Best MEMORY BOOSTERS

Keep your brain strong and build your cognitive reserve with top advice from memory expert Dr Tim Beanland, head of knowledge and learning at Alzheimer's Society

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So-called senior moments really annoy me. Forgetting the name of a colleague. Getting to the checkout and not being able to recall your PIN, even though you've used the card a hundred times. Putting your mobile down and having to ask someone to call you so you can find it.

Such signs of the 'greying' of the grey matter may be irritating, but they're not inevitable. We can all stay sharp longer, with a little effort. Part of that is about clean living: physical exercise and a healthy diet. But part of it is about something else - think of it as mental push-ups. Your brain is like any other muscle - to keep it trim, you've got to get to the gym. Such brain workouts can include time doing puzzles - both fun and good for you.

As well as warding off those everyday lapses, brain workouts such as regular puzzling will also help keep at bay what is now the most-feared health condition among the over-50s: dementia.

THE BENEFITS

People who regularly engage in cognitively stimulating activities, such as puzzles, often see two key benefits: