HealthLinks Upstate May-Aug 2023

72 | www.Ups tatePhys i c i ansSC . com | www.Hea l thL i nksUps tate. com Whether they are enjoying a relaxing cruise, a trip to an exotic country or a simple journey through the woods to Grandma’s house, most travelers readily agree that escaping daily routines and surroundings, even for a short time, improves their mental health. What may be less obvious is that new scenery and new activities also strengthen their brain’s cognitive abilities. It’s a myth to think that after we have eased away from being babies and through our teen years, our brains are done growing, said Bon Secours St. Francis psychiatrist and behavioral health specialist Karen Ann Cooper, MSN, APRN-BC. “Our brains are like muscles — we can give them a workout, push them by breaking out of our comfort zones and they improve,” Cooper added. “Our brains demand new experiences to grow – our minds get bored with routines.” “Travel shakes up routines and the brain reacts,” Cooper explained. “But we have to get out of our comfort zone; don’t go to the same beach, the same chair with the same magazine.” Linda Young, owner-operator of Young Travel and Cruises, a boutique travel agency in Greenville, represents America’s rapidly growing senior population. She also loves to travel. “From my own experiences, I think travel stimulates the brain, just as much or even more than it did when I was very young,” she said. “At 78, I have found recent travel to be no more difficult than it had been before. In more than 35 years, our agency has had many senior travelers, and I have never had one tell me they should have stayed home because it was too difficult.” Young’s words are especially encouraging as our rapidly aging American population wonders how to fend off Alzheimer’s disease and other age-related dementias. Furthermore, science agrees with her. In his book, “Soft-Wired: How the New Science of Brain Plasticity Can Change Your Life,” American neuroscientist Dr. Michael Merzenich maintains that the more novel experiences the brain has, especially during the aging TRAVELIT DOES A BRAIN GOOD! By Janet E Perrigo

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