Reading is for some a passion, for others an obligation and for others a hobby. Reading continuously should be a regular habit for all of us. We are often not aware of the benefits it has in preventing cognitive degeneration. For that reason, we at Nomenial want to talk abut reading and senior citizens:

Reading as the main source of brain activation

Having the good habit of reading stimulates brain activation and favors concentration. But why is it so healthy to read, especially for the senior citizens?

Reading is an innate and natural activity for us. It is an ideal exercise for the mind and has many benefits at the cognitive level. This is something that greatly favors older or middle-aged people.

The process of reading makes our mind recreate each word. It also focuses our attention and alerts us to a single action.

So, while one is reading this post, the left hemisphere of the brain is working. It now has many areas activated and works them at great speed.

The process of reading begins in the eyes that perceive every letter, every word. Then, within microseconds, this information passes to the brain regions that interpret their meanings. And the process of identification and comprehension will be repeated constantly and generates the known benefits of reading.

Reading and senior citizens: Stimulating the mind

In addition to the cognitive and intellectual benefits, it favours the creative, less tangible, imaginative aspects. Reading is one of the best examples of manifesting creativity and receiving it. It is an activity that seduces the senses, and the mind, inspiring and injecting life into it.

Emotional aspects are also benefited in people who read. Reading favours empathy and vocabulary, people who read usually have a greater lexicon. And this makes them better speakers and helps them get their point across to other people.

It is true that people who remain mentally active throughout their lives are less likely to contract certain diseases as senior citizens. Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other cardiovascular diseases are the ones pointed out, as well as old age. And there will be many of us who can dig into our memory and identify the older people who have read the most. They are the people who most delay the disorders of age and best preserve their faculties and mental agility as senior citizens.

In short, reading is a value that shines with its own light. It is our vehicle to promote culture, encourage mental activation and prevent cognitive diseases. Our mental health is related to the work we do. Let us not be stupid enough to abandon it, we will pay for it when we are older.