As the world population ages, at least in the developed countries, keeping the mind young as the body grows older becomes an essential task. The oft-repeated but not entirely comprehensive or effective techniques of playing Sudoku or getting more exercise are not enough. This article from Time, reprinted from Health.com, lists and explains a number of other specifics which may or may not appeal to you, but at least some may be worth considering if you are getting into the boomer years.
You may think that cutting sleep during the week and making up for it on the weekend is OK, but as an article in the current AARP The Magazine, explains:
That sleep deficit you’ve been accumulating has real and dangerous implications for your brain, and not just because it makes you sleepy during the day. Sleeping less than seven or eight hours a night has been linked to cognitive decline, memory loss and possibly even Alzheimer’s, new research shows.
There are many tasks the brain accomplishes while you sleep; shorten the hours the brain has to do them and they don’t all get done.