Do Ya Feel That You've Slowed Down a Bit........Mentally,...

lwien

lwien

Well-Known Member
...especially you older folk? Do ya feel some short term memory loss? Do you find that you have a hard time finding the right words when you're conversing or find it hard to concentrate and stay on task? (and why do I sound like a fucking commercial?)

Was one of the answers that you came up with was........well, I'm old, or.....maybe I need to cut back on my vaping.

Well, I found the answer or at least, it's worked for me. Ya ready?.......

Video games. Video games like hard RPG's like Dark Souls or puzzle games like Portal. Games that force you to think outside the box. Games that forces you to remember sats. Games that challenge you. Games that forces good eye/hand coordination. Not easy games, but hard games. Games that make you frustrated. Games that make you either want to through your keyboard through your monitor or throw your controller at your TV while at the same time making you laugh at the absurdity of it all.

And when someone asks you, "Aren't you too old to be playing video games?", you can come back with, "Aren't you too old to be asking me dumb fucking questions? :goon:"

And best of all.......... I didn't have to cut back on my vaping.
 
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Aimless Ryan

Aimless Ryan

Came to read about grinders; fucked combustion
Yes to all questions except the one about being old. I'll be 42 Tuesday.

My short-term memory is screwed. My brain scares me. I can feel that using it more would probably help some, but that's a lot easier said than done.

Now that you mention it, I suppose I wish I had a video game option. Or just any option. I basically live in an 1,138-square-foot prison cell, alone (thankfully with an amazing cat).

You gotta keep using your brain. I used to keep my brain somewhat sharp with crossword puzzles and sudokus and cryptoquotes, but now I just don't have the motivation to even think about doing those puzzles. I don't even know if I can write anymore, physically. I'm sure my puzzle-solving skills have gone downhill, too.

Another thing I used to do all the time was make pizza. And this may sound arrogant, but there are not many people on this planet who know more about pizza than I do. I used to make pizza pretty much every day; always trying to learn something, yet creating a yummy meal at the same time. New York style, deep dish, stuffed, laminated cracker, various central Ohio styles, etc. Every day I learned something, and every day I would incorporate that new knowledge into my next pizza.

I don't know if I can explain this, but I used to be able to think many levels deep. Now I have trouble finishing a sentence without forgetting what I'm talking about.

Thinking about pizza was very good for my brain, even if I wasn't making it every day. Now I don't think about pizza much. Or at least I don't think about it in the same way.

I feel like just about every day my brain closes a small section of itself, perhaps permanently. To anyone who has any kind of illness that might eventually do that to you, fight it. There is no pill that will do this for you. There is no pill that will make you better in any way. Cannabis won't do it, either.

There is no shortcut. It takes work. Basically diet and exercise. I'd suggest something like Paleo, or the Terry Wahls diet.

So use your brain while you still can, because using your brain will probably keep it in the shape it needs to be in. Make the effort to try to solve those puzzles every day. Go out and talk to people. Play video games. Listen to music. Play an instrument. Just use your brain before you lose it.
 
TeeJay1952

TeeJay1952

Well-Known Member
It is a what comes first the chicken or the egg conundrum. I used to be an excellent card player. Now I am what I once despised. A "What's Trump? Is it my turn? What game are we playing?" sort of player. I don't play anymore. I don't know if my declining facilities are normal or what. They are real enough to me. Things just don't seem as important as they once did. I read the paper and chuckle instead of being horrified and think "I wonder how the kids are going to get out of this?" Ah well Time marches on and over everything.
On a brighter note it takes way less meds to affect me.
 
lwien

lwien

Well-Known Member
Aimless Ryan said:
Play an instrument. Just use your brain before you lose it.
Click to expand...

Yup. Learning to play an instrument or learning a new language works great as well but the reason that I mentioned video games is that it is one of those rare activities that can be both frustrating and fun at the same time and for me, has had a pretty dramatic affect.

There's something called neuroplasticity which refers to the brains ability to change throughout life. It has the ability to reorganize itself by forming new connections (neurons) between brain cells and it can do this at ANY age but for that to happen, it needs to be exercised and challenged, not unlike what happens to your muscles when you work out at the gym. Same concept.

If you do the same physical exercises over and over again, your body becomes super efficient at doing those exercises and your physical conditioning becomes stagnant. Same thing with your brain. If you don't change things up and challenge it, it too becomes stagnant.

Frustration is the first sign that your brain is trying to build those new connections between brain cells. Its a feeling that you SHOULD welcome and use it as a catalyst to go beyond it rather than allow it to force you to quit because it's a feeling you don't like. You should actually seek out those activities that ignite frustration rather finding ways to avoid it.

Once things become easy, it's time to change things up, both physically and mentally regardless of your current physical or mental state.

Edit: This advice does not come cheap so send your donations to lwien@........and I will send you an autographed picture of me that you can proudly display above your fireplace mantel as in inspiration to all (with eyes that follow you around the room for the first 100 donations). See below:

Ibnwbxq.jpg
 
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herb forester

herb forester

Well-Known Member
Maybe try a nootropic supplement called Citicoline, it's also useful for Alzheimer's dementia and general memory improvement. I take it almost every day, and I like the way it cuts through cannabis induced lethargy. Short term memory loss after major surgery can be common too, and I know one person who said it helped with that. The effect can be subtle, but I notice the difference most when the dose wears off and lethargy/stoneyness returns.
 
Aimless Ryan

Aimless Ryan

Came to read about grinders; fucked combustion
Three years ago I had to stop eating almost exclusively pizza, candy bars, ice cream, and cereal, and start the Terry Wahls diet, which I had been thinking about doing for a while. I pretty much went from the worst diet possible to what might be the best diet possible overnight.

Before starting the Wahls diet, you could say I was crazy (mainly unreasonable depression and anxiety, I suppose). A few days later, I wasn't crazy anymore. I'm sure I felt much smarter, too.

As my new diet consisted mainly of two large green smoothies every day (blueberries, strawberries, banana, mushrooms, garlic, carrots, spinach/kale), I attributed this to the blueberries. Still do. (I don't care to elaborate about why am not still on this diet 100%, but the Terry Wahls diet affected me profoundly for the five months I strictly followed it.)

I should still be eating that way. Probably everyone should. I have been eating in that direction for a while, but it's not the same thing as doing it 100%. Not even close.

I think my point was that it's pretty amazing what you can do for your brain just by feeding it. If I start eating completely how I should be eating, I'll probably start using my brain again. And if I had a video game console, playing video games would probably constitute part of what I think of as using my brain.

I'm inclined to think this trick would work for other people, too.
 
His_Highness

His_Highness

In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king
I get the occasional lag between the word I want to say and being able to spit it out. I get the occasional what-did-I-come-in-this-room-for-again? Occasionally it takes me longer to work through complex sequences 'without keeping notes' than it used to. I used to play chess and see 3 or more moves ahead and now I see by the graces of reading glasses :rolleyes:

More importantly the 'occasional' is becoming a 'concessional' as I face the fact that I am no longer in the I'm-not-getting-older...I'm-getting-better' phase of life.

I can still hold my own physically and mentally with folks decades younger BUT I am definitely on the down hill slide.

@lwien - I haven't seriously played video games or my guitar in a decade or more....I think I'll try getting back into both and see if my rate of 'occasionals' improve. Thanks for the suggestion.
 
1DMF

1DMF

Old School Cheesy Quaver
I believe this is tied to the clinical trials that an active mind can stave off Alzheimer and other neurological deterioration such a dementia.

That's why Nintendo brought out the Brain Trainer games based on Dr. Kawashima's work in
Neuroscience.

Though if it's that walking into a room and forgetting why you entered syndrome, that according to QI is based on our hunter gatherer brains and crossing 'thresholds'

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/sci...ur-marbles-Then-move-into-a-smaller-flat.html
 
His_Highness

His_Highness

In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king
J

Joel W.

Deplorable Basement Dweller
Accessory Maker
I might have to start playing again. I stopped playing a few years ago when the graphics got really good.

I feel a bit slower at times now. Sometime I can't remember wtf I was just watching during the commercial break.:tinfoil:

I find I drool a bit more also. :drool:
 
DDave

DDave

Vape Wizard
Accessory Maker
Learned how to type, way back when, from a game called Letter Attack.

Game was words falling from the top of the screen in a space invaders/galaga style and you needed to type them out before they hit the ground. Game went faster and faster and threw more words simultaneously.

Was a Hella fun way to learn how to type. Miss that game. Not able to find it now.

Would it keep the mind sharp. I think so.
 
F

Frodo

Active Member
Personally I have found that by keeping my mind active and stimulated through reading(either for fun or for continued learning)and conversation with friends i can stay mentally sharp. Now my body…that's another story for another day but suffice it to say that 'Old Age' is catching up to me. At 61 yrs. old due to major health concerns, having severe Rheumatoid Arthritis for over 31 years and being on Disability, I have learned to adapt by using my mind/brain and taking it easy on my body…..
 
lwien

lwien

Well-Known Member
Frodo said:
Yes, it does depend on the people you hang around with…but I believe by the time you are in your 60's you should have made lasting friendships and have better judgement(common sense plus having the 'smarts')in picking who you plan to hang around with!!!

Take care…..Frodo
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Frodo, my statement above was kinda "tongue-n-cheek" but I will say this. Better judgement, "smarts" and common sense can be found lacking in many that reach the ripe old age of 60 but being able to reach my age of 71, those traits become almost a requirement. :cool:
 
His_Highness

His_Highness

In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king
I've been playing some video games via my cell phone. Haven't noticed any increase in mental acuity yet BUT the cell phone game isn't nearly as engaging as normal video games. Gonna have to change up and report back.

Almost forgot how much fun video games can be when buzzed.
 
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