15 activities to improve your senses

Walk/running

It might seem simple, but getting out and stretching your legs can be great for keeping your vision healthy.

With many of us spending up to 8 hours each day sitting and looking at screens, we often forget to take breaks and look at things further away. When we look at screens, we blink up to two thirds less than when we're looking elsewhere, which can cause our eyes to dry out and become damaged.

By going for walks, we're looking at things that are further away and blinking more often, keeping our eyes moist and working the eye muscles so our sight stays healthy.

In addition, cardio exercise, such as running, is a great way to reduce your risk of cataracts. You don't need to be a marathon runner either, with a brisk walk helping to lower your intraocular pressure, which as a result could help prevent glaucoma.

Word search

Puzzles are known for being beneficial to your overall health and the word search is particularly good for improving your sight. Searching for particular words improves your spatial insight, which tends to deteriorate as we age. Word searches also can improve your ability to read and remember what is in front of you.

Take a nap

Having enough sleep each night is immensely beneficial for your eyes, as during this time your body replenishes the supply of natural tears that keep them feeling hydrated. If your eyes are feeling particularly tired during the day, taking a nap may give them the replenishment they need to last throughout the rest of the day, whilst also improving your alertness.

Drawing

Drawing has been proven to boost mood and is a great activity for mindfulness, but did you know it is good for your eyes too? Drawing something in front of you can also help boost your photographic memory, and is particular helpful for children whose vision is still developing.

Video games

Whilst too much screen time has proven bad for your sight, studies have shown that playing video games is actually great for improving your peripheral vision by a significant amount. Findings show that playing video games can significantly improve your ability to spot potential hazards and team mates at a quicker rate.

Meditate

A lot of your hearing is actually affected by your level of focus. How many times have you been in a conversation and suddenly heard your name across the room, even though you weren't listening for it?

This is because you are already hearing a lot of sounds, but by filtering many of them out, you can improve your ability to focus on specific sounds through meditatation.

Try closing your eyes, and listening to different sounds - cars in the distance, the low buzz of electrical equipment, the wash of water, or maybe the sound of birds. By identifying each sound and where it’s coming from, you can help train your brain to pick out noises from a busy environment and improve your hearing abilities as a result.

Play cards and board games

Your brain is at the crux of how you process sounds that your ears receive, and just like any other parts of your body that needs exercise to stay strong, your brain is no different, meaning different types of puzzles and games can not only improve your brain health, but your hearing as a result.

Playing cards or your favourite board game will improve your hearing without you even realising as it stimulates the brain and your ability to listen. In addition, speaking and interacting with others will also keep up your abilities to hear. During lockdown, virtual gaming apps are great for maintaining good hearing.

Listen to music

Listening to more complex music and focusing on nuances - the basis of musical therapy - can not only help improve your hearing and ability to perceive distinct sounds, but can also help support pain relief, improve mental coherency for those recovering from brain injuries or strokes, and bolster speech listening skills.

Whilst you need a music therapist to get the most out of it, simply focusing on music can be enough to stimulate your brain and improve your ability to focus.

Do yoga or Tai Chi

Your ears are affected by both stress and your circulation, so among the best ways you can support healthy hearing are calming, light exercises that also support your blood flow, like yoga or Tai Chi.

The slow stretches that open up your body are great for encouraging circulation around the body, while the relaxed nature of the exercise can help you keep a clear head and focus, reducing stress.

Make healthy meals

You might already be on a healthy diet, but if you're regularly tucking into chocolate or pizza, you might be dulling your sense of taste. If your sugar and salt intake is high, you can end up tasting them less and not enjoying your food as much.

By swapping to a healthier diet, lighter in salt and sugar, you can “reset” your tastebuds, and when you do indulge in food that’s heavier in those ingredients, you're more likely to notice the full flavour.

Try something different

A great way to keep your taste buds on their toes is changing your meals up every once in a while. Try buying something slightly different to gain a new tasting experience. This is not only great for adding new flavours to your taste buds, but can also be a fun activity to do at home.

Moderate exercise at home

A little bit of higher energy exercise can be just what you need to boost your sense of smell. Researchers have found that our ability to smell improves for a while after exercise, and it’s believed it may be due to the increased moisture in our noses - as dry nasal passages can hinder our sense of smell.

Smell your favourite strongest scents around the home

Your morning coffee may be doing more than just waking you up to start the day. In fact, any strong scents can be really beneficial in engaging the receptors in your nose, which will improve your sense of smell over time. From perfume to dried basil leaves, having a daily whiff of these strong scents will help improve your smelling abilities.

Play sports in your garden

Because you're already aware of the sensation of touch, you may instead wish to focus on balance and hand-eye coordination. There are lots of ways to do that, but sports offer the widest variation. Popular activities you can do in your back garden may include catch, cricket and even juggling, each of which can help to improve the connection between your mind and your movements.

Take an icy dip

As adults, we don't need as much training as toddlers in the sensation of touch - but you can leverage how your body feels to get all sorts of other health benefits!

It might not be much fun, but jumping into icy water, taking a cold shower, or having an ice bath can help with various complaints. Those who do so report that it not only lessens muscle pain and soreness, but can also help you sleep, and train your vagus nerve - a nerve that helps you face stressful situations.

Be careful, though - bathing too long in ice can cause hypothermia, and if you're at risk for cardiac arrest or a stroke, the sudden decrease in body temperature can be too much of a shock to your system.

Once you have made sure your senses are in tip top shape make sure your eyes see at their best and have a browse through some of our amazing range of contact lenses and coloured contact lenses.