Your job might be good for your brain

Your job might be good for your brain. 

There seems to be a direct correlation between brain activity and Alzheimer's disease later in life. The more things you do that require you to think in new and different ways throughout your life can protect you against Alzheimer's. 

According to Seattletimes.com,
‘Getting an education is important for a lot of reasons, but there might be one reason you haven’t heard — it could lower your risk of dementia later in life. Decades of research have supported this claim, with one study showing that each additional year of formal education lowers the risk of Alzheimer’s disease or other types of dementia by 7 percent. Now, a growing body of evidence suggests that the jobs we hold throughout our lives may matter just as much or more than years of education.’ 

They're not saying that this is a blanket protection against Alzheimer's. What they are saying is that it lessens your risk for Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia. 

What is cognitive reserve?

The concept is called cognitive reserve. The higher your education level and the more complex your job is, the more cognitive reserve you create for later years. 

When we are talking about job complexity, we're talking about jobs like lawyers, doctors, teachers, and Managers. The idea is, taking part in jobs and hobbies that are mentally stimulating, “can help preserve late-life brain health and boost cognitive reserve — the brain’s ability to cope with age- or disease-related changes.” 

Researchers claim they found a correlation in a 2021 study that job complexity was predictive to the percentage of possibility of dementia in later life. Specifically, they found “in 10,195 participants from six countries. As expected, high school graduates had a 26 percent increase in dementia-free survival time compared to people who only completed middle school or less.” 

Your brain being stimulated by a complex job has a greater positive effect on your brain than higher education alone. You're spending 8 hours a day in your job for most of your life. That is way more time than the time you invest in higher education. 

So, what if your job is not particularly complex?

What do you do? 

Become active in lifelong learning.
Try to learn something new every day. Look for classes that you might enjoy at your Community College. 

Finding a hobby that stimulates your brain.
Playing board games, getting involved in arts and crafts. Learning to play an instrument. All these things help to create new neural pathways and stimulate your brain. 

Stay socially connected.
Studies show that strong social contact helps to strengthen your cognitive reserve. 

When you retire, keep that brain working.
If you love your job, why retire? Especially if it keeps your brain functioning at a high level. If you do retire, don't stop thinking just because you're not working. After my dad retired, he continued to work as a engineering contractor for years. He remained mentally sharp right up until he passed away. 

Find ways to get involved in volunteer opportunities.
Studies show that having a sense of purpose helps to create more cognitive reserve as we get older. Doing volunteer work helps to solidify that sense of purpose, and you get to learn new skills. 

Another thing that seems to be showing up in studies is that cardiovascular health goes hand in hand with brain function.