CROSS TRAIN
by Megan Cutter
your brain
to improve your memory
I
’ve lost my mind!” Almost every adult has experienced it – forgetting something important, making a dan-
gerous mistake, losing focus at a critical moment, realizing we have no memory of the past five miles of driving. While there can be many reasons for these lapses, they are unfortunately occurring more often to more of us, including younger people. Why? Some studies suggest we are simply on overload - multi-tasking our days, and our minds, away. It does not get better as we get older.
Recent studies indicate more than
five million Americans currently have Alzheimer’s Disease, about one in five of those over 65. And while the per- centage of Americans with dementia or other memory loss has decreased over the last decade, a decrease thought to be due to a corresponding increase in the education level and wealth of seniors; the number having memory related problems so severe they must go into assisted living or nursing homes is increasing each year. Adults, young or old, can take active steps to prevent the early progression of memory loss, and there has been much research con- ducted on maintaining the connections in the brain.
In 2009, a program called Cross
Train Your Brain was developed and implemented at Brookdale Senior Liv- ing locations across the US, and locally in Chapel Hill. This program asked participants to expand their routines and try something new such as danc-
8
NA Triangle
www.natriangle.com
ing, tai chi, or a new board game. Carol Cummings, RN, BSN, and Manager of Optimum Life Wellness Programs com- ments, “Challenging the brain in new ways and using a variety of cognitive processes can theoretically increase the neuro-connections in the brain, leading to better memory, problem-solving and concentration skills.” Maybe it’s painting, knitting, gar-
dening, playing chess or learning a new skill-set all together. What’s something in your life that you’ve never tried before, or just haven’t had the time to do? Now is the time to pick up a new (or old) passion. It just might save your brain and add many active years to your life. Dr. P. Murali Doraiswamy, Head of
Biological Psychiatry at Duke Univer- sity comments, “The general theory is that developing mental flexibility and cognitive reserve will help the brain compensate for injury. This is like building up a big network of cell phone towers so that one tower can pick up a call when another is damaged, so that no calls are dropped. Though we don’t have definite evidence that this program prevents Alzheimer’s, we do know that cross training the brain can delay the onset of symptoms. In addition, chronic stress and insomnia are typically bad for brain function, while social activ- ity and new activities are beneficial for brain function.” The mind-body connection is ever present when considering how to pro-
tect the health of your brain. Nutrition, exercise, lifestyle and social activity all play a vital role in the condition of the brain and the ability of the mind to function.
Stress Extinguishes Brain Cells
Recent research has shown that stress is toxic to a healthy brain because of the hormones released into the body. Cortisol, the hormone that creates the fight-or-flight response syndrome can cause brain cells to die if over-exposed over the long-term, three to six years. Anxiety and stress hormones can af- fect brain functioning, cognitive skills, communication, memory and focus. Acute stress can cause lower concen- tration levels, delay short-term recall ability and create confusion. Stress can even shrink the brain, and research has shown that when exposed to long-term stress, seniors had a smaller hippocam- pus – that part of the brain responsible for learning and memory.
While finding an outlet for stress can be difficult in our busy lives, it is necessary for our brain health to discover new ways of de-stressing. Take a deep breath, light a candle, pull out your journal, take a walk, have a bubble bath, get a massage - find what works for you and melt the stress away.
Power Foods for the Brain
Nutrition can affect many aspects
of our physical body, and brain health is no exception. “Research is ongo- ing related to what some call Type 3
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