Masana kimiyya sun sami hujja cewa tunani yana da alaƙa da ƙaruwar rayuwa da ingantaccen aiki na fahimi a lokacin tsufa.
Wataƙila kun taɓa ji sau fiye da sau ɗaya game da fa'idodi masu yawa waɗanda ayyukan zuzzurfan tunani ke kawowa. Wataƙila har ma karanta a cikin labarin na akan wannan batun. Misali, sabon bincike ya nuna cewa yin tunani na iya rage damuwa da damuwa, rage hawan jini, da sanya farin ciki.
Ya juya cewa tunani na iya yin ƙari: zai iya taimakawa rage tafiyar tsufa da haɓaka ƙimar aikin fahimi a lokacin tsufa. Ta yaya hakan zai yiwu?
- Sannu a hankali tsufa
Yin zuzzurfan tunani yana shafar yanayin jikinmu ta hanyoyi daban-daban, farawa daga matakin sel. Masana kimiyya sun banbanta tsawon telomere da matakin telomerase a matsayin alamomin tsufa da kwayar halitta.
Kwayoyinmu suna dauke da chromosomes, ko jerin DNA. Telomeres sunadarai ne masu kariya "iyakoki" a ƙarshen jigon DNA wanda ke haifar da yanayi don ƙarin kwafin kwaya. Tsawon telomeres, mafi yawan lokuta kwayar halitta zata iya rarrabawa da sabunta kanta. Kowane lokaci kwayoyin halitta suke ninkawa, tsayin telomere - sabili da haka rayuwarsu - na taqaita. Telomerase enzyme ne wanda ke hana raguwar telomere kuma yana taimakawa wajen kara tsawon rai.
Yaya za a kwatanta wannan da tsawon rayuwar ɗan adam? Gaskiyar ita ce, rage tsawon telomere a cikin sel yana da alaƙa da lalacewar aikin garkuwar jiki, ci gaban cututtukan zuciya da cututtukan zuciya kamar su osteoporosis da cutar Alzheimer. Mafi kankantar tsawon telomere, da yawan kwayoyin halittunmu masu saukin mutuwa, kuma zamu iya kamuwa da cuta tare da shekaru.
Raguwa na Telomere yana faruwa ne ta yanayi yayin da muke tsufa, amma bincike na yanzu yana nuna cewa wannan aikin zai iya haɓaka ta damuwa.
Yin aiki da hankali yana da alaƙa da raguwa cikin tunani da damuwa mai wuce gona da iri, don haka a cikin 2009 wata ƙungiyar bincike ta ba da shawarar cewa yin zuzzurfan tunani na iya samun damar yin tasiri mai kyau kan kiyaye tsawon telomere da matakan telomerase.
A cikin 2013, Elizabeth Hodge, MD, farfesa a ilimin hauka a Makarantar Kiwon Lafiya ta Harvard, ta gwada wannan zato ta hanyar kwatanta tsinkayen telomere tsakanin masu yin tunani na ƙauna ta alheri (waɗanda suke yin zuzzurfan tunani) da waɗanda ba su yi ba. Sakamakon ya nuna cewa mafi yawan ƙwararrun masu yin zuzzurfan tunani na metta suna da telomeres mafi tsayi, kuma matan da ke yin zuzzurfan tunani suna da tsayin daka sosai idan aka kwatanta da matan da ba sa yin zuzzurfan tunani.
- Adana ƙarar launin toka da fari a cikin kwakwalwa
Wata hanyar yin tunani na iya taimakawa jinkirin tsufa shine ta kwakwalwa. Musamman, ƙarar launin toka da fari. Kwayar launin toka ta ƙunshi ƙwayoyin kwakwalwa da dendrites waɗanda ke aikawa da karɓar sigina a cikin synapses don taimaka mana tunani da aiki. Farin abu ya kasance daga axons wanda ke ɗaukar ainihin siginonin lantarki tsakanin dendrites. A ka'ida, yawan launin toka yana fara raguwa yana da shekara 30 a farashi daban-daban kuma a yankuna daban-daban, ya dogara da halaye na mutum. A lokaci guda, zamu fara rasa ƙarar farin abu.
Aramin bincike mai girma amma yana nuna cewa ta hanyar tunani muna iya sake fasalin kwakwalwarmu kuma mai yuwuwar rage saurin lalacewa.
A cikin binciken da Massachusetts Janar Asibitin a cikin haɗin gwiwa tare da Harvard Medical School a 2000, masana kimiyya sun yi amfani da hoton maganadisu (MRI) don auna kaurin launin toka da fari na ƙwayar kwakwalwa a cikin masu tunani da waɗanda ba na meditators na shekaru daban-daban. Sakamakon binciken ya nuna cewa matsakaicin kauri tsakanin mutane tsakanin shekaru 40 zuwa 50 wadanda ke yin zuzzurfan tunani daidai yake da na masu tunani da wadanda ba sa tunani tsakanin shekarun 20 zuwa 30. Aikin tunani a wannan lokacin a rayuwa yana taimakawa wajen kiyaye tsarin kwakwalwa akan lokaci.
Waɗannan binciken suna da mahimmanci don sa masana kimiyya su ci gaba da bincike. Tambayoyin da suke jiran amsoshin kimiyya sune sau nawa ya zama dole ayi zuzzurfan tunani don samun irin wannan sakamakon, kuma wadanne nau'ikan tunani suke da tasirin gaske akan ingancin tsufa, musamman rigakafin cututtukan lalacewa kamar cutar Alzheimer.
Mun saba da ra'ayin cewa gabobinmu da kwakwalwarmu a tsawon lokaci suna bin tafarkin ci gaba da lalacewa, amma sabbin shaidun kimiyya sun nuna cewa ta hanyar yin tunani muna iya kare ƙwayoyinmu daga tsufa da wuri kuma mu kula da lafiyarmu a lokacin tsufa.