The brain carries out more than a thousand processes daily, making it one of the most active organs in our body. Considering its size and complex composition, one would think that finding an ideal way to keep the mind sharp is almost impossible, but it's not as impossible as we think.
Improving mind sharpness is like weight or strength training for the brain.
Individuals can keep the mind sharp, streamlining focus, thinking processes, and responses by engaging in brain exercises.
But before we map out an entire plan on how to up our brain game, let's look at the concept of mind sharpness in greater detail:
Why Does Our Mind Sharpness Decrease Over Time?
Wrinkles and grey hair are often seen as the physical markers of aging. These markers are joined by mental changes affecting our ability to digest, dissect, comprehend, reason, and remember things as the brain goes into a natural shrinking stage. This physical morphing and changes in how blood vessels are arranged in the brain lead to decreased cognitive abilities.
With these physical changes taking place in the brain as we age, it's inevitable that mind sharpness gradually decreases. While old age is one of the common reasons for a decline in mind sharpness, it's not the only reason. After reviewing studies, I also found that mind sharpness can decrease due to other factors. I've listed the most common reasons below:
Medication
Medication changes how the body and mind operate to facilitate a particular outcome. In some cases, the paradigm shift can cause the mind to become clouded, decreasing mind sharpness.
External or internal changes
Internal and external changes in the brain caused by physical injury or chemical imbalances can change how the brain functions. This change supports the decline of mental processing and mind sharpness.
Mental or physical health issues
Health conditions or ailments are often the culprits behind decreased functionality in several brain and body systems. Infection, stroke, heart attacks, tumors, aneurysms, neurological/mental illnesses, and more can affect how the brain receives and dissects information. This leads to things like fuzzy brain, which causes decreased mind sharpness.
Poisoning or exposure to toxic substances
Poison or toxic substance exposure results in the development of medical issues which affect cognitive abilities. It also affects the communication, production, and release of different chemicals, which affects cognition.
Lack of oxygen
It is imperative that brain cells have oxygen as they start dying in less than 5 minutes if oxygen proper oxygen supply is not available. Any temporary lack of oxygen (strangulation, choking, drowning) can affect how brain cells function, leading to a decline in mind sharpness.
What Age Is Our Brain At Its Sharpest?
The human brain can reach extraordinary feats no matter what age when properly taken care of, but it's only natural to wonder at what age the brain is at its best. The human brain continually changes and develops throughout adulthood. Studies show that brain capabilities peak at different ages. We take a better look at that below:
From these findings, I deduced that mind sharpness could be slotted in at 18 years of age as information processing speed is at its peak at this point.
How Can I Train My Brain To Sharpen Cognitive Skills?
Many would agree that slowing down or eliminating brain aging would be one of the best ways to encapsulate eternal youth, as the brain plays a fundamental role in everything we do. However, brain aging is inevitable, but that doesn't mean we can't improve our odds regarding cognitive decline. Similar to the body, which can be shaped and molded into an ideal shape and condition with several exercises, the brain can be too.
So what activities help make the mind sharper? I've compiled a comprehensive list below:
Although these activities can be done whenever individuals like, I suggest implementing them into daily routines would be better as it provides the brain with routine and consistency, which improve memory and other cognitive skills. Investing in memory-boosting supplements can also be quite helpful as memory often fuels mind sharpness.