Prioritize Brain Health by Forever Learning
I’m well over a decade out of school, yet I still have nightmares that I never graduated. Unless I pass an advanced calculus exam immediately, everything I’ve accomplished gets revoked and I have to pack up and move to Timbuktu.
I wasn’t a math kid (at all), but I loved school. Autumn meant a spiced latte, a fresh daytimer, and beautiful new inky-black pens. A tidy schedule that almost had me convinced I had my life together.
Well-oh-well, it’s well into September. Again. I miss that feeling. Maybe you do too, when you’re labelling your kids’ school supplies, or walking past store displays of colourful duotangs and fruit-scented markers.
But do we need to be enrolled in anything to indulge that drive to learn? School might not be central to our daily lives anymore, but we can keep learning and caring for our brains regardless.
Learning Goes Well Beyond Standard Classroom Subjects
I’ve been teaching myself to paint, so art is the example I keep coming back to. But the same idea applies to learning a language, playing an instrument, repairing a car, or figuring out new tech. Or anything, really. Take what’s useful here and apply it to whatever tickles your brain juices.
When I’m painting or writing about something unfamiliar (such as the science behind this very article), I can often recognise a problem before I know how to fix it. Maybe a shadow looks wrong, or a poorly-worded sentence further muddies a complex idea. That moment of recognition gives me somewhere to start in solving the issue. This is how we learn and grow. Just because I’m struggling doesn’t mean I’m incapable of getting better.
Exercising the Mush Between our Ears
Research in older adults suggests that sustained, challenging learning can improve memory performance. This is because learning something unfamiliar requires us to pay attention. We need to process and remember new information. Identify problems, try to solve them, get it wrong, try again. It’s normal to mess up a lot. And when we’re discouraged, we simply need to adjust our approach and try again. Practice gives our brains the necessary workout it needs to to adapt and grow.
This is what’s known as neuroplasticity. Our brains form new connections between nerve cells. Existing connections get stronger. This is how we adopt new skills and get better with time.
Design Your Own Curriculum. Make it Challenging.
Creativity is often marketed to grown-ups as relaxation. Knit because it’s cosy. Colour because it’s sooooothing. Lovely reasons to make things, but learning to paint has made me appreciate a solid challenge.
In the Synapse Project, older adults spent three months learning photography, quilting or both. These groups showed marked improvements in episodic memory (remembering events and experiences), greater than those doing less demanding, more familiar activities.
Choose one skill that tickles your brain juices. It can be something you already enjoy. If you typically use the automatic function on your camera, learn the manual settings. Tackle a harder song on the guitar. Make it challenging enough to require real effort, but manageable enough that you’re motivated to keep going.
Schedule yourself a few realistic blocks of time to practise. Break the skill into small tasks rather than trying to tackle everything at once. Keep notes of what you tried and what you want to work on next.
Your Brain, She’s Hungry!
The brain depends on a steady supply of energy. It accounts for roughly 2% of our body mass, but around 20% of our body’s energy use at rest.
Brain cells continually use ATP, which is a molecule that gives our cells energy. Mitochondria produce much of that ATP, while nutrients help build cell structures and support the reactions that keep them functioning.
This is where nutrition belongs in all this convo. Learning depends on functioning brain cells, and getting enough food and essential nutrients helps support them.
Omega-3s
DHA, a long-chain omega-3 fatty acid, is an important component of cell membranes in the brain. It helps maintain the membrane properties that allow nerve cells to work. It’s also involved in regulating inflammation.
You can find DHA primarily in fish and seafood, but also hemp seeds, walnuts, and algae-derived oils.
B Vitamins
We recently spent an entire article examining the idea that “B vitamins give you energy”. [B Vitamins Don't "Give You Energy"—So What Do They Actually Do?] B-vitamins have essential roles in the nervous system, and some help our cells process and use nutrients.
Creatine, Bro
Creatine is usually a supplement thrown around in the gym, not the classroom, but its involvement in energy metabolism also extends to the brain. Through the creatine-phosphocreatine system, creatine helps regenerate ATP as cells use up energy.
Lion’s Mane
I very recently covered this fun lil’ guy in our From the Apothecary series. [From the Apothecary: Lion’s Mane (Hericium erinaceus)]
Lion’s Mane has strong potential in support of memory and focus. Early human trials reported improvements on cognitive tests. It also contains antioxidants, which protect cells from oxidative damage.
Take chances, Make Mistakes
I’m still not that great at painting. But I’m still learning, and learning to enjoy the process. I’m the furthest thing from Rembrandt, and that’s totally okay: a work that needs fixing gives me a reason to return to my easel. And fortunately, none of this stuff requires me to resit that nightmare math exam.
I hope you choose to pursue learning a new thing, whatever your “thing” might be. So long as it keeps you curious enough to keep going. Start small, give yourself time to practise, and expect a few mistakes along the way.
Your brain and body will be all the healthier for it.
References
Cherry, K. (2026, June 21). How neuroplasticity works. Verywell Mind.
Flexman, R. (2021). Lifelong learning: A key weapon in Delaware’s fight against cognitive decline. Delaware Journal of Public Health
International Food Information Council. (2020, December 8). Omega-3 fatty acids fact sheet.
Kubala, J. (2023, February 10). Creatine 101: What is it and what does it do? Healthline.
Park DC, Lodi-Smith J, Drew L, Haber S, Hebrank A, Bischof GN, Aamodt W. The impact of sustained engagement on cognitive function in older adults: the Synapse Project. Psychol Sci. 2014.
Richardson, M. W. (2019, February 1). How much energy does the brain use? BrainFacts.org.