This is why you forget things as you get older

Today we're talking about the cognitive changes that come along with age.Approximate read time: 2 minutes 7 secondsI've been absolutely slammed this week, so we're keeping it short and sweet.The graph below was taken from this STUDY.

What this graph shows is the change in two types of cognitive abilities. Crystalized abilities and fluid abilities.Crystalized abilities are things that build up over time and MANY MANY reps across your lifetime. These are things like vocabulary, reading comprehension, math, and science. They typically have something to do with "acquired knowledge."Fluid abilities are things that have to do with processing speed and adapting to new information, environments, and problems. As you can see, they generally head in different directions after the age of 20. Something that declines along with fluid abilities is attention and consolidation of memory, which are vital ingredients for forming new memories.As we get older, devoting attention to a task, as well as splitting attention between tasks, becomes more difficult. This is one of the reasons why, as you may have noticed, you prefer quiet settings more the older you get.There are fewer distractions which makes it easier to concentrate and subsequently form memories from what you're engaged in. You're not turning back the clock, so what can you do to protect your fluid cognitive abilities? There are two vitally important practices that will set you up for success.

• Participate in cardiovascular exercise EVERYDAY for about 30 minutes

• Protect your sleep as if your life depends on it

Cardiovascular exerciseCardiovascular exercise is one of the only things that's been proven to regenerate brain tissue. It does this through the release of BDNF (brain derived neurotrophic factor), which stimulates growth in the hippocampus, a vital area in the brain for memory formation. SleepThis study found that middle-aged individuals sleeping 6 hours or less had a 30% increased risk of developing dementia. Sleep is the foundation of every recovery process in our bodies, including the processes of the brain. If you're not sleeping enough, you'll pay the price either today or later down the road.What does this mean for you?Cognitive change is part of getting older, but the extent to which you experience that change hinges on your lifestyle. You can't stop the march of time, and you can't change your genetics, but you can exercise, and you can make sleep a top priority. That's all for today.

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PS I mentioned last week that this newsletter would be going through some changes. Those changes likely aren't happening until next month, but one thing you'll start to see more of is what I call the "how not what" principle. I'll be diving more into people in the future and HOW great people in history have done things rather than WHAT they did. I intend to "look under the hood" of some of the greatest people in history to see how they did things and examine why that made them different.