Bright Sparks

Hooray for the month of public holidays and that downtime to flex your mental muscle conscientious netflix and chill! Use some of with brain training that actually works

- Meghann Birks

Of all the things you want to nail in the coming months – a fishtail plait, the new season of chef’s table– keeping your grey matter in shape probably isn’t up there. But it should be. Why? Well not only is the thought of losing your mind terrifying, it’s potentially avoidable. “There is increasing evidence that the pathological process of Alzheimer’s disease [AD] and dementia begins two to three decades before the first symptoms become apparent, suggesting that there is a long window to act to prevent or delay the onset,” says neuropsychiatrist Professor Perminder Sachdev. So, just like you know a regular smoothie and spinning habit keeps your body in good nick, the same goes for your noggin. And we don’t mean maybe. “Ninety to 95 percent of cases of AD and dementia are influenced by factors like lifestyle choices, diet and environmental exposure,” says Dr Suzanne de la Monte, a neuropathologist at Brown University in the US. In other words, by putting a few habits on your “keep your brain happy” list (and thankfully none have to include sudoku), you can stay sharp well into the time that girls’ night means bridge and bake-offs.

Train your brain today