One study published in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine looked at young adults ranging in age from 19 to 29 and found that those who did moderate exercise five times a week for 30 minutes had enhanced memory compared to those who didn’t exercise as much.
Lift Dumbbells
If you can’t get out and walk, strength training may be just as effective. Another study published this month in Neurobiology of Aging found that weight training improved how older women think and changed how blood flows within their brains. Women who lifted weights twice a week for 12 months performed significantly better on mental processing tests than a control group.
“Exercise may turn out to be as close as we can come to the long-sought fountain of youth, and exercise, particularly walking, has no significant adverse effects,” wrote Dr. Larson.
Do you feel your brain works better when you exercise regularly?
MY THOUGHTS
I have to admit that my brain seems to function better when I exercise. When I'm sedentary, my brain seems to switch off, too.
Showing posts with label memory loss. Show all posts
Showing posts with label memory loss. Show all posts
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Monday, February 28, 2011
WHY YOUR MEMORY MAY BE SLIPPING
Head Trip: Why Your Memory May Be Slipping
Mild brain injuries from an old fall may show up years later.
By Tim Jarvis
O, The Oprah Magazine | From the June 2008 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine
Do you remember?
If that's starting to be a touchy, frustrating, panicky question, dementia is not necessarily nipping at your heels. "Many times when I'm dealing with patients who fear they have Alzheimer's, I find they have a history of head injuries," says Jonathan Canick, PhD, a neuropsychologist and the codirector of the Memory Clinic at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco. In fact, researchers at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City have been investigating the effects of unidentified traumatic brain injuries (TBI)—long-forgotten falls, sports injuries, or any accident that resulted in a blow to the head—since the early 1990s. One of their recent studies referred to TBI as a hidden epidemic, because often the symptoms, which can include both cognitive and behavioral problems, are attributed to other causes. Even mild TBIs cause noticeable brain tissue loss, according to a study in Neurology. Normal aging, Canick stresses, is not a process of mental decline, but changes in the brain can unmask the effects of prior injuries.
It's time for a brain check...
Red Flags
Are you easily able to multitask? Can you cope with everyday chores, like balancing a checkbook, without making elementary mistakes? Are you able to keep track of information? If you answer no to any of these, think back to whether you've ever had a hard knock to your head that left you disoriented, suggests Wayne A. Gordon, PhD, professor of rehabilitation medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine.
Diagnosis
"Patients go misdiagnosed because their practitioners often rely on a test like the Mini Mental State Exam that may miss more subtle and vexing problems," Canick says. The best specialists are neuropsychologists (the National Academy of Neuropsychologists at www.nanonline.org has a directory).
Treatment
Options include stimulants (such as Ritalin and Provigil), dementia drugs (Aricept, Exelon), and cognitive rehabilitation programs. None of these treatments are cure-alls, says Canick; nor do they work for everyone. But with a proper diagnosis, he says, "they can either significantly improve a person's cognition or increase mental functioning in general."
MY THOUGHTS
The key is, probably, to exercise your mind. Go for mind games. Watch shows that will make you think. Read things of value. Get into blogging. (check out my tutorial) Have 'thinking' sessions with friends and family. Be aware of your stress levels. Stress can be a contributor to forgetfulness. So, relax and free your mind of anything that will bog it down.
When you do reach that point where you become forgetful, don't just accept it. Find ways around it. Organize yourself. Live with routines. Organize your things. Keep them labeled. Color code them. Whatever. What I'm saying is don't let memory loss cripple you. And don't make an excuse out of it. If you do, one day, you won't even be able to remember what you can't remember.
Mild brain injuries from an old fall may show up years later.
By Tim Jarvis
O, The Oprah Magazine | From the June 2008 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine
Do you remember?
If that's starting to be a touchy, frustrating, panicky question, dementia is not necessarily nipping at your heels. "Many times when I'm dealing with patients who fear they have Alzheimer's, I find they have a history of head injuries," says Jonathan Canick, PhD, a neuropsychologist and the codirector of the Memory Clinic at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco. In fact, researchers at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City have been investigating the effects of unidentified traumatic brain injuries (TBI)—long-forgotten falls, sports injuries, or any accident that resulted in a blow to the head—since the early 1990s. One of their recent studies referred to TBI as a hidden epidemic, because often the symptoms, which can include both cognitive and behavioral problems, are attributed to other causes. Even mild TBIs cause noticeable brain tissue loss, according to a study in Neurology. Normal aging, Canick stresses, is not a process of mental decline, but changes in the brain can unmask the effects of prior injuries.
It's time for a brain check...
Red Flags
Are you easily able to multitask? Can you cope with everyday chores, like balancing a checkbook, without making elementary mistakes? Are you able to keep track of information? If you answer no to any of these, think back to whether you've ever had a hard knock to your head that left you disoriented, suggests Wayne A. Gordon, PhD, professor of rehabilitation medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine.
Diagnosis
"Patients go misdiagnosed because their practitioners often rely on a test like the Mini Mental State Exam that may miss more subtle and vexing problems," Canick says. The best specialists are neuropsychologists (the National Academy of Neuropsychologists at www.nanonline.org has a directory).
Treatment
Options include stimulants (such as Ritalin and Provigil), dementia drugs (Aricept, Exelon), and cognitive rehabilitation programs. None of these treatments are cure-alls, says Canick; nor do they work for everyone. But with a proper diagnosis, he says, "they can either significantly improve a person's cognition or increase mental functioning in general."
MY THOUGHTS
The key is, probably, to exercise your mind. Go for mind games. Watch shows that will make you think. Read things of value. Get into blogging. (check out my tutorial) Have 'thinking' sessions with friends and family. Be aware of your stress levels. Stress can be a contributor to forgetfulness. So, relax and free your mind of anything that will bog it down.
When you do reach that point where you become forgetful, don't just accept it. Find ways around it. Organize yourself. Live with routines. Organize your things. Keep them labeled. Color code them. Whatever. What I'm saying is don't let memory loss cripple you. And don't make an excuse out of it. If you do, one day, you won't even be able to remember what you can't remember.
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