Derek Burnett
Derek Burnett is a Contributing Writer at Bottom Line Personal, where he writes frequently on health and wellness. He is also a contributing editor with Reader’s Digest magazine.
Who among us wouldn’t like to have a better memory? Whether you’re a student, a working adult, or a retiree, maintaining or even improving your brainpower would give you a leg up in just about every part of your life. Unfortunately, simply wishing for a better memory doesn’t make it so. There are ways to improve memory, but they require some degree of effort and attention.
At any age, you can get the most out of your memory by…
Many of the most important factors for keeping memory sharp are “background” items that we usually don’t even think of as memory-related.
Tobacco…The brain is an oxygen-hungry organ. When we deprive it of oxygen, its function begins to be compromised, and this includes memory. Smoking makes it harder to get oxygen to the brain because of damage caused both to the lungs and to the blood vessels. As you probably know, smoking significantly increases the risk of stroke, which can cause severe memory loss. Smokers have a 45% higher risk of dementia than non-smokers, in part because smoking causes a spike in an amino acid called homocysteine, which is implicated in both dementia and stroke.
Alcohol…To put it bluntly, ethyl alcohol causes brain damage. It impairs cognition, slows brain activity, and causes long-term damage to the cells and structures of the brain. You’re probably okay if you limit your consumption of alcohol to what experts consider “moderate,” which is one drink per day if you’re a woman, two if you’re a man. Beyond that, you’re inviting harm to your memory.
Cannabis…Research on marijuana and cognition is still in its infancy. But a 2022 study of more than 1,000 adults raises concerns about the long-term cognitive effects of regular cannabis use. Long-term users saw an average drop in IQ of 5.5 points from childhood to midlife, with slow learning and processing speeds, as well as difficulties with memory and attention. The part of the brain most closely associated with memory, the hippocampus, was smaller among such users. Occasional recreational adult use did not appear to have the same effect.
Air pollution…A mounting body of research now underscores the association between poor air quality and risk of dementia. In one study, for example, older women who had experienced long-term exposure to fine particulate matter faced an 81% higher risk of cognitive decline.
Avoiding harms is a good first step for preserving memory, but to really play offense, it’s important to adopt behaviors that are actively good for the brain.
Diet…Just as the brain needs plenty of oxygen to function optimally, it also needs a variety of vitamins and nutrients, especially B vitamins and vitamin D. A healthy diet provides those nutrients but also reduces inflammation, which is strongly implicated in memory loss. Eat a diet that provides at least five servings of plant-based foods per day. Especially beneficial to the brain are berries, nuts, and leafy green vegetables. Your brain-healthy diet should also include whole grains, lean proteins, and olive oil and other unsaturated fats. You can get all of this by adopting the Mediterranean diet or one of its variants.
Exercise…It’s hard to overstate the benefits of physical activity and the avoidance of a sedentary lifestyle. In one study, for example, women who were very physically active in midlife experienced dementia almost a full decade later than their peers who exercised only moderately. But you don’t have to be a marathoner to get a benefit…even modest physical activity helps preserve cognition. Pick an exercise routine that you’ll stick with, and strive for 300 minutes per week of moderate-intensity movement.
Sleep…Our memories are strengthened during sleep, and being refreshed makes it easier to learn and store new knowledge. Try to get seven to nine hours per night. This might require addressing any sleep disorders you may have, including sleep apnea and restless legs syndrome. If possible, try to avoid sleep aids, which can make memory problems worse.
Often, when people begin to realize that their memory loss is not normal for a person their age, they keep it to themselves and try not to think about it. This can be a serious mistake. For one thing, the problem could be caused by a treatable condition such as a medication side effect or a nutritional deficiency. Confronting the problem and raising it with your doctor could lead to a relatively simple solution. And even if the problem is serious, such as Alzheimer’s dementia, many of the new treatments rely on early intervention, so the sooner you face the issue, the better your chances of staving off the worst effects of the illness for as long as possible.
Just as our muscles become stronger with regular use, our brains respond similarly to certain types of intellectual activity.
Mindfulness meditation…This type of meditation trains the brain to zero in on the present moment while shutting out external distractions. In other words, it sharpens focus, which is necessary for proper learning. Being fully present in the moment can also help avoid the kinds of memory failure caused by distraction, like when you lose your keys because you were thinking about too many other things when you set them down. Getting started with mindfulness exercises can be as simple as sitting for a few minutes each day with your eyes closed and focusing on your breathing while letting go of other thoughts. It’s difficult at first, but gets easier with practice.
Puzzles and memorization drills…Research shows that reading, puzzles, complex games, letter-writing, memorization, and other stimulating activities can significantly delay the onset of dementia, can improve brain chemistry, and may even reduce the accumulation of the beta-amyloid plaques that are the hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. The possibilities for “working” your brain are nearly endless. Develop the habit of constantly challenging yourself intellectually. While you’re waiting in your doctor’s office, see if you can find every letter of the alphabet in the signs and informational posters hanging on the walls. Look at a picture in a magazine for exactly a minute, and then try to recall as many of its details as possible. At the end of a car ride, try to recall the topic of every radio segment you heard along the way.
Social stimulation…Spending time around others forces us out of our own heads and calls on our cognition to follow conversations and note our surroundings. It also tends to make us happier, which contributes to good cognitive function. If you find yourself with fewer and fewer people in your life, make a thoughtful effort to get more interaction. That might be as simple as setting up a regular get-together with friends, or it might require you to join a club or civic organization. Volunteer work is a wonderful way to get this kind of stimulation, because it shifts the focus of our attention externally.
