This article originally appeared in the September 2016 issue of SELF.
Ashley Jones is only 34, but lately she feels like she’sforgetting everything.
“I run out to the grocery store and come home without one of the three items I needed.
©JGI/Jamie Grill/Blend Images LLC
I’m not a flake, but sometimes I’ll forget commitments and friends' birthdays.”
She’s been known to send email while brushing her teeth.
Still, she worries that her forgetfulness is about more than just her schedule.
“I used to be a pretty efficient person,” she says.
“But lately, it’s like, Where is my mind?”
For today’s overbooked women, 30 can feel like the new 60.
It sometimes seems like there’s a fuzzy-brain epidemic.
Surprisingly, certain aspects of age-related cognitive decline begin as early as our 20s and 30s.
We’re all so busy being present: How is it that we’re so absentminded?
Which is complicated: The brain is mysterious, even to neuroscientists who study it for a living.
Plus, little brain research exists on people ages 25 to 55.
Still, there’s a lot we do know.
Brain function can be divided into two categories: mechanics and pragmatics.
Pragmatic functions, on the other hand, involve drawing upon accumulated knowledge and experience to make decisions.
In general, mechanics slow as we get older, while pragmatic function improves.
“Women in their 20s and 30s are at the peak of their mechanics,” says Lachman.
“But pragmatic functioning peaks much later in life.
Right now, you’re just beginning to accumulate knowledge and experience.”
Researchers believe that this continual gain may compensate for the slowing down of certain brain functions as we age.
(Busy is good for the brain;overwhelmedis not.)
“The things that decline earliest are memory, reasoning and speed,” says Salthouse.
“My memory has been bugging me for several years,” she says.
“And my processing time is just slower than it used to be.”
“I stayed up until 1 or 2 A.M. cutting paper and pasting things together.”
Now she’s a stay-at-home mom, but James has traded one big to-do list for another.
“You’re multitasking, you’re distracted.
You’re thinking about one thing and doing another,” says Park.
“When you lose your keys, it’s probably not because your mind is slipping.
It’s because you never knew where you put them in the first place.”
He believes that technology isn’t just distracting us, “It’s altering our brain function.”
“Tech interferes with our human-contact skills,” says Dr. Small.
In other words, the stakes here are potentially much higher than absentmindedness.
instead of ‘What can I do about my memory?’
The number-one change many experts suggest?
(Phew: It’s not crossword puzzles.)
“Exercise can really boost your cognitive abilitiesin a short time,” says Dr. Small.
“It can increase your brain size over six months or a year.”
This is likely because it keeps arteries flexible and increases blood flow to the brain.
“Being able to walk a few times each week has definitely helped,” she says.
“Exercise helps me feel less stressed.”
Diet is important, too.
One remedy you’ve probably heard about is brain games.
While many people believe in their effectiveness, scientists are divided over how much they actually help.
In addition to healthy habits, there are easy ways we can help our brains help us.
(See “4 Easy Ways To Strengthen Your Memory,” for more tips.)
“Generally, our brains are efficient,” says Dr. Small.
What’s important to you, you will remember."
This full issue is available August 9 on national newsstands.
