How God Changes Your Brain - Andrew Newberg, M. D_ [19]
In this simplified drawing, dendrites receive signals from other neurons and pass the information to the axon terminals, which will release neurotransmitter signals to other neurons.55
DESIGNING A PERSONAL
MEMORY-ENHANCEMENT MEDITATION
For years, scientists have known that simple memory exercises—for example, playing mahjong or memorizing random lists of numbers or names—can enhance a variety of cognitive functions, especially for people who are older than fifty.57 But as we will explain throughout this book, meditation appears to be more effective when it comes to strengthening the neural circuits in your brain.
In essence, the more you exercise your brain—mentally, physically, socially, and contemplatively—the healthier it becomes. Even more interesting, as researchers at the Stockholm Gerontology Research Center and the Aging Research Center in Sweden discovered, if you custom design your own memory-enhancing program, you'll show even greater improvement, along with an increased willingness to practice.58 So why not apply this strategy and create a personalized memory-enhancement meditation? The key elements are simple: Maintain a state of relaxed awareness, regulate your breathing, and perform a simple or complex movement with any part of your body. As you do this, sing, chant, or silently repeat a sound or phrase that has personal meaning, and practice for at least twelve minutes each day. And don't forget the most important step: Be clear about the goal you wish to reach.
Make the meditation as simple or as complex as you like, and feel free to vary it from week to week. However, the more complex your meditation becomes, and the longer you do it, the more you will strengthen the neural circuits that tend to deteriorate with age. You can even meditate while you're walking, jogging, or doing calisthenics, for the more parts of your body you move, the more parts of your brain will be stimulated.
How long will it take to make an improvement? Technically speaking, overnight, but if you want to see measurable improvements, you have to practice daily. As one recent study demonstrated, just fourteen days of daily mental and physical exercise, stress reduction, and a healthy diet, was enough to improve cognition and brain function for people between the ages of thirty-five and sixty-nine.59
Other meditation studies infer that the greatest improvements are achieved when you practice thirty minutes to an hour each day. Simply put, the longer you practice, the greater the reward. After a few weeks you should notice improvement in your attitude and emotional well-being, and if you integrate meditation with psychotherapy or cognitive-behavioral classes, you will find that you can maintain low degrees of depression and anxiety long after your therapy ends—but again, only if you continue the meditation practice of staying relaxed, alert, and focused.60
TAKE A COFFEE, TEA, AND COGNITION BREAK
Meditation is great for your brain, but when it comes to needing an instant boost of cognitive powers, it is hard to beat a couple of freshly brewed cups of java.61 Coffee may even lower your risk of diabetes, gout, Parkinson's disease, and certain types of cancer.62
When the U.S. Army Research Institute investigated the effects of coffee on Navy SEAL trainees, they concluded that “even in the most adverse circumstances, moderate doses of caffeine can improve cognitive function, including vigilance, learning, memory, and mood state.”63 In fact, they found that for people exposed to severe stress, coffee provided a significant advantage when cognitive