While some count proteins, others count steps, and some count the number of remaining hairs on their heads, a crucial organ of the body remains neglected and can silently degrade. This is the brain. Often it goes too long without attention. And we try to restore its function when it’s already too late: we forget why we entered a room, rummaged through the fridge, or put the kettle on and forgot to turn it on. Experts believe that one should start monitoring brain health almost from youth. Cognitive strategies expert Natalie Mackenzie listed five simple ways to check how your brain is functioning and notice negative changes at an early stage. Similar methods are used in scientific research on cognitive functions and clinical memory tests. An important clarification: this will not replace a diagnosis from a specialist. There is no single correct result here, and the state of memory depends on both innate characteristics and factors such as sleep, stress levels, and simply the environment. But if you take such tests from time to time, they can show how your memory and thinking change over the years. And if you perform the exercises described below regularly, you can significantly enhance your memory. **1. Number Check** Let’s start with the simplest: try to hold a few randomly written numbers or an unfamiliar phone number in your mind. According to Mackenzie, ideally, a person can remember about seven digits. If you can memorize a phone number without writing it down, that’s quite good. You can also ask someone to name a sequence of digits. Your task is to repeat it in reverse order. For example: if you hear "9–3–7," you respond with "7–3–9." After each successful round, add one more digit. If you fail to recall two consecutive sequences of the same length, the test is over. Research shows that healthy individuals aged 20–30 typically reproduce between 4 to 6 digits in reverse order. By age 50 and older, the result gradually declines to about 3–5 digits. And now, good news for everyone who tends to offload all brain tasks onto gadgets: such skills can be trained. The simplest way: try to plan your day in your head and follow the plan without looking at notes. Did circumstances change? Even better, try to visualize how your schedule changes without any records. And yes, at least here, don’t ask a neural network for help. They already think enough for us. **2. Word Test** The next check is based on the CERAD word list memory test, developed back in the 1990s and used, among other things, for the early detection of cognitive impairments and the diagnosis of dementia. Ask someone to name ten unrelated words. Immediately after that, try to recall as many of them as possible. Then forget about the test for ten minutes and engage in something completely different. After the break, try to name the original ten words again. This checks not only the ability to quickly memorize information but also the so-called delayed memory—the ability to reproduce information after some time. Young healthy adults usually manage to recall about 7–8 words. With age, the result gradually declines. But if you suddenly named only four words, don’t immediately think that your brain is done for. The result can be affected by stress, lack of sleep, and even just discomfort from taking the test. You can train your memory quite simply: go shopping without a grocery list. First, think and remember what you need to buy. And try to return home not with three bags of chips and the thought that you were actually going for something else, but with purchases that at least won’t leave you starving. **3. Story Retelling** This test checks how well you can perceive and retain information received audibly, resembling a school retelling. But since we’re not preparing for the Unified State Exam, you can relax. Ask someone close to read you a short story with about 25 details and events. Immediately after reading, retell it in your own words. Now wait half an hour and try to do it again. Here, what’s interesting is not just the volume of information you remembered immediately but the difference between the first and second retelling. Research shows that the ability to reproduce information immediately after receiving it gradually declines with age, but the drop in results during repeated reproduction is even more telling. And here’s a quite pleasant way to train. Try retelling out loud the content of a podcast or audiobook you listen to. However, if you find yourself retelling the latest podcast episode to yourself, that’s a bit strange; it’s better to find a listener. But for brain training, anything works. **4. Visual Memory** This one is simple. Take ten objects. You can use anything that’s at hand at home: keys, a mug, a remote, a pen, a charger, and other items. Place them next to each other and look at them for 30 seconds. Then leave the room and write down how many items you can remember. After a half-hour break, repeat the test. According to Mackenzie, a person around 50 years old can recall 8–9 items. By age 80, this figure can drop to 5–6. That’s why it’s useful not only to watch series but also to occasionally switch gears and make your brain recall what was in front of your eyes. And the next morning, retell yourself the content of yesterday’s episode. **5. Recall Your Life** The last test is not about abstract numbers and objects but about your biography. Here are nine cue words—everyone today will have memories associated with them: HAPPINESS, TABLE, OFFICE, SADNESS, BEACH, GARDEN, SCHOOL, ANGER. Choose any of them and try to describe a specific memory related to it in detail for 30–60 seconds. It’s important to focus on a specific memory, not to reflect in the spirit of "I love beaches." For example, recall a specific beach, a particular trip, the people who were there, and what happened. There’s also another simple exercise for memory training. Try to recall your day in reverse order in the evening—starting from what happened just before you went to sleep and gradually moving back to the morning. What did you do before that? Who did you talk to? Where did you go? What did you eat? **And what now?** The main thing is not to perceive these five tests as a home exam to prove you are a person with a functioning brain. Memory naturally changes with age, and its functioning is influenced by sleep, stress, and many other factors. You should be concerned about sudden changes in results. Particularly, you should be worried if you suddenly find it difficult to recall recent events, especially those that occurred in the last couple of years. In that case, it’s definitely worth consulting a specialist.
