Brain potential
The number of brain cells that directly carry out thought processes is determined at birth. In the first year of life it increases slightly, and gradually decreases as the body grows and ages.
It is possible to increase brain reserves not by increasing the number of neurons, but solely by connecting areas between the processes of nerve cells – the so-called synapses. New synapses are formed constantly, while existing synapses disintegrate – an ongoing process that changes the complex pattern of neuronal processes.
A developing and efficiently functioning brain constantly increases the number of synapses and the relative content of synapses per neuron. Each of us has certain hereditary characteristics, not always favorable, and has experienced illness, trauma and stress during our lives, but the aging of the brain and changes in its functional abilities in everyone proceeds through the same mechanisms, leading to different results.
Brain aging
A person notices the first symptoms of brain aging in adulthood and often does not attach any importance to them, attributing them to fatigue or lack of sleep.
Increasing over the years, brain aging leads to devastating consequences that interfere with the enjoyment of life and poison the existence of family and friends. However, some simple practical techniques to combat the natural loss of neurons and synapses can keep the mind fresh and alert into old age.
How to develop brain reserves
- You need to firmly know that your actions aimed at activating brain reserves will bring benefits at any age. It’s never too late to start them!
- Your brain is able to quickly change its functional structure depending on the activities that you have to do often or regularly.
- If you do not strain your thinking capabilities every day, after a while your brain reserves will decrease. In practice, this means that those of us who plan to stay active and sane for a long time should exercise our brains with daily exercise, such as reading complex books, learning foreign languages, or writing memoirs;
- An active brain needs to receive new tasks that will stimulate its development. In your spare time, stop watching your favorite television series. It’s better to start compiling a file in your home library or researching your family’s pedigree; solving problems from high school textbooks also helps;
- Physical activity of the body protects the brain from aging. This statement is true for any regular physical activity performed in an aerobic mode, be it brisk walking. Swimming or cycling;
- Positive emotions improve thought processes. Try to accustom yourself to a positive response to everyday situations, fight irritability and pessimism. A positive attitude in life is one of the necessary factors for maintaining active longevity of the brain;
- Be curious, take an interest in everything new, communicate with people, visit exhibitions, museums and theaters. All this will give your brain the necessary food for daily development.
- The brain needs proper sleep, which is especially important in our age of chronic lack of sleep and excessive work;
- The brain is the most energy-intensive organ of the human body; it absorbs about 1/5 of the total energy required by the body, despite the fact that its weight usually does not exceed 2% of body weight. The brain needs good nutrition and a clear eating regimen. You should lean on healthy foods with a low glycemic index (hard-to-digest carbohydrates), seafood, and olive oil. Never skip breakfast, which should be hearty and contain difficult-to-digest carbohydrates (for example, oatmeal, cereal bread). Limit the total amount of food you eat, because regular overeating is the path to premature aging.
Following these simple rules will help you maintain your thinking abilities for many years. And your friends, even as you approach old age, will be able to say about you: “This man is young at heart.”