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You can strengthen your brain
Although brain games may not supercharge your thinking cap, you can train your brain by focusing on broader, more dynamic skills. "The best news is that we can do things to counter age-related brain decline and strengthen our 'smartness' into late life– especially when it comes to innovative problem solving and deeper level thinking," Dr. Chapman says. "Reasoning and innovative thinking contribute to the intellectual capacity needed to respond effectively to our constantly changing real-life demands." For example, learning a new language, a musical instrument, or other new hobbies have been shown to increase brain function. Find out the best brain-boosting activities with science on their side.

Social interaction is good for the brain
If you want to remain sharp as you get older, it's not just about gaining knowledge but about social stimulation too. "Research suggests that meaningful social activities actually maintains or increases brain function," says Anthony Cirillo, FACHE, ABC, president of the healthcare consulting firm The Aging Experience. "The memory center in the brains of seniors maintained their size and, in men, grew modestly after two years in a program that engaged them in meaningful and social activities." So volunteering, visiting with friends and family, and staying active in social groups can actually help your brain as you age. Here are more daily habits a neurologist swears by to prevent Alzheimer's.

"Smarter" people may just be better at filtering distractions
With this thinking on distractions and the brain comes another theory of intelligence—that smart people's are just better at ignoring stuff that's distracting. A study from the University of Rochester found that people with higher IQs were better at detecting the movements of small objects on a screen, but worse at detecting movements of larger, background-like objects. This may be because in nature, large movements like the wind in the trees are irrelevant, but the harder-to-see animal about to pounce is more important. So in our info-laden modern world, the ability to better focus might give some people an edge. These quirky habits prove you're smarter than everyone else.

You can train your memory with mnemonics
The brain can strengthen its powers of recollection through certain memory-boosting techniques. Which is why these 14 old-school ways to remember stuff are still good advice! "If you want to remember something accurately, write it down as soon as possible," Dr. Chapman says. "Our brain is not inspired by memorizing information, but by doing something with it." Other mnemonic devices, or ways to "do something" in order to create a better memory, include repeating the information—when you meet someone, say their name out loud. Or, make up a phrase that rhymes: "Claire has red hair." For longer stretches of info, create an acronym (at the market, we need MELT—milk, eggs, lemons, and thyme). These tricks work by forming connections in the brain with already established knowledge, reshaping brain networks to better remember.

Video games may increase brain power
If smartphones and the Internet can cause our brains to be overloaded, what about video games? Scientists are now discovering that video games may actually have benefits for the brain. A recent review of research found that gamers show improvements in the brain regions involved in attention. Evidence also exists that video games can increase the size and efficiency of the regions of the brain that control visuospatial skills. Researchers are even developing video games that can modify regions of the brain that control mood—there's one video game that treats depression. But be careful—video games can also be addictive, due to the structural changes they cause in the brain's reward system.

The brain is "awake" during sleep
Although it seems like sleep would be time for the brain to rest, there's actually a lot going on in your noggin when you're snoozing, which is one of the reasons sleep is important for the brain. "Even when we are sleeping, areas such as the frontal cortex that controls our higher-level thinking and awareness, and the somatosensory cortex that allows us to sense our surroundings, are active," Dr. Tarawneh says. Studies have shown that even in deep non-REM sleep, our brain is more active than previously thought.

Sleep deprivation to the brain is the equivalent of being drunk
The National Sleep Foundation recommends adults to get seven to nine hours of sleep, but many Americans are going without that much. This is what happens to your body when you don't get enough sleep. But, being sleep deprived can lead to mental function that's equal to being intoxicated. "In repeated studies, after 17 to 19 hours without sleep, cognitive functioning and response speed were equivalent or worse than someone with a blood alcohol content [BAC] of five percent," Dr. Shane says. "After 24 hours without sleep, performance indicators were equivalent to a BAC of 10 percent." All states have a legal limit of eight percent, with commercial drivers held to four percent. The National Institute of Medicine estimates drowsy driving is responsible for 20 percent of car crashes. And you don't need to be up for 24 hours straight for this effect—other research has shown that the cumulative effect of consistently getting six hours or fewer can lead to similar results.

Dreams have meaning
Why we dream has been the source of speculation for centuries. Although we're not sure, many scientists now think dreams help us process emotions and events that happen during our waking hours. "The entire brain is active during dreams—the visual cortex, which creates images, and the limbic system, which deals with emotions, are especially active during dreams," Dr. Shane says. Brain activity during dreaming increases to the same level as when we are awake, he says, and can be stimulated by what you experienced during the day. "Dreams then make associations with other experiences you have had, helping you integrate what you learned during the day," Dr. Shane says. "Dreams can help you solve problems and increase your ability to cope with struggles and stress." In addition, the freedom of control in dreams allows them to be more creative than waking thoughts. These 13 bizarre facts about dreams might keep you up at night.

Sex on the brain is a good thing
As if you needed another excuse to get it on, sex may actually help your brain think better as you age. Animal research has shown that sexual activity improved mental performance and the production of new cells in the area of the brain responsible for memory. A new study in humans found that older adults who were sexually active scored better on cognitive tests than those who weren't. Sex may also reduce anxiety and depression, and help you sleep, which benefits brain health as well. This scientific study could rock your sexual world.

Your brain thinks better after a vacation
Don't feel guilty about taking time off from work—studies show that vacations actually help you to be more productive. "Our brains are not machines that can work endlessly without a glitch," says psychologist Deborah Serani, PsyD, author of Depression in Later Life and a professor at Adelphi University. "This is why it's important to give yourself downtime, to allow your brain to rest, reboot, and return to functioning anew. Doing so allows the regulatory systems of your brain chill out." Science backs this up: A review of research confirmed that downtime is necessary for mental processing. Here's scientific proof that vacationing more helps your career.

Here's why you have "a-ha" moments
Another reason why downtime is so important? It frees your brain to think creatively, leading to more mental breakthroughs, or "a-ha" moments, than if you were constantly working. Although they can seem to come on suddenly, studies show these eureka moments are actually the result of your mind working in the background. Other research shows why it can actually be better to take a break from the task at hand in order to solve problems—this discontinuity prompts a mental restructuring that leads to the solution. Here are eight ways to have more "eureka" moments.

You can train your brain to be happy
According to psychologists, our brains have a "negativity bias" that might have helped our ancestors better recognize threats to their survival. But in our modern world, it would benefit our brains to have a more positive outlook on life. "You can train your brain to think positively, formulate happy thoughts, and counteract negative ones," Dr. Serani says. Employing new thinking habits are at the heart of psychotherapy, she says. "Changing how your think can improve how your feel," she says. Studies show practicing new thinking strategies by being mindful about positive experiences can actually alter the structure of the brain. Here's how to be happier without really trying.

Meditation rewires the brain
There are many compelling benefits of meditation, according to science, but research suggest that it can actually change how the brain works. "Brain mapping studies show that meditation reduces anxiety, depression, and stress," Dr. Serani says. "Meditation also sharpens attention and improves cognitive functioning." One study showed that long-term meditation can actually help preserve the brain and save it from some of the effects of aging, and another found that meditation could improve concentration and memory.

Laughter is good medicine for the brain
Laughing has a positive effect on the brain's functioning, so it is beneficial to work toward a more optimistic mindset. We bet you never knew these weird facts about laughter. "There's a long history of research showing laughter surges feel-good hormones dopamine and serotonin," Dr. Serani says. "When you laugh, brain neurochemistry sends endorphins out to decrease pain, improve resiliency, and relax muscle tone." When we hear something funny, our brain processes the language and decides if it's humorous. After our emotions are triggered, the motor region of the brain leads to the physical reaction of laughter.

Changes in the brain can lead to mental illness
According to the National Institutes of Health, scientists are learning that mental illness is associated with changes in the brain's structure, chemistry, and function—so it has a biological basis in the brain. (These myths about mental health need to be set straight right now.) "Stress and environment can set into motion brain changes like blood flow, neural circuitry, neurotransmitters, and other functioning" that can lead to mental illness, Dr. Serani says. A recent Stanford study found that different psychiatric disorders have the same atypical brain structure in certain areas of the brain, which could mean they all have a similar cause.

Exercise benefits the brain
Many studies illustrate the ways exercise makes your brain better. "Regular exercise has been shown to reduce the risk of dementia in adults age 65 and older—however, at every age, exercise has been shown to improve cognitive function," says NJ-based fitness expert and dietitian Erin Palinski-Wade, RD, CDE, author of Belly Fat Diet For Dummies. "Exercise prior to learning a task was shown to result in increased memory and concentration." This appears to be linked to an increase in circulation bringing oxygen and nutrients to the brain, while also helping to remove waste, she says.

The Mediterranean diet does a brain good
Nutrition as well as exercise impacts how our brain functions. The Mediterranean diet—rich in vegetables, fruit, whole grains, and fish—was shown in a recent study to preserve more brain volume in older adults than those who didn't follow the diet protocol. "Although more research needs to be done to determine exactly how this diet protects the brain, it is possible that the benefits such a diet has on reducing inflammation and improving vascular health may be the reason for the brain health benefits," Palinski-Wade says. Here's how to make your diet more Mediterranean.

Certain foods are bad for brain health
One ingredient that can be bad for the brain is sugar. (This is your brain on sugar.) Although your noggin needs glucose to function, too much has been shown to have detrimental effects. "Avoiding large amounts of added sugar is also key to brain health," Palinski-Wade says. "Even in teens, just one soda per day was associated with a decline in test scores." In addition, too much sugar may accelerate aging of cells, according to Harvard Medical School. Diabetes, a high-glucose disorder, is also associated with negative consequences for brain function and can lead to cognitive difficulties.

Food cravings come from the brain
For anyone who's ever indulged in comfort food or "emotional eating," it's clear that the brain has something to do with the foods we crave. But, it may be more chemical in nature than we realize. "Certain amino acids are responsible for the creation of neurotransmitters in the brain, which impact mood," Palinski-Wade says. "A depressed mood or high stress levels may trigger your brain to 'crave' foods that can produce feel-good chemicals such as serotonin to elevate mood, such as chocolate." But, cravings may also have psychological ties—other research has found that the pleasant memories and feel-good hormones produced by "comfort foods" leads to a conditioned response of craving them. Here's what your food cravings secretly reveal about your health.

Brain health may start in the gut
Science is uncovering more and more info about how the bacteria in our gut, known as the microbiome, affects the brain. (This is why gut bacteria is good for you.) "Although we still have much to learn about the microbiome, animal studies indicate that gut bacteria may impact everything from mood to anxiety levels and even impact our response to stress," Palinski-Wade says. "Since diet has a direct impact on gut bacteria, a diet rich in prebiotics and probiotics may help to alter gut health to favorably impact mood and fight against depression and anxiety." Chemicals in gut bacteria may even have an influence on autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders, according to research. These are the best probiotic foods for a healthy microbiome.

Your brain can register subliminal messages
Subliminal messages—brief words or pictures flashed on a screen quicker than the conscious mind can perceive—were first used in advertising in the 1950s, but were later banned. Although the validity of subliminal messages has been up for debate, some recent studies suggest they may be effective. In a Yale study, older participants' self-perceptions and physical function improved after viewing a series of positive messages about aging. In another study, athletes were able to exercise longer when given subliminal motivating messages. If subliminal messaging works, you might be wondering: Does hypnotherapy work, and should you try it?

Intuition is a real thing
When you think you have a "gut feeling," are you just imagining it? Turns out, there's something to it. According to research, these hunches are the result of our brain storing, processing, and receiving information without our conscious mind realizing it. This intuition may rely on past experiences and external cues to form a quick reaction. The Office of Naval Research is even in the middle of a scientific project to understand the mechanisms behind instinct in order to improve Marines' and Sailors' ability to make split-second decisions. Here's how you can tap into your intuition for a happier, healthier life.

But ESP is not a real thing
So if our hunches are real, does that mean ESP (extra-sensory perception) is? Not quite, which is why you should consider these 10 things before seeing a psychic reader. According to a Gallup poll, 41 percent of Americans believe in ESP, which includes mind-reading, knowing things that are happening far away, and the ability to foresee the future. But no real scientific evidence for ESP has been found. Harvard researchers recently put ESP to a modern test—brain imaging—to see if participant's brains reacted differently to ESP "stimuli" (such as a loved one in another room looking at the same photograph participants were). Their MRIs shows no difference.

Without a regular dose of challenging situations, our brains get flabby, in much the same way our bodies get flabby when we don’t challenge our muscles with enough exercise.

In one study, older adults who frequently took part in stimulating leisure activities such as reading, board games, playing musical instruments, and dancing were less likely to develop dementia over 21 years, compared to older adults who participated less frequently in these activities over the same time period, and several other studies have yielded similar findings.

Exactly why intellectual challenges bolster brain health is a matter of debate. According to one theory, intellectual hobbies create a cognitive reserve in the brain. A cognitive reserve is a lot like a large bank of knowledge. For example, let’s say that, around age 40, you made a New Year’s resolution to learn one new vocabulary word a day. According to this hypothetical example, let’s say your brain holds the memories of well over 20,000 words. On the other hand, maybe you have a twin brother named Paul, who spent the second half of his life feeding his brain reality television. As a result, he knows fewer than 15,000 different words—not that he’s counted.

According to our story, plaques and tangles begin to form in your brain at the same rate they begin to form in Paul’s. In other words, if we put you both in an fMRI scanner and peered inside your brains, your brains would appear to have roughly the same number of plaques and tangles. Yet you have no symptoms, whereas Paul is often at a loss for words. That’s because Paul knew fewer words to begin with. So when your brain lost track of the word, say, grouchy, it would have many other words—irritable, bad-tempered, cantankerous, petulant, surly, testy, snappy—to draw from.

In other words: The less you know, the less you can afford to lose. The more you know, the more you can afford to lose.

But cognitive reserve may not be the only explanation for the protective power of intellectual challenges. These pursuits may actually encourage the growth of new brain cells and connections between those cells. The hippocampus is one of the only areas of the brain that can grow new neurons. Even during old age, this area of the brain contains residual stem cells capable of birthing new neurons.

When you crawl into bed tonight, you will no longer be the same person— neurologically speaking—as you were when you woke. That’s because the brain is continually reorganizing itself. Every new experience and challenge nudges the brain to make new cell-to-cell connections.

The following “prescriptions” will help you challenge your brain and may help to lower your risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

1. Take acting classes

Acting requires lots of memorization. According to one study, 122 seniors who took twice-weekly acting lessons for four weeks improved their ability to memorize and recall a list of words, remember a series of numbers, read and remember a short story, as well as their performance on many other tests of memory, whereas seniors who didn’t take acting lessons did not boost their performance on these tests. In a follow-up study done by the same researchers, the seniors who took acting classes improved their word recall by 19 percent and word fluency by 12 percent.

 2. Become a tutor

Women who volunteered 15 hours each week for Experience Corps, a program that pairs senior citizen reading tutors with children who are developing their literacy and problem-solving skills, experienced increased activity in brain regions associated with attention. In addition to Experience Corps, look into Laubach Literacy International, Oasis, and various local programs coordinated through the public school system or your local library.

 3. Try puzzles and board games

Older adults who regularly played board games and puzzles during their leisure time were more likely to preserve brain tissue and maintain memory and other cognitive functions compared to people who didn’t play games, according to a study of 329 people. The results even held true for people who were genetically predisposed to developing Alzheimer’s disease. Choose games that you enjoy and feel challenged to play. In the study, checkers, crosswords, and card games were all effective. You can even pull out those board games from childhood. 

4. Learn to play an instrument

This forces you to sharpen many different cognitive processes, including attention, memory, motor skills, auditory skills, and visual skills. It’s no wonder studies have found that playing a musical instrument delays the onset of cognitive decline. When researchers from Emory University tested the cognitive health of 70 older adults, they found that study participants with at least 10 years of musical experience performed better on tests of nonverbal memory, naming, and many other cognitive processes than older adults with less training or no training at all.

Or in lieu of playing an instrument, you might also benefit from singing in a choir. In one study, older adults who joined a singing group improved their memory and attention.

It’s never too late. Just because you didn’t learn an instrument or train your voice when you were a child doesn’t mean you can’t learn now. In addition to helping keep your brain sharp, music lessons may also allow you to maintain fine motor skills. When researchers offered piano lessons to older adults, the study participants were able to improve cognitive abilities—including attention, concentration, and planning—over just six months, compared to study participants who didn’t take lessons.

 5. Draw, paint, or sculpt

Artistic pursuits such as painting encourage you to focus your attention. In order to draw a flower, for example, you have to look closely at a real flower or a picture of one—and pay particular attention to the shape of the petals, stem, and leaves. As you draw, you’re also making dozens of spatial calculations. For example, how large should the petals be if you want to make sure there’s enough space at the bottom of your picture to draw some grass or, in the corner of your picture, to draw a bumblebee?

Seniors who took up painting, drawing, or sculpting were 73 percent less likely to develop mild cognitive impairment over a period of four years than were people who did not engage in these types of artistic activities, found a recent study of 256 octogenarians by researchers at the Mayo Clinic. Crafting activities—such as woodworking, pottery, ceramics, and quilting—were also beneficial, reducing the likelihood of MCI by 55 percent.

You might see yourself as someone who “isn’t artistic” or who “can’t draw,” but that may only be because no one has taught you how. If you take lessons and practice what you learned, you may surprise yourself.

6. Learn a new language

When researchers assessed the backgrounds of patients with Alzheimer’s disease, they found that patients who were bilingual—fluent in at least two languages— had developed Alzheimer’s disease an average of 4.6 years later than patients who spoke only one language. Just because you didn’t learn a second language while you were in grade school doesn’t mean you can’t learn one now.

~ adapted and rearranged from the Reader's Digest