The science behind staying sharp
Explainer
Ellen McIntosh
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On 25 August 2023
Staying sharp is one of our three simple rules for better brain health, but what does this mean in practice?
Research shows that mental activity as well as physical activity, particularly in midlife, could have a protective effect in the brain and on your health in later life. Researchers have suggested that this mental activity helps build ‘cognitive reserve’ – our brain’s ability to cope and keep working, even in the face of damage from diseases like Alzheimer’s.
The concept of cognitive reserve is widely researched by scientists. There is evidence showing how people respond differently to damage caused by brain diseases and everyone’s response is, to some degree, as unique as they are.
So, why may one person’s cognitive reserve be better than the next persons?
It is thought our early life education, combined with factors like our career and experiences shape our cognitive reserve. Not all of this is within our control – we can’t change or influence our early education, nor can we always have the job we would want, but there are things we can do to boost our cognitive reserve to positively impact our brain’s ability to function properly in later life.
Keeping our brain stimulated is incredibly important. This can be through leisure activities, continuing to learn and maintaining social interaction too.
What does the latest research tell us?
Prof Clive Ballard from the University of Exeter is looking at one avenue of research linked to staying sharp. He works on a large digital research programme called PROTECT, that will understand how healthy brains age and what combination of factors including diet, exercise, sleep and activities designed to keep our brains active could be most protective against dementia. The study is also looking at how to encourage people to adopt changes that could improve brain health in later life.
Beyond the PROTECT programme, there are several other studies that have helped build our understanding of our protecting brain health. For example, UK-based researchers recently discovered that people with a high cognitive reserve by the age of 69 – developed by challenging their brains through work, education and social and leisure activities – were less likely to experience memory and thinking decline in later life.
Which activities are best for our brain health?
Challenging our brains is a concept we can adapt to our likes and lives, as long as the activities we choose test our thinking and memory. Many people immediately think of a crossword or sudoku. These can be great ways to stimulate our brains, but they’re not the only ways.
Activities like book clubs, learning a new language, picking up a musical instrument or taking on new, interesting tasks at work are other ways we can do this without it feeling like a test.
Research is ongoing, but so far there’s no single magic activity that’s proven to be better than anything else. So, the take home message here is to do activities that you enjoy and can incorporate regularly into your daily life to help boost your cognitive reserve.
About the author
Ellen McIntosh
Advice is often to learn a new language. I’ve been learning French since I was 11 years old and now I’m 85, still reading it, watching French TV I even taught it for 19 years. Ought I to try German or Italian or can I just carry on with French?
Hi Susan, thank you for your comment. Research has shown that people who speak more than one language may be at lower risk of dementia.
Being bilingual for most of your adult life may delay the onset of dementia by around 4 years. And speaking more than one language in early to mid-life may provide a longer lasting protective effect on the brain. It’s not clear which activities may be most beneficial or if learning an additional language would have further benefits. But regularly doing things you enjoy, whether that’s reading, crosswords, singing or playing an instrument, will help to keep you mentally active and your brain healthy.
This is so interesting! I embarked on a full time degree course (English Language & Linguistics) at university & graduated aged 71 in 2022. I loved it & was buzzing, holding my own with the young students. Since then I have not stretched myself mentally nor physically & I’m aware that my memory is declining. My mother had Alzheimer’s & I feel that I too will go the same way. I am already losing vocabulary so will take your advice and pursue a manageable challenge. Thanks
It’s so easy not to push myself as hard as I did when I was a young person. You’ve inspired me to try harder: there’s no reason not to end every good reason to do it, thank you!
I am trying to learn poetry and quotations. I have memorised fifteen poems over time and currently studying ‘Home Thoughts from Abroad’. It’s not the easiest poem to learn but I’ll keep trying.
You say that keeping our brain active is the way to stave off dementia. I have always read, I belong to a Book Group, i have continued to learn French into old age, i go to U3A groups at which I learn new information, I do puzzles, but I have now been told I have CSVD and I am already feeling I am losing my memory. So, what was the point? Keeping sharp does not help the deterioration of blood vessels.
Hi Gillian, thank you for your comment. I’m sorry to hear about your diagnosis. While there is no sure-fire way to prevent dementia, there are some things that we can influence that can reduce our risk, including keeping active and looking after our heart health, challenging our brains and keeping connected to the people around us. The majority of dementia cases are caused by a mixture of factors, including those we can influence, but also those that we can’t- like age and genetics. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact our Infoline or 0300 111 5111 (Mon-Fri 9-5pm) or email infoline@alzheimersresearchuk.org
As a 67 year old, I’m now in my sixth year at university and studying a Masters of Dementia at the Wicking Institute, University of Tasmania.
It has been an extraordinary experience, learning a new field, exploring the complexities of the brain, dementia, and the modifiable risk factors. We can address to reduce, if not prevent, dementia.
My advice: keep physically active, socially engaged, eat well, do not smoke, be aware of your alcoholic consumption, and yes, test your brain health with new and challenging experiences. There is lots of evidence-based research to suggest it works, BUT, there is no one size fits all.
I’ve followed all the suggestions about how to sleep better, but unfortunately need to get up to visit the toilet to pass water about 4 times each night. I know I have to drink plenty to avoid constipation but take most of my fluids earlier on during the day, not drinking anything after 6pm. So what else can I do to avoid this problem during the night?
Hi Sue, thanks for sharing. If you’re already following the usual advice on fluid intake, it may be worth speaking to your GP. Frequent night-time urination can sometimes have an underlying cause that can be treated.