5 Tips on How To Stay Mentally Sharp in Your Senior Age

Brain lags happen to people regardless of age. Teenagers, adults, even kids sometimes get in a room while completely forgetting what they’re doing there in the first place. Sometimes we can’t remember what two times two is; sometimes we simply can’t remember the names of people we’ve just spent a dozen hours with.

Memory lapses are typical signals of rusted wits. Our intellectual blade requires constant sharpening if we want to use it as we grow older. Today we’ll talk about five tips on how to stay mentally sharp in your senior age, so let’s dive in:

1. Exercises and workouts

Our physical condition has a tremendous impact on our mental state (and vice versa). Essentially, exercising releases a huge number of endorphins, otherwise known as the ‘happy’ hormones; most people associate workouts with “feeling good”, but the truth is that exercising also boosts brain activity and stimulates faster, healthier growth of brain cells.

Endorphins also promote faster thinking, better concentration, and sharper wits in general. Short workout sessions with consistency can tremendously help seniors with their overall mental health across all of its aspects, including better quality of sleep, larger banks of energy, as well as improved physical and mental resilience.

The main problem senior citizens face when it comes to workouts boils down to frailty caused by age-related ailments; whether it be chronic diseases, lack of energy, or injuries that are now taking more time to heal.

Slow-paced activities that strain the body the least are best recommended on such occasions. Yoga is a perfect example of a light-activity workout, but so are brisk walking, some forms of aikido, hiking, table tennis, and bike riding.

Water aerobics is also great for seniors who aren’t feeling particularly ill while aerobic is an excellent activity to practice at home during pandemic times.

Regardless of what type of physical activity you opt for at the end of the day, it’s important to keep consistent exercises.

2. Reading 

Basically, while lifting weights and running are the prime representatives of physical workouts, reading is the purest form of mental exercise. Right after physical exercises, reading is one of the best ways to improve mental sharpness, memory, and cognitive abilities, regardless of age.

Reading keeps the brain active while also blocking out stress. We get to choose what fantasy worlds we will delve into when we pick a book up from our bookshelf, and the more we’re into it, the bigger stress-reducing benefits will be.

It’s also common knowledge that reading vastly helps with concentration. As we grow older, our attention span is declining, and the ability to focus on one particular thing is becoming more of a labor than a pleasure.

Reading also dramatically improves memory. As we read, we memorize the characters, their personalities, the depicted scenery, landscapes, plots, and pretty much the entire world that the book contains. With consistent reading, seniors will no longer have problems remembering things.

Finally, reading is a very relaxing, light activity that doesn’t rely on the time of day, place, or any particular factor as it can be enjoyed anywhere, anytime. It’s certainly one of the activities that should be ranked high on your prioritization list if you want to keep your wits sharp and your mental state healthy.

3. Research and Learn

Seniors are incomparably more experienced than the vast majority of adults, but that’s not a good reason to stop working on educating oneself. Learning more about the world we live in, especially with the quantum leaps in technology is an excellent way to remain grounded and mentally sharp.

If you’ve finished high school, now is an excellent time to enroll at a college you may have also wanted to; if you’ve graduated college, you may want to get that Ph.D. that’s been waiting on you for decades.

On another hand, if taking exams after all this time seems too intimidating or tiring, you can always go another direction and research things that interest you. The internet provides instant access to global information about every imaginable topic, and learning offers a healthy, steady way to refine your wits.

4. Test your memory with quizzes

Just like in high school, having any sort of test to challenge your memory will work wonders for your mental health.

When we’re faced with a question, we rummage through our memory shelves for the right answer, touching on all our past experiences, beliefs, and knowledge, which is a far more efficient way of polishing your brains than anything else. It can be draining and frustrating, though, especially for older people.

Actual tests may be inconvenient, but casual quizzes are perfect for senior citizens. Correct answers are provided, so you don’t need to go decades back in time to rifle through your memory banks, and more modern quizzes don’t have a particular grading system; instead, the outcomes are categorized in “affinity” groups, which is far more rewarding than the “fail-pass” system.

5. Improve your quality of sleep 

Often confused with “hours” of sleep is the actual “quality” of sleep; it refers to how fresh (or tired) we are, regardless of how much time we’ve actually spent in our bed.

Again, physical elements condition mental ones. A well-rested main allows the body to function more properly and to tackle any daily challenges more easily. A fresh, well-rested body doesn’t burden the mind with feelings of negativity and pain.

A naturopathic doctor in Scottsdale also mentioned that having a good night’s sleep also improves memory and works like a charm for cognitive functions, as well as for our concentration and focus. When combined with other tips, there are numerous other benefits to be reaped as well; anything you may have learned or experienced during the day settles in as you sleep, which consequentially leads to newfound skills being polished in a steadier, faster way.

Finally, having a set of good sleeping habits will also make you feel healthier while prolonging your life all the while. Pick a good bedtime schedule, mind your diet, and steer clear of coffees and alcohol, and you’ll sleep like a baby.

We hope that this guide was useful to you and that you’ve learned something new on how to stay mentally sharp in senior age.