6 Ways to Stay Sharp

Challenge your mind. Staying mentally active appears to help ward off memory loss. Engaging in challenging board games, reading, working crossword puzzles, playing a musical instrument, and acquiring new skills keep your mind fit. Such activities seem to expand the web of neuronal connections in the brain and help keep neurons nimble and alive.

Challenge your body. Just like cells anywhere else in the body, brain cells crave a steady diet of oxygen. Physically active people are more likely to stay mentally active, too. Two Journal of the American Medical Association studies published in 2004 underscore this notion. After testing nearly 19,000 women ages 70–81 enrolled in the Nurses' Health Study, researchers found that those who engaged in regular physical activity scored higher on tests of attention, recall, and other markers of cognitive function and exhibited less mental decline than more sedentary peers. Vigorous exercise wasn't necessary — walking at an easy pace for at least 1.5 hours a week was nearly as effective as more active pursuits. Similarly, walking reduced the likelihood of dementia in a study of more than 2,000 men ages 71–93. Compared with those who walked over 2 miles a day, men who walked less than one-quarter mile a day had a 1.8-fold higher risk for developing dementia.

Get your rest. Too little sleep can affect memory. Six hours may be the minimum needed, although researchers testing college students found those who had eight hours were better able to learn new skills. Interestingly, some experts believe sleep inhibits stress hormones.

Limit stress. Researchers speculate that consistently high levels of stress hormones, such as cortisol, may impair nerve cells in the hippocampus, which oversees certain types of learning and recall. In a randomized study, healthy adults were given a daily dose of cortisol for four days — either a low dose that mimicked the amount released under everyday stress or a high dose. Those who had higher doses recalled fewer details of texts read to them each day. Their memory impairment was reversible once the cortisol wore off. Meditating, performing yoga or tai chi, or using other stress-reduction techniques regularly helps ease stress.

Watch your weight. Staying within a normal weight range lowers your risk for illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension, and stroke, which can compromise memory to varying degrees.

Check with your doctor. Are you getting annual checkups for hearing and sight? Are there any factors — such as medications, vitamin deficiencies, or chronic conditions — that could be better managed to help you stay as mentally sharp as possible? Discuss these issues with your doctor.