Active Aging Presented by Public Health Seattle-King County
You used to think the world was full of distractions. Then came your smartphone, your aging brain, and all the attention-grabbing demands of middle age.
Older adults are naturally likely to start struggling with focus and distraction thanks to the brain’s normal aging process. With digital distraction exacerbating an existing issue, it’s more important than ever to understand the effects of chronic distraction and the necessity of keeping your concentration sharp as you greet your 50s or 60s.
How Chronic Distraction Impacts Your Brain
It’s long been understood that concentration-breaking distractions can tank productivity, fragment normal cognitive processes, and make it harder to focus on what you’re doing. As you probably know well, continuous distractions — like recurring digital notifications — ultimately make you more stressed and less adept at the task at hand.
While you probably understand how most distractions work, you may not know about a common source of distraction: Multitasking.
You probably multitask to feel productive and knock out a few to-dos at once, but in reality, multitasking is the ultimate distraction. Your brain can’t actually focus on more than one objective at once and is simply jumping between tasks as you multitask. Each time you hop to a new task, you’re getting distracted from the last.
While multitasking seems easier than ever, thanks to all the digital tools at our disposal, chronic multitaskers may actually have lower levels of executive control and be more easily distracted than people who focus on one task at a time.
Why Improving Mental Focus Is Critical for Seniors
Even if you’re not constantly bombarded with attention-grabbing notifications and don’t practice multitasking, you’ll likely encounter increased distraction as you enter your 50s and 60s.
What you’re noticing is likely just the natural slowing of your brain’s processing speed and ability to code or retrieve new memories. Your brain’s natural aging means you’ll lose some receptors and neurons, making it more difficult to concentrate or absorb and retain new information. You also lose some ability to perform executive function-oriented tasks as you get older.
Apart from natural adjustments in chemistry, your brain is probably dealing with a lot of critical issues as you come into mid- and late life. Maybe you’re caring for elderly parents, managing the young adults in your house, or encountering other bodily symptoms of aging (hello, menopause).
Between those issues, your smartphone and other digital distractions, and your natural brain chemistry, your concentration may feel like a mess as you enter your golden years.
How to Keep Your Brain on Track
There’s no magic bullet to reverse natural mental processes or regain the brain of your 20s, but there are ways to reduce distractions and hone your focus in your everyday life. Here are a few suggestions.
- Avoid multitasking. When you have multiple attention-demanding items on your to-do list, try using the Pomodoro Technique — working in 25-minute bursts with short breaks between — to keep yourself focused on one task at a time.
- Start (or keep) exercising. An average of 30-40 minutes of exercise four times each week can help improve executive function, especially for exercisers in their 40s, 50s, and 60s. Exercise has been reported to be an all-around boost for the brain.
- Safeguard your sleep. Sleep is one of the most important tools you have for keeping your brain sharp and focused, since not getting enough can impair your concentration and cognitive skills. On the other hand, quality sleep can help your brain process and retain what you learned during your day. Try to get at least seven hours a night.
- Manage your menopause. Studies show that menopause can cause brain fog and forgetfulness. Women generally have stronger verbal memory than men, but that advantage is lost during menopause. If you’re in perimenopause or menopause, talk to your doctor about maintaining your brain and body health during this radical change.
Aging adults experience a host of factors that increase their tendencies toward distraction and lessen concentration. But mental decline isn’t wholly inevitable — try using some of the techniques shared here to keep your brain in shape.
Active Aging is presented by Public Health- Seattle & King County. Public Health- Seattle & King County recognizes the important and untold stories of innovation, service, and sacrifice by the Black community and supports efforts to improve equity and achieve social justice. We want everyone to get health insurance and access health care. Visit www.kingcounty.gov/health for health insurance, flu and COVID-19 testing locations.
