18 Part I: Crossword Strategies and Brain Benefits
An ever-growing body of scientific research demonstrates that what our brains
require in order to thrive — especially as our bodies get older — is lots of stim-
ulation. I’m not talking about loud music or pungent smells here: I’m talking
about the type of stimulation that encourages you to think new thoughts, get
creative, and push your brain to work harder than ever before.
Work harder? Isn’t that a bit unfair? After all, you get to a certain age and
expect to reap some benefits from all the work you’ve done before. You know
more now than you did when you were 16, right? Why isn’t that good enough?
Your brain can’t rest on its laurels any more than your body can rest on its
past achievements. Maybe when you were 16 you could do 50 pushups without
breaking a sweat, but that doesn’t mean you’ve got arms of steel today. We all
know that our bodies change — significantly — as we age. What you also need
to know is that your brain changes in similar ways. And just as you recognize
the need to exercise in order to fend off the worst effects of aging on your body,
you must also recognize the value of exercising your brain.Touring your brain
To follow the logic behind the brain fitness phenomenon, I’m going to take you
on a quick tour of what’s happening in your brain right now. I’ll start with a
couple key definitions:
✓ Neurons: Neurons are cells that control your central nervous system: your
brain and spinal column, and the nerves connected to them.
✓ Synapses: Synapses are tiny gaps between the neurons in your brain.
When synapses are working correctly, they allow your neurons to communi-
cate with each other, which keeps your nervous system functioning the way it
should. Your nervous system must function properly in order for you to learn
new things, retain information, and use your powers of logic and reason.
You have about 100 billion neurons in your brain. And you have literally tril-
lions of synapses — possibly even a quadrillion (that’s a 1 followed by 15
zeroes). With numbers like that, it may seem as if you have plenty to spare.
However, as you age, your synapses deteriorate. And because your brain activ-
ity takes place courtesy of synapses, their deterioration equates to a decrease
in your brain function, including memory.
So to have a healthy mind, you must keep your synapses in top condition. How
do you do that? Keep reading!