Tips for Maintaining Cognitive Health as You Approach Your Senior Years

By Ingrid Snellings BA, Health Coach

“Cognitive health – the ability to think clearly, learn, and remember.” (1)

I am 61 years old and concerned about my physical and mental health as I am certain many of you who are approaching your senior years must also be. From personal experience, along with physical declines in strength and balance, I also have cognitive declines. However, I conclude through my research and training as a health coach that as my physical health can improve with effort and practice, so can my cognitive abilities.  Last year when I took the course to become certified as a health coach, I expected that I would perform as I did 35 years ago when attending university.  I sadly discovered that was not the case as I had to spend probably three times as much energy studying and memorizing materials and disciplining myself to focus and concentrate.  However, after completing the requirements for certification, I have continued to participate in mental activities that challenge me.  In starting an online business, I must learn new skills, such as marketing, and how to use social media.  I am continuing my studies as I research new material for the blogs I write and publish on my website.  As time passes, my concentration has improved as well as my endurance in engaging in mental work.  My experience during university and homeschooling my children showed me that the ability to concentrate and to perform different cognitive skills associated with learning takes practice.  Our brain needs to learn certain skills, practice, and regular workouts to maintain cognitive health!

Cognition is our ability to perceive information, store it, and use it.  It includes reasoning, memory, language, attention, learning, and perception.  Cognitive skills include critical thinking, quantitative skills, reasoning and logic, emotional intelligence, and focused attention. Critical thinking is the ability to think about a situation or ideas objectively and form an unbiased opinion.  It includes being able to state your position and support it with evidence in a clear, concise manner.  Quantitative skills are working with numbers, which includes statistics, logistics, analytical skills, and surveying skills.  Logic is the knowledge of different types of arguments and reason is the application of this knowledge.  Emotional intelligence is our ability to recognize and manage our own emotions as well as recognize the emotions of others and effectively work with them.  Focused attention is the ability to concentrate on the moment and tasks that you might be working on.  Finding exercises and tasks that require these skills will improve your cognitive abilities. (2)

As we age, some cognitive abilities remain the same or may improve over time, such as our vocabulary, general knowledge, and any tasks that we have practiced multiple times, such as those related to our careers, interests, or hobbies.  However, other cognitive abilities naturally decline, such as “conceptual reasoning, memory [short-term], and processing speed.”   However, many of these natural declines can be lessened by learning memory techniques, using cues and prompts, and practice. (3) 

Maintaining and Improving Cognition Through Lifestyle Choices

A healthy lifestyle contributes to cognitive functioning. According to a review of studies conducted on the effect of aging on cognitive functions published in the National Library of Medicine, “There is emerging evidence that healthy lifestyles may decrease the rate of cognitive decline seen with aging and help delay the onset of cognitive symptoms in the setting of age-associated diseases.” (4)

• Eating healthfully:  Include healthy fats and omega-3s.  “Nutrition has been identified as a critical factor in successful cognitive aging as well as in abnormal cognitive decline including dementia.” (5)

• Daily activity and exercise: Physical activity increases the blood flow and oxygen to the brain.

• Getting adequate sleep:  According to the Sleep Foundation, “Getting enough hours of high-quality sleep fosters attention and concentration, which are prerequisites for most learning. Sleep also supports numerous other aspects of cognition, including memory, problem-solving, creativity, emotional processing, and judgment.” (6)

• Being socially connected and active: “…researchers have examined how social support and engagement in social activities affect cognition in aging and determined that social involvement and productive activities lower mortality outcomes as much as physical exercise.” (5)

• Managing any medical health issues with support from your primary care physician.

• Managing stress effectively: “Sympathetic nervous system activity, associated with the stress response, tends to be higher in older adults—and it’s linked with an increased risk of dementia. Researchers are studying how to help adults flip the nervous system’s switch from stress to relaxation.” (6)  Techniques that help manage stress are exercise, meditation, mindfulness, and breath work, for example.

• Spend time every day outdoors to expose yourself to the sun for vitamin D and fresh air.

• Limiting (or avoiding) substances, such as caffeine, alcohol, refined sugar, simple carbohydrates, and packaged foods.

• Avoid harmful substances, such as trans-fat, nicotine, and illegal drugs.

Improving Cognitive Functioning Through Activities

There are other factors associated with maintaining and improving cognitive function.  By participating in mentally challenging activities, we strengthen neural pathways and create new connections.  Many of these activities are correlated with older adults who have maintained healthy cognitive functions (7):

• Cognitively stimulating activities: Being involved in careers, activities, or hobbies that require multiple areas of cognition.

• Memory training: Memory training has been shown to improve cognitive performance.  Memory training for healthy older adults typically teaches mnemonic strategies, concentration and attention, relaxation, personal insight, self-monitoring, motivation, feedback, and problem-solving that have succeeded in improving memory performance (McDougall, 2000). (4)

• Cognitive Games: Several online sites offer free games and exercises to practice skills that improve cognitive functioning. 

• Intellectually Engaging Activities:  These activities include reading, writing, puzzles, group conversations, and playing board and card games.

• Learning New Skills or Hobbies:  Activities such as learning a new language, or a new instrument, and improving your vocabulary help create new neural pathways thus increasing our cognitive abilities.

• Visualization: Imagine what you plan to do, like visiting a friend, by creating “pictures or animated scenes.”  Imagine the drive over and what you would like to talk about or do, and the drive home.  Visualizing helps organize information and make more deliberate, appropriate decisions. (8)

• Creative Activities:  Creative activities, such as art, writing, sewing, embroidery, or whatever requires creating something new also help create new neural pathways and thus improve mental functioning.

• Meditation:  “According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health Trusted Source, research suggests that meditation may benefit the brain by slowing brain aging and increasing the brain’s ability to process information.” (8)

• Tai chi:  A study conducted in 2019, concluded that those who practice tai chi “had enhanced connectivity between different regions of their brain. They proposed that this may improve cognition and decrease the rate of memory loss.” (8)

• Mindfulness: Mindfulness is paying attention to the moment and practicing concentrating and focusing on the task you might be working on. 

• Critical Thinking, Reasoning and Logic, and Quantitative Skills:  Exercises to improve these skills can easily be found online. 

• Emotional Intelligence:  There are online sources that include exercises to help improve emotional intelligence.  Personally, this is an interesting area to study as it not only is beneficial in understanding the self and how to manage one’s emotions more efficiently, but it also helps to understand others in groups or one-on-one and how to influence their emotions positively.

Conclusion

In conclusion, there are no magic remedies or techniques to reverse the effect of aging on either our bodies or our minds.  The requirements for mental clarity are the same as when we were younger, but the effects appear to be more pronounced if we did not make healthy lifestyle choices or if we do not continue to challenge ourselves mentally through our careers, hobbies, or interests.  However, despite earlier choices, we are still able to make improvements in our mental health, clarity of mind, and cognitive abilities – with work!  By the choices we make now, we can slow any further declines and improve our chances of avoiding mental conditions, such as Alzheimer's and Dementia.

We can improve cognitive functioning by improving lifestyle activities: healthful diet, adequate exercise, getting enough sleep, stress management, social engagement, and time spent outdoors.  It appears that continuing to challenge ourselves mentally is also important, by learning new skills, reading, writing, being creative, and participating in any mentally challenging activities.  Certain mental activities that naturally decline with age can be improved, such as short-term memory, through training and practice.   As with physical health, we must choose to work out our cognition frequently to maintain high mental functioning. 

As the saying goes, “Use it or lose it.”

As a Health and Wellness Coach, my function is to help support, motivate, and inspire those who want to make changes in their lives related to their physical and mental health.  As someone approaching my senior years, I have experienced the challenges, struggles, disappointments, and successes that have led me to be excited about this time in my life. Let me support you in also finding this time of your life as a time to look forward to with excitement and joy!

“Spend time with people younger than you. See your doctor regularly, but not obsessively. Don’t think of yourself as old (other than taking prudent precautions). Appreciate your cognitive strengths—pattern recognition, crystallized intelligence, wisdom, accumulated knowledge. Promote cognitive health through experiential learning: traveling, spending time with grandchildren, and immersing yourself in new activities and situations. Do new things.”― Daniel J. Levitin, Successful Aging: A Neuroscientist Explores the Power and Potential of Our Lives

References

1.      National Institute on Aging (2020, October 1). Cognitive Health and Older Adults. Retrieved February 9, 2024, from https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/brain-health/cognitive-health-and-older-adults#:~:text=Keep%20Your%20Mind%20Active,-Being%20intellectually%20engaged&text=Learning%20new%20skills%20may%20improve,did%20less%20cognitively%20demanding%20activities.

2.      James Cook University Australia (2022, September 29). 7 Tips for Improving Cognitive Thinking. JCU Online Blog. Retrieved February 13, 2024, from https://online.jcu.edu.au/blog/improving-cognitive-thinking

3.      Harada, C. N., Natelson Love, M. C., & Triebel, K. (2013, November 29). Normal Cognitive Aging. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved February 11, 2024, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4015335/#:~:text=Cognitive%20change%20as%20a%20normal,speed%2C%20decline%20gradually%20over%20time

4.      Murman, D. L., M.D., M.S. (2015, August 1). The Impact of Age on Cognition.  National Library of Medicine.  Retrieved February 9, 2024, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4906299/

5.      Abramson, A. (2024, January 1). Psychology is improving brain health and aging Researchers are developing new interventions that can help prevent, identify, and manage cognitive decline. Retrieved February 9, 2024, from https://www.apa.org/monitor/2024/01/trends-brain-health-aging

6.      Sunni, E., & Vyas, N., M.D. (2023, July 18). How Lack of Sleep Impacts Cognitive Performance and Focus. Retrieved February 13, 2024, from https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-deprivation/lack-of-sleep-and-cognitive-impairment#:~:text=Getting%20enough%20hours%20of%20high,%2C%20emotional%20processing%2C%20and%20judgment.

7.      Williams, K., RN, PhD, & Kemper, S., PhD (2011, May 1). Exploring Interventions to Reduce Cognitive Decline in Aging. Retrieved February 9, 2024, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2923489/

8. Johnson, J. (2023, April 4). 22 Brain Exercises to Improve Memory, Cognition, and Creativity. Retrieved February 13, 2024, from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/brain-exercises