Reaction Time

Reaction Time

Turning Around
the Big Slowdown

There was a time not too long ago when in almost every situation, your response was as quick as a cat's. If you were playing tennis and your opponent hit a smash down the line--whoosh! You'd return it, no problem. If you knocked a piece of china off the counter--zoom! You'd catch it before it hit the ground. If someone asked you a question--bang! You had the answer in an instant.

But lately, there has been a lot less woosh, zoom and bang in your life. Tennis balls are flying past. Family heirlooms are hitting the floor. And TV quiz show contestants are hitting their buzzers while you're still trying to figure out what the heck the question was.

What's happening here?

Well, you're getting older--and probably a little slower. While you're not ready for the nursing home yet, it's an undeniable fact that your reflexes aren't what they used to be.

But don't worry. It happens to all of us. And there's a lot we can do about it.

The Secret to Speedy Reþexes

Even the fittest of the fit will eventually join the ain't-what-I-used-to-be group. "Everyone, including great athletes, reaches her peak fitness levels in the mid- to late twenties and then gradually declines," says Ralph Tarter, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry and neurology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. "As fitness goes, our metabolism slows, and with it, our ability to perform tasks requiring sustained strength and speed."

Lucky for us that we have a surefire defense against this downward decline: lifelong physical activity. When you exercise, the body increases its output of growth hormone, a substance that helps maintain muscle mass, bone density and lean body composition. A study by Robert Mazzeo, Ph.D., a kinesiologist (he studies human motion) at the University of Colorado in Boulder, found that regularly active individuals had higher concentrations of growth hormone in their blood than people the same age who didn't exercise and sedentary people who were much younger.

"Even the elderly will see an increase in growth hormone levels from exercise, and with it will come increased strength, balance and speed," Dr. Mazzeo says.

The master control center for our ability to react to stimuli is the brain. In a split second, it processes information and then sends impulse signals to our muscles. "As we age, we see little change in the speed of these impulses," says Lawrence Z. Stern, M.D., director of the Muscular Dystrophy Association's Mucio F. Delgado Clinic for Neuromuscular Disorders at the University of Arizona Health Sciences Center in Tucson. "The greatest delays are in the processing of information that is necessary to formulate the messages that tell the muscles what to do."

Why? First, as we age, we lose brain cells that help us process new information. Also, we have much more information and experiences in our heads than we did when we were younger. This slows down our ability to make snap judgments. And we get lazy; it becomes easier to rely on old familiar ways than to deal with new ones.

Reaction Time Reactivators

So how do you keep your mind sharp and your reactions quick?

Use it. "Maintain complex mental activities versus passive ones such as watching television," says Dr. Tarter. "Stay mentally engaged by exposing yourself to demanding tasks and new challenges every single day. When we constantly use the brain and push it to its full capacity, it stays faster, more alert and more efficient."

Check your vision. Before you can mentally or physically react, you must have an accurate picture of the world outside. For that, we must rely on our senses, vision in particular. "Seventy-five to 80 percent of reaction time is directly related to good visual skills," says Arthur Seiderman, O.D., an Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, visual consultant to many professional athletes and author of 20/20 Is Not Enough. "That means more than just seeing objects clearly; it also means having the ability to detect, track and recognize fast-moving objects."

Steer clear of alcohol and drugs. Everybody knows that drunk drivers are slow to react behind the wheel, but even one or two drinks can be enough to send your reaction time plummeting, says Dr. Stern. And if you regularly drink alcoholic beverages or take any medication that affects the central nervous system, it could put your mind and body in a constant state of slo-mo.

Don't smoke. Tobacco saps speed in more ways than one, says Dr. Tarter. We all know the effect it has on our cardiovascular system. If our lungs and heart don't work efficiently, neither will our bones and muscles. Smoking also dramatically reduces the amount of oxygen in our bloodstream, and the brain needs a steady supply of fresh oxygen to stay in good working order.

Catch some Zzzs. A good night's sleep is nature's way of recharging our mental batteries. "Regular quality sleep every night is essential for the brain to stay alert and perform cognitive tasks at maximal levels," says Dr. Stern.

Zap some aliens. Video and computer games have been shown to dramatically improve mental and motor skills, says Dr. Tarter. "They are often used to help rehab patients develop speed, and even pilots these days practice on video simulators before they climb in the cockpit." If beeps, buzzes and explosions aren't your cup of tea, try some other fast-paced activity, such as Ping-Pong.