7 activities that help keep the brain in good shape

Solving crossword puzzles, solving mathematical problems, picking up puzzles - all this will work smoothly until the brain gets used to doing the same thing. If you have been crazy about Sudoku since childhood, then the benefits of this activity will become less over time, although it won't disappear at all. In order for the brain to be in a constant tone, it needs new challenges. Try something you have never tried before. For example, choose something from this list.

1. Learn to play a musical instrument

For example, on the guitar, piano or even harmonica. Especially if you've never done it before. Such a difficult new skill requires from the brain to maximum effort. While playing the instrument, fine motor skills of the hands are simultaneously controlled by the creative and analytical parts of the brain. Plus, you use the senses, memory, attention, coordination, that is, the maximum capacity of the human brain.

In physiological terms, this exercise increases the number of neural connections in the corpus callosum - that part of the organ that is located between its hemispheres. And this, in turn, affects the quality of problem solving. And not only mental, but also social. This is due to the fact that when playing music, both the cognitive and emotional abilities of the brain are connected.

2. go in for sports

With the right system of training, sport strengthens the body, improves physical condition and mood. But activity helps and brain. The body needs oxygen to function. Exercise increases the heart rate, and the blood saturates the organs with it faster. Because of this, the number of nerve cells increases, and the brain increases in volume. way sports improves memory, attention helps fight stress and depression. In addition, regular exercise reduces age-related risks associated with vascular health. Research showthat an active lifestyle reduces the likelihood of dementia and develops cognitive functions of the brain.

If we talk about specific types of training, then aerobic activities (running or swimming) improve the condition of blood vessels and help to concentrate better. Team sports are good affect on analytical thinking and speed of reactions, and power - on the prefrontal cortex of the brain, which is responsible for complex cognitive tasks and social behavior.

3. Gather your friends for educational games

It's not just about mental games like Memory. Any format will do: desktop, quizzes, mobile or computer. All of them stimulate attention and memory, and also make you think strategically. For example, regular chess develop areas of the brain responsible for decision making. Moreover, to achieve the effect, it is enough to engage in them for six months (and not all your life!). And video games increase reaction speed, help improve spatial thinking and multitasking skills.

Another secret to the benefits of games - social interaction. The human brain evolved to solve communication problems, so regular communication with friends, laughter and even arguments will help keep it in good shape. During board games and quizzes, a person is forced to exert himself as much as possible: to analyze the behavior of other players, unravel their motives, and hide his strategy. All this is a difficult, but effective and fun training for the brain.

4. Learn dance moves

From the point of view of the brain learning dances is a difficult process. He needs to memorize the sequence of movements, control different parts of the body, adapt to the beat of music and other people (if the dance is group or pair). At the same time, the parts of the brain responsible for memory, reaction and social interaction work simultaneously. Besides, choreography is a nice substitute for sports if you don't like gyms. Dancing is the perfect cardio, with all the ensuing benefits for blood vessels and blood circulation. And so for the brain. Also, this type of activity helps fight with depression, stress and increased anxiety.

5. Try Neurofitness

No, you don't need to raise the dumbbells with your head. Here we are talking about simple physical exercises that stimulate the development of cognitive abilities. They simultaneously activate different parts of the brain, due to which the number of new neural connections grows. Such techniques use even when working with people suffering from Parkinson's disease.

Here are some examples of neuroexercises.

• Drawing with two hands. Extend your arms and draw different shapes in the air. The main condition is that each hand draws its own picture. It is better to start with a simple one - bypassing geometric shapes - and gradually complicate the forms. You can also draw on paper.
• Non-dominant hand training. Of course, the myths that left-handers are successful in creative activities, and right-handers - in mental and practical activities, have long been refuted. But the dominant hand does correlate with the functioning of different areas of the brain. Regularly performing simple everyday activities with the “non-working” hand, you can develop additional neural connections. Try writing, using your smartphone, tying your shoelaces with your left hand if you're right-handed, and vice versa.
• Finger to finger. Stretch out your arms. Touch the thumb of one hand to the little finger of the other. Next, go through all the fingers. Then change your hand. Over time, try to increase the speed of the exercise.
• Handwritten letter. In the age of gadgets, handwriting can be considered a separate exercise. It helps better remember information, relieves stress and even improves speech.

6. sleep well

Neglecting sleep for TV shows, extra work, and funny kitten videos is a bad idea. Healthy sleep affects on mood, performance and stress levels. At night, the brain works out the experience of the previous day: information is transferred to areas responsible for long-term memory, and unimportant events are forgotten. Because of this, by the way, it is important to get enough sleep while preparing for tests and exams.

Regular lack of sleep is associated with the likelihood of developing Alzheimer's disease And dementia. In addition, do not forget about the benefits of melatonin, the sleep hormone. This substance is capable slow down cancer growth, regulate functioning of the endocrine system and to help people with hypertension to control pressure surges. At night, melatonin promotes the development of new neural connections in the brain, which affects learning and memory.

7. Make something with your hands

Develop fine motor skills healthy not only for children. For example, needlework and building kits are part of the rehabilitation of patients after strokes and traumatic brain injuries. If you haven't been making anything since your school craft lessons, then you should get a new hobby. Firstly, an unfamiliar skill will be an excellent challenge for the brain, and secondly, it will be a good prevention of its aging. You can choose the occupation that you prefer: knitting, embroidery, drawing by numbers or just from the heart, carpentry or pottery. During work with the hands, the nervous, muscular, skeletal and visual systems are activated, as well as the processes of attention, coordination and memory are activated. And both visual and muscular.