Exploring Trilogy®’s Wellness Pillar with Dr. Landry
Jun 17, 2022
Nola was 95 years old when she earned her undergraduate degree. The wife of a Kansas farmer, mother of four and grandmother of thirteen, she decided to take courses after her husband died. She received her degree with her granddaughter, Alexandra. Nola went on to earn her master’s degree at age 98 and became a celebrity for intellectual growth throughout the lifespan.
When I was in medical school, around the time Nola began taking classes, we were taught that after full maturation of the brain, usually in our twenties, it was all downhill. We could not make new brain tissue and we only declined, eventually into “senile dementia.” The theory was research-based, accepted widely, and Wrong!
We now know that our brain has a lifelong capacity to change and rewire itself in response to the stimulation of learning, experience, disease or injury. It’s called neuroplasticity and it allows us to be the architects of our own brain at any age. So, rather than the previous doomsday view of certain loss of intellectual and cognitive ability with age, we now can raise our use it or lose it flag and continue to make new connections. Dementia need not be our ultimate fate. We can, in some cases, even compensate for loss due to injury or stoke. Brain scans show new brain tissue, neural pathways, being made around damaged areas when we engage neuroplasticity
Nola need not be an exception. With a little attention, we can all expect to preserve and even grow our cognitive abilities in our seventh, eighth, ninth and even tenth decade of life. It’s true, our brains change with age, but we can accommodate those changes and maintain and grow our abilities. So, what does it take to be our own version of Nola?
What our brains need
Our brain, like any other part of our body, needs oxygen and fuel. Although only 2-3 percent of body weight, the brain consumes 20 percent of the oxygen the body uses. So, it is understandable that blood flow to the brain is critical to deliver nutrients and oxygen. Another requirement is sleep. Think of sleep as a Hoover vacuum removing the metabolic waste of the day which otherwise would impair cognition. Effective neuroplasticity requires stimulation, and that comes with using the brain, but more importantly, learning new things. This process stimulates new connections and, in some areas of the brain, new brain cells. Stress is not the brain’s friend. Chronic stress is associated with increased risk for dementia, stroke, and overall decreased cognitive ability. Relief from constant chattering mind is a balm for the brain. Periods of mindfulness, presence, engagement in skills and past times that bring us pleasure are rejuvenating to body, brain, and soul. These facts lead us to some sensible recommendations to maintain and even grow our intellectual selves.
Lifestyle characteristics which enrich intellectual and cognitive ability
Legal:
Construction: SHALC GC, Inc. (AZ ROC#291056) (CA CSLB #1062050) (FL #CRC1332250) (ID # RCE-56939) (NC #75061) (NV #0080574) (VA #2705152813) (WA #SHALCGI863P9). Shea Homes Limited Partnership (CA CSLB #855368). Shea Homes, Inc. (CA CSLB #672285). Sales: Shea Homes Marketing Company (CalDRE #01378646) (FL #CQ1034437). Shea Communities Marketing Company (AZ DRE #CO001121001) (ID #CO53675) (NC #C25840) (NV #B.1002134.CORP) (WA #19548). Homes in Bickford Ranch, Lake Frederick, Lake Norman, Summerlin, Sunstone, Orlando, Tehaleh, Valor, Vineyards and Vistancia locations are intended for occupancy
When I was in medical school, around the time Nola began taking classes, we were taught that after full maturation of the brain, usually in our twenties, it was all downhill. We could not make new brain tissue and we only declined, eventually into “senile dementia.” The theory was research-based, accepted widely, and Wrong!
We now know that our brain has a lifelong capacity to change and rewire itself in response to the stimulation of learning, experience, disease or injury. It’s called neuroplasticity and it allows us to be the architects of our own brain at any age. So, rather than the previous doomsday view of certain loss of intellectual and cognitive ability with age, we now can raise our use it or lose it flag and continue to make new connections. Dementia need not be our ultimate fate. We can, in some cases, even compensate for loss due to injury or stoke. Brain scans show new brain tissue, neural pathways, being made around damaged areas when we engage neuroplasticity
Nola need not be an exception. With a little attention, we can all expect to preserve and even grow our cognitive abilities in our seventh, eighth, ninth and even tenth decade of life. It’s true, our brains change with age, but we can accommodate those changes and maintain and grow our abilities. So, what does it take to be our own version of Nola?
What our brains need
Our brain, like any other part of our body, needs oxygen and fuel. Although only 2-3 percent of body weight, the brain consumes 20 percent of the oxygen the body uses. So, it is understandable that blood flow to the brain is critical to deliver nutrients and oxygen. Another requirement is sleep. Think of sleep as a Hoover vacuum removing the metabolic waste of the day which otherwise would impair cognition. Effective neuroplasticity requires stimulation, and that comes with using the brain, but more importantly, learning new things. This process stimulates new connections and, in some areas of the brain, new brain cells. Stress is not the brain’s friend. Chronic stress is associated with increased risk for dementia, stroke, and overall decreased cognitive ability. Relief from constant chattering mind is a balm for the brain. Periods of mindfulness, presence, engagement in skills and past times that bring us pleasure are rejuvenating to body, brain, and soul. These facts lead us to some sensible recommendations to maintain and even grow our intellectual selves.
Lifestyle characteristics which enrich intellectual and cognitive ability
- Keep physically active We cannot get away from the fact that everything works better when we move. Getting the blood, with its nutrients and oxygen, to all those brain areas important to us, is as necessary as having gas in our car’s tank. It’s non-negotiable
- Mental stimulation/Learn new things It’s use it or lose it, and if we want neuroplasticity to kick in, we need to ask the brain to do new things: big things like a new language, musical instrument, new skill… or small things like eating with the opposite hand, a new word a day, getting out of our comfort zone.
- Chill out Chronic stress, especially the kind driven by our own chattering mind, basically rots us from within, overtaxing our body’s systems, interfering with our ability to learn and connect with others. Find mindfulness with something you enjoy doing. Have a stressful situation? Fix it or make a plan to fix it, walk away, or accept it. All else is insanity and a risk to our healthy longevity.
- Unplug Anne Lamott tells us “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes… including you.” It is very difficult to be in the present moment when we’re being driven by technology. This is very much related to reducing our stress. It also relates to multitasking. Rather than a super-ability, multitasking is a myth. We can only be doing one thing at a time. Our attention is jumping back and forth when we do it, and the quality of our output is consistently reduced.
- Be wise with your fuel choices High-fat diets and foods that cause wide swings in blood glucose throw water on the fire of our mental function. It’s both quality and quantity of the food we consume. The risk for dementia is 47 percent greater, and Alzheimer’s disease is 80 percent greater for people with obesity. Be kind to your brain, feed it well and keep it well hydrated.
Legal:
Construction: SHALC GC, Inc. (AZ ROC#291056) (CA CSLB #1062050) (FL #CRC1332250) (ID # RCE-56939) (NC #75061) (NV #0080574) (VA #2705152813) (WA #SHALCGI863P9). Shea Homes Limited Partnership (CA CSLB #855368). Shea Homes, Inc. (CA CSLB #672285). Sales: Shea Homes Marketing Company (CalDRE #01378646) (FL #CQ1034437). Shea Communities Marketing Company (AZ DRE #CO001121001) (ID #CO53675) (NC #C25840) (NV #B.1002134.CORP) (WA #19548). Homes in Bickford Ranch, Lake Frederick, Lake Norman, Summerlin, Sunstone, Orlando, Tehaleh, Valor, Vineyards and Vistancia locations are intended for occupancy
