You can increase the skill of your brain to hear. You can accomplish this though exercises. As you approach brain training, it may help to think of your brain as a muscle. For example, walking takes muscle movement. The muscles involved in walking must be strong enough to move the body. There must be muscle memory of how to walk. It took you months to learn to walk when you were young and then years to fine-tune jumping, skipping and climbing. A young person understands that it takes time to learn to type or ice skate.
As adults we think that we should be able to do everything correctly now. We may not try an activity because we do not already know how to do it. Perhaps you don’t feel strong enough to complete your favorite activity anymore. This progressive habit of thought (yes, it is a habit) is what begins the slow depression of our brain and physical body muscles. The brain and the body work together and grow together. If you remain sedentary in one area it is likely that you will slow down the activity of the other.
Other People My Age Have this Problem, Don’t They?
The convention of thought that activities should come easy is so prevalent that other people your age may be saying they are having the same problems. What if you go upstream against the current of aging for short periods of time? Could you build muscle memory in the brain? Could you strengthen a physical body muscle? Can you teach an old dog a new trick? The answer is a resounding YES! Research is proving this again and again. Individuals who are willing to “work” at something are rewarded with better health, better memory and a healthier lifestyle.
Activities That May Help Keep the Brain Tuned
The National Alzheimer’s Association published a list of recommended activities to help keep the mind sharp:
- Stay curious and involved – commit to lifelong learning
- Read, write, work crossword or other puzzles
- Attend lectures and plays
- Enroll in courses at your local adult education center, community college or other community group
- Play games
- Garden
- Try memory exercises
Select an activity you would normally shy away from. Think of it as a game. You could say to yourself, “I am going to learn something new and have a good time doing it. I want to paint or play guitar. I want to learn how to communicate with my children and grandchildren though Facebook or email. I want to learn to use this silly phone!”
Hearing and Brain Activities
People understand speech with their brain. The hearing organ (cochlea) picks up the sound but a majority of the work is done with the brain. This fact is another benefit to maintaining a fit brain. A fit brain understands speech signal better in a noisy room. A fit brain is able to localize the source of a sound more readily. You can exercise the hearing centers of your brain with the following activities:
Noise Filter Exercise: Noise filtering is a simple exercise used to help you improve the ears and the brain’s ability to hear by focusing on sounds you want to hear in a noisy situation. You will need a music source and a person to talk to you. Play the music at a low volume while having conversation with the person. Ask them not to raise their voice and focus to understand the other person despite the noise. After a few minutes increase the volume of the music slightly and continue your conversation. Practice noise filtering and challenge yourself by adding more sources, one at a time. Another suggestion is to use the TV as the competitive sound while you hold a conversation.
Sound Localization Exercise: Learning to find sound with your ears will help you understand speech better when you are in a noisy room. For this exercise you close your eyes and attempt to locate the source of a sound. It could be a dog bark, a bird song or the location of a car moving on the road. You could enlist the help of your kids and ask them to hide or move around after you close your eyes. As they make sounds you point at the location and see how often you are correct.
Do not give up! Keep trying! Keep your brain, your hearing and your body tuned like a machine! QCBN
Dr. KARON LYNN