As your body gets older, it isn’t difficult to notice the changes. Your skin starts to get some wrinkles. You begin to lose your hair or it turns grey. Your joints begin to stiffen. Some drooping of the skin begins to occur in certain places. Perhaps you begin to detect some fading of your hearing and eyesight. It’s pretty hard not to see these changes.
But the impact aging has on the mind isn’t always so evident. You might notice that your memory isn’t as strong as it used to be and that you need to start noting essential dates on your calendar. Maybe you miss significant events or lose your train of thought more frequently. But regrettably, you may not even notice this slow onset. And that hearing decline can be exacerbated by the psychological effects.
Luckily, there are some ways that you can work out your brain to keep it clear and healthy as you get older. And you may even have a little bit of fun!
What is the link between hearing and mental cognition
The majority of people will gradually lose their hearing as they age (for a number of reasons). The risk of cognitive decline will then increase. So what is the connection between cognitive decline and hearing loss? Research reveals a number of invisible risks of hearing loss.
- There can be atrophy of the part of the brain that processes sound when somebody has untreated hearing loss. Occasionally, it’s put to other uses, but generally speaking, this is not very good for your cognitive health.
- A feeling of social isolation is often the consequence of neglected hearing loss. Because of this lack of social connection, you can start to detect cognitive lapses as you withdraw from the outside world.
- Mental health issues and depression can be the outcome of neglected hearing loss. And having these mental health problems can boost an associated danger of mental decline.
So is dementia the outcome of hearing loss? Well, indirectly. But neglected hearing loss can raise your risk of cognitive decline, up to and including dementia. Treating your hearing loss can considerably reduce those risks. And, boosting your overall brain health (known medically as “cognition”) can lessen those risks even more. A little preventative treatment can go a long way.
Increasing cognitive function
So how do you accomplish giving your brain the workout it requires to strengthen cognitive function? Well, as with any other part of your body, the amount and type of exercise you do go a long way. So here are a few enjoyable ways to exercise your brain and improve your sharpness.
Gardening
Cultivating your own vegetables and fruit is a delicious and rewarding hobby. Your cognition can be improved with this unique combination of hard work and deep thinking. Here are several reasons why:
- Gardening requires modest physical activity. Increased blood flow is good for your brain and blood flow will be improved by moving buckets around and digging in the ground.
- Relief of anxiety and a little bit of serotonin. This can help keep mental health problems like depression and anxiety in check.
- You have to think about what you’re doing when you’re doing it. You have to utilize planning skills, problem solving skills, and analyze the situation. This gives your brain a great deal of great practice.
As an added bonus, you get healthy fruits and vegetables from your hobby. Of course, not all gardens have to be focused on food. You can grow flowers, wild grasses, cacti, or anything your green thumb wishes!
Arts and crafts
Arts and crafts can be appreciated by anyone no matter the artistic ability. You can make a simple sculpture out of popsicle sticks. Or you can get started with pottery and make a cool clay pot! It’s the process that counts when it comes to exercising the brain, not so much the specific medium. That’s because arts and crafts (drawing, sculpting, building) cultivate your imagination, your critical thinking skills, and your sense of aesthetics.
Here are a few reasons why getting involved in arts and crafts will improve cognition:
- It requires the use of fine motor skills. Even if it seems like it’s happening automatically, a lot of work is being carried out by your nervous system and brain. That kind of exercise can keep your mental functions healthier over the long haul.
- You need to process sensory input in real time and you will need to engage your imagination to do that. A lot of brain power is required to accomplish that. You can stimulate your imagination by undertaking these unique brain exercises.
- You have to think about what you’re doing while you do it. This kind of real time thinking can help keep your cognitive processes limber and flexible.
Your talent level doesn’t really make a difference, whether you’re creating a work of art or doing a paint-by-numbers. The most relevant thing is keeping your brain sharp by engaging your imagination.
Swimming
Taking a swim can help keep you healthy in a number of ways! Plus, it’s always enjoyable to jump into the pool (particularly when it’s so unrelentingly hot outside). And while it’s obviously good for your physical health, there are a few ways that swimming can also be good for your cognitive health.
Whenever you’re in the pool, you need to do a lot of thinking about spatial relations when you’re swimming. After all, you don’t want to collide with anyone else in the pool!
You also have to think about your rhythms. When will you need to come up for a breath of air when you’re under water? Things like that. This is still an effective mental exercise even if it’s going on in the back of your brain. And mental decline will advance more slowly when you get involved in physical exercise because it helps get more blood to the brain.
Meditation
Just a little time for you and your mind. As your thoughts become calm, your sympathetic nervous system also calms down. Sometimes known as mindfulness meditation, these practices are made to help you focus on what you’re thinking. In this way, meditation can:
- Help you learn better
- Improve your attention span
- Improve your memory
Put simply, meditation can help present you with even more awareness of your mental and cognitive faculties.
Reading
It’s great for you to read! And it’s also really fun. A book can take you anywhere according to that old saying. The bottom of the ocean, the ancient past, outer space, you can travel everywhere in a book. Think of all the brain power that is involved in creating these imaginary landscapes, following a story, or visualizing characters. This is how reading engages a massive part of your brain. Reading isn’t possible without engaging your imagination and thinking a great deal.
Consequently, one of the very best ways to sharpen the mind is reading. You have to use your memory to monitor the story, your imagination to visualize what’s happening, and you get a sweet dose of serotonin when you finish your book!
What you read doesn’t actually make a difference, fiction, non-fiction, science fiction, as long as you spend some time every day reading and strengthening your brainpower! And, for the record, audiobooks are basically as effective as reading with your eyes.
Manage your hearing loss to minimize cognitive risks
Even if you do every single thing right, neglected hearing loss can continue to increase your risks of cognitive decline. Which means, even if you swim and read and garden, you’ll still be struggling uphill, unless you get your hearing loss treated.
Your social skills, your thinking, and your memory and cognition will improve once you have your hearing loss addressed (usually with hearing aids).
Is hearing loss an issue for you? Call us today to make an appointment for a hearing exam and reconnect to life!