Sleep is essential not alone for the body in general
but for resting and revitalizing the brain in particular. Good sleeping habits
(page 94) are well worth developing. Both overstimulation of the brain through
excessive use of caffeine in coffee, tea, and soft drinks and depression of the
brain through frequent use of sedatives such as barbiturates and bromides are
best avoided.
The brain works most effectively when freed from anxieties and
mental conflicts. We suggest that a reading of the next section of this book,
Preventive Mental Care, may provide you with insights you will find useful in
keeping your psyche-the functional part of the brain-in the best possible
condition.
Are special "brain foods" and "brain
tonics" necessary? Not at all. As it will for all the rest of the body, a
well-balanced and varied diet will ;
The Brain and Nervous System / 241
provide the brain with all the nourishment it requires. Fish, a good food, is
not any better for the brain, despite its reputation for being so, than any
other protein food. There is no magical brain food. It bears emphasizing that
the mind reacts to distress elsewhere in the body. Headaches, dizziness,
fainting, impairment of memory, and other "brain" symptoms may, of
course, stem from disturbances in and around the brain (for example, sinusitis
or tumor).
But they can
also be the results of, for example, the circulation of poisons because of
failure of damaged kidneys to remove toxic materials from the blood. In short,
brain symptoms call for a complete medical checkup. Can the effects of aging on
the brain be prevented? Some of the most harmful effects of hardening of the
arteries can be prevented or considerably diminished by following the
suggestions given in the sections of this book devoted to nutrition, obesity,
high blood pressure, and aging.
There is every reason to be optimistic about
your brain function as you get on in years. You may recall that Michelangelo
produced some of the greatest art of all time when he was more than 80 years
old, and Arturo Toscanini at 87 directed symphonies without reference to
musical scores. Many people in everyday life continue to have alert, active
brains long beyond the age of 70.
Actually, a study made for the Office of Naval
Research indicates that, contrary to what has been commonly thought, mentalability does not invariably decline with age but may, in fact, be greater at
and after 50 than at 20. The ONR study avoided a pitfall of other studies in
the past. In the latter, the same tests were given to various age groups, and
the results suggested that a peak of intelligence comes at 20 and thereafter
declines.
But such studies, many scientists have thought, were faulty. In
recent years, young people have been receiving more and more formal education,
and it has been demonstrated that generally the more formal education, the
higher the Score on mental tests. Therefore, older people, generally had had
less formal education, were handicapped in test competition with younger
ones.
In the ONR study, 127 men who had taken the Army Alpha Examination upon
entering Iowa State College after World War I were retested 30 years later.
They were competing against their younger selves. The results showed them to be
intellectually more able at mean age 50 than they had been at mean age 19 when
they had been college freshmen.
