5. May - S. Gupta MD, Keep Sharp
This month's book review was a struggle, especially off the bat of a semi-fiction read. It took a few days to really get going on this, but once the momentum started, the hum of daily reading and intrigue took over, and all of a sudden I was writing this book review.
A little story. I was recommended a different book to read this month (Atomic Habits - that will be next month) but chose this one instead. I have a grandmother who for the past couple of years has had memory decline. I was talking to my husband a few weeks ago about her and how all of a sudden at some point in the last 6 months I realised my grandparents got old on me. He had only ever known his grandparents as being old, so couldn't relate but we have been together a long time and he too had noticed them age quite significantly in the last couple of years. He reminded me how lucky I was to have:
1. grown-up with grandparents; and
2. grown-up with grandparents who were fit, active, and involved.
We talked about how nana's memory was slowly fading and how the forgetting names or random texts wishing us Merry Christmas in April were becoming a regular thing. We also talked about what we could do to better understand and prepare for what's to come as she continues to decline. That's when I came across this book and it piqued my interest. I really wanted to get into Atomic Habits (and have, albeit via audiobook when doing cardio) this book seemed so much more relevant to helping me cope with, I guess, not only enjoying and appreciating the little antics and changes Nana is going through but also adjusting to a new normal, that is, grandparents who have lived really full-on lives and always been really young to me, now taking a more leisurely pace than I'm used to.
Title: Keep Sharp, Build a Better Brain at Any Age
Author: Sanjay Gupta, MD
Pages: 336
*This is my opinion. Nothing in here is "fact" - just saying.
To begin, I really struggled to get into this book. Dr. Gupta's eyes would stare at me from all over the house as I moved my Kindle from place to place, intending on reading it when I got a chance. But unfortunately, those first couple chapters gave me major throwbacks to being a 7yo in the school library, forced to take out a non-fiction book about science by my classroom teacher.
You see, science is not a strength of mine, and the minute we start talking about molecules, proteins, synapses, and neurons, my brain, which ironically is creating new synapses from reading, decides it's time to snooze. Getting through those first couple of chapters was a matter of sheer will and determination not to let this once-a-month book challenge get on top of me and tap me out at month 5. We shall persist.
After all the dramatics of trying to get through those scientific chapters though, the rest of the book was relatively easy and enjoyable. At the core of the book, underneath all the scientific reasoning and explanations, the best way to make a difference in preserving memory isn't cured by a quick fix pill or the upheaval of your entire life. In fact, its made by making conscious and gradual changes to improve your lifestyle.
"That means that over 90% of our health and longevity is in our own hands"
Dr. Gupta does a great job of demystifying dementia. Don't get me wrong, there is a lot that is still unknown about the brain, how memory functions work and why some people's memory decreases while others don't but what is known by the medical world, Dr. Gupta writes so clearly and succinctly that even science dummies like me can even understand. He also breaks down how our general perception of memory and how it works, is wrong. I often thought my memory was like a filing computer, where you store memories that happen and recall them when you need them, but that isn't how it works. Memories are far more advanced than that and I feel bad for thinking my brain was so simple. In essence, your memories help you live your entire life - your brain uses them to piece things together, filter things out, make sense of the world you live in, breathe, smell, and digest. Without memories, the simplest things our bodies do unconsciously would simply stop. Our brains are literally the smartest, most complex, and most intelligent things on this planet and to call them computers is to do them a disservice.
"The function of our memory is more about helping to build and maintain a cohesive life narrative that fits with who we are while also constantly changing with new experience"
The book walks you through what can cause memory decline, what science says and how the brain works, prevention through movement, continual learning, healthy sleep habits, and connection. Age of course is a continuous factor in memory and memory decline, but that is a fact of life, we can't stop aging so we must look at what other factors we do control and use them to help us keep sharp.
"“physical inactivity has been calculated to be the most significant risk factor in cognitive decline and the development of dementia.”
It may come as no surprise, but there are generally 3 things you can do to preserve memory retention, they are:
While he doesn't offer up any solutions or fixes to diseases like dementia and Alzheimer's, it was a reaffirming book to read, knowing that simple changes in lifestyle can help to preserve memory decline. If you're interested in a really easy and understandable explanation of how the brain and memory work, then this is a good book and I would recommend it.
---
If you'd like more information on the author and other work he has completed, you can find him here: Dr Sanjay Gupta
If you want to purchase the kindle version online*: Keep Sharp
--
*I have figured out how to use affiliate links on Amazon, so if you purchase this e-book I think I'm set to make about 0.2c :), yay me!