Do you have as good cognitive and physical fitness? We usually know how fast we run the mile. But the state of memory, focus and analytical ability is usually worse. Here are some tests that give the answers!

Has it suddenly become more difficult to find the right words or to come up with the answer to a question you actually know when you're watching a quiz show on TV? We usually call it "senior moments" - we have things on our tongue but can't get them out. But when are these "brain slips" normal and when can they be a sign that the brain and memory are not working properly? It's not strange if you sometimes have to look for a long time for the name of a certain celebrity. However, it's not part of healthy aging to suddenly forget the name of your partner or
their children. It is only with major memory lapses, such as forgetting entire conversations or all scheduled meetings, that there is cause for real concern.

– It is part of the fact that you become a little slower at retrieving information as you get older. The information is there, but it just takes longer to retrieve it. We can also be more or less absent-minded at times without it being anything strange, says Hedvig Söderlund, a brain and memory researcher and professor at Luleå University of Technology who has written several books on topics such as dementia. She also has her own experience of memory problems after burnout, something she wrote about in her book ”Burnout – science behind and the way back”. For her, the bad memory was about being burned out.

– I remember being very ashamed because I forgot things I had told my friends. I could forget to unpack the goods from the box when I had been shopping. I was very absent-minded but I never forgot entire events from my life, she says. This very thing about forgetting things that are here and now, such as having made an appointment at the laundry or what you have said to a loved one, is usually a sign that the negative effects of stress are behind the problem. It is also normal to miss the exit when you go home because you are thinking about something else, but it is not normal to completely forget which exit leads home. With ”normal” forgetfulness, you can forget what you had for dinner the day before, while with dementia you do not remember having eaten dinner at all. According to Hedvig Söderlund, the difference between unhealthy and healthy cognitive aging is, among other things, a question of frequency. Having to look for keys and glasses is normal when you are stressed and have not slept well.

– But if you slept well and still need to look for them every day, it could be a warning sign, she says.

TEST YOUR COGNITIVE FITNESS AT HOME
Cognitive changes often occur more slowly than physical changes, so regular check-ups are a good idea. Do the tests a few times and then retest after a month to detect any deterioration.
Go and count backwards.
Take a walk at your normal pace and count backwards from 100 to 1
in three rounds. If your walking speed changes significantly during the task, it may indicate cognitive impairment. It can have several causes, such as lack of sleep or stress, for example.
Draw and remember
Take out a piece of paper and ask a friend to say three completely unrelated words (for example, pumpkin, ex-husband, and invoice) that you are to remember. Then draw a clock face. After drawing the clock, state the three words again. If you can easily remember all the words, this indicates a good memory.
Naming objects
Set a timer and have a friend count how many items in a category (such as animals or clothing) you can name in one minute. A good score is if you can name more than 21 items. If you can't name 15 items, you may be experiencing some form of cognitive impairment.
Connect number to letter
Get out a piece of paper and ask a friend to write down the alphabet and numbers from 1 to 29 in random order. You will then connect the numbers and letters in sequence (1, A, 2, B, 3 C and so on). Time how long it takes. Retake the test after a month to see if there is any difference. The test measures cognitive flexibility, that is, your ability to switch between tasks.

Some people may also become a little slower after retirement when they are not activated in the same way every day as before.

When you have problems with executive functions, that is, making decisions, organizing, planning and structuring, you should also seek help, Hedvig Söderlund believes. Not least because unnecessary worry can actually make the brain and memory function even worse.

– If you blow up the problems, it can make things worse to some extent. You end up in a vicious circle of overthinking unnecessarily. In addition to stress, depression, alcohol and medication can also cause memory and thinking skills to fail.

“For example, the wrong dose of blood pressure-lowering medication can make you dizzy, sleepy and not perform as well as you usually do. A lack of vitamin B12 and iron can also affect cognition,” says Hedvig Söderlund. Even the brain fog some women experience during menopause can sometimes be mistaken for
cognitive impairment.

“Some people may also become a little slower after retirement when they are not activated in the same way every day as before,” says Hedvig Söderlund. These are the types of factors that doctors take into account when someone seeks help for cognitive problems.

– Once you have ruled out such possible underlying causes, you can proceed with a test, MMT, Mini Mental Test. It usually gives a clear answer as to whether the forgetfulness is a result of natural aging, stress or dementia. The test includes, among other things, trying to remember and repeat a number of words, spelling words backwards or counting backwards in rounds. There are also several such ”do it at home” tests that can give an indication of a person’s cognitive fitness. Don’t be alarmed if you don’t score full marks on the tests. Having a slightly bad memory can actually be good sometimes. Like when you have acquired a new password or a new PIN code. The risk is that life would become very messy if we didn’t forget the old codes at the same time.

HOW TO SHARPEN YOUR BRAIN
Memory begins to deteriorate as a result of normal aging in your 60s. But brain aging can be influenced for the better.

Here's what you can do:

• Strengthen your brain with mental challenges. Solve crosswords, sudoku, learn a new language or start playing an instrument.
• Practice being here and now. It strengthens concentration and attention.
• Practice mindfulness in the forest. There, your brain won't be as distracted by other things that disturb you.
• Meditate. It makes the gray matter in the brain thicker.
• Exercise regularly to get your heart rate up. Research shows that exercise oxygenates the brain and delays the onset of dementia and depression.