Use It or Lose It - Get Better Grades

Alzheimer's expert David Snowden of the Sanders Brown Centre on Ageing and of the University of Kentucky in Lexington conducted what has become known as the "Nun Study" and is the most thorough and informative study of its kind.

In 1991, 678 Catholic sisters between the ages of 75 and 107 were recruited in a unique collaborative study.

That there were so many older nuns, and 7 of them over 100 years old, is a testament to their immaculate lifestyle.
None of them drank nor smoked.

They all lived quietly and communally. The environment was calm and thoughtful and they ate healthily and in moderation.
Only a few were found to be suffering from Alzheimer's disease, while the vast majority had given dementia and senility the slip.
They were happy and productive, still working to help the poor, perhaps by knitting clothing for them and right up until the end of their long and happy lives.

And when their brains were scanned, incredibly, some who showed no signs of senility in their day-to-day lives, clearly had brains that were severely wasted by dementia.

So how on earth did they function so well when their brains were so damaged? In an effort to find out David Snowden gave them a multitude of mental agility tests each year of the study and regular and exhaustive medical examinations.
He was able to ascertain that there were a number of things that they all had in common.

For example they all had sufficient folic acid.
Another indicator was their well-developed verbal ability in early childhood.
Another very important factor was a positive outlook on life, and keeping busy, for example physical activity, doing crossword puzzles, knitting and exercising. So I guess if you were to join the School Sisters of Notre Dame, you'd have a jolly good chance of living to a ripe old age and being able to use your brain as efficiently as you ever did.

You might be asking, how is this relevant to you? Well, you're trying to use your brain efficiently, aren't you? You're trying to improve your exam results.

Many of you are struggling to pass your professional exams. You could have a look at the big picture and see where you can make little improvements, contributing to a big improvement overall. Good quality sleep, and sleeping long enough each night plays a big part.

As does exercise.
Exercise has proved itself to be the most efficient and reliable way to encourage the growth of new brain cells.

Healthy food, cutting out drugs and moderate use of alcohol all help enormously.
Perhaps this isn't appropriate for all of us but if you're taking exams and you're looking to get better grades, then it's certainly worth taking the time to see how we can improve our lives, right now.

When was the last time you had a go at a crossword? When was the last time you had a cross word to say about someone or something? Maybe we can improve the balance, live longer, happier, healthier lives while increasing our chances of passing exams with better grades in the process.