don't escalate into a bigger problem How to prevent cognitive decline as

How to prevent

cognitive decline as you get older

As you get older your cognitive abilities weaken and you might struggle to remember things that once came to you quickly. It’s a sad state of affairs and a condition that is only worsened by things like poor mental health earlier in life, social isolation, loneliness and poor physical health or illness. Later in life, dementia and diabetes can also contribute. However, there are a number of things that you can do to prevent cognitive decline and, no matter how old (or young) you are, if you start now and it will have positive repercussions for the future.

If you’re a regular gym goer, think of it as training for your brain.

Improve your Attention

Attention is an active mental process that requires a lot of energy. Things like being hungry, thirsty, stressed or in pain can prevent you from paying attention to something. Combat this by making sure you keep hydrated with fresh water, exercise regularly and keep temperature and lighting to a level where it’s comfortable and supports your activities.

If you have a big project that you’re working on, write a plan with a “to do” list, breaking down tasks. Once you’ve completed one and ticked it off, you will feel so much better. Make sure you take regular breaks and get up and move around and give yourself a reward for completing tasks.

Improving Memory

There are two types of memory that our app, MyCognition, focuses upon – episodic memory and working memory. Episodic memory is your ability to recall past events and experiences – helping you to take on current challenges through using your “wisdom”. This can be badly affected by a poor night’s sleep, too much caffeine or depressants like alcohol. So, limit caffeine and alcohol consumption, make sure you relax before going to bed (to prepare yourself for a good night’s sleep) and eat a diet high in Omega 3 (typically found in fish oils).

When it comes to working memory, this is your ability to make good decisions and solve problems – the workspace in your mind where you ‘hold a thought’ and use additional information to make those decisions. A good working memory helps you to build relationships as you easily remember information about a person, and converse with ease. But, if you’ve got a poor working memory, social situations might scare you as you can’t engage with people and you might become uncharacteristically emotional or angry.

Stress is a major cause of poor working memory so talking to a professional could help and using apps daily, like MyCognition, helps you to build up resilience to stress. Try to be more social by joining a book club or debating society where you practice your comprehension and make friends. Or you could learn a musical instrument or join a choir. Yoga is a great way of getting the blood flowing while using meditation techniques to calm you down. All these help to improve working memory.

Processing Speed

Ask yourself, how quick am I at completing tasks? And how accurate am I with them?

Regular exercise helps to improve your processing speed while rehearsing processes over and over again helps you automate your responses and visual aids can make thinking quickly more manageable.

Executive Function

This is your ability to plan, self-regulate your emotions and be creative. It helps you to consider contingencies, so that you have peace of mind and can remain calm and in control.

As you get older an impaired executive function can lead to anxiety. To combat this, build strong social relationships with people who care about you. Create a strong social network by planning events, volunteering or by learning something new like a language.

It’s so important to remember that whatever your age, you can take action to prevent cognitive decline. Research has shown that poor cognition leads to poor mental health and, in such unprecedented times, we need to spend time looking after our minds to ensure we safeguard ourselves from something that is preventable.

MyCognition helps people stay as young and healthy as possible, for as long as possible. Through the app, and restorative meditation, AquaSnap, it focuses on the five cognitive domains and has been proven to dramatically improve the lives of those who use it. Unlike many mental health apps, it is NHS-approved. It was also reported in the Times newspaper as the best health app 2020, and was placed top by The Gates Foundation following a global review of cognitive apps.

Keiron Sparrowhawk Neuroscientist and founder of the digital therapeutic, MyCognition