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No matter how old you are, there will always be moments like “The SIMS”. You know what I mean – you walk into a room with a purpose but nice you get there, it’s like someone cancelled all of your tasks and you have no idea why you’re in the room in the first place. It’s nothing short of annoying when this happens, especially when you just cannot recall it later. Your memory is something that you rely on heavily to get through the day to day of life. The list of things that you have to remember is huge, and while remembering things can end up a total battle, you need to make sure that you are working on your memory issues and not brushing them off as nothing.
There are several conditions that can impact your memory which means that you need to do something about it as soon as possible in life. If you have relatives with dementia or who have experienced Alzheimer’s, then you need to do what you can to improve your memory while you’re young. From learning the top herbs to improve memory to ensuring that you are regularly partaking in puzzles and games, you need to get your memory on. With this in mind, we’ve got fifteen ways that you can improve your memory day to day.
- Train your brain
It sounds like a military boot camp, doesn’t it? Training your brain is just like anything in your body; your muscles need to be trained and your brain does, too. Challenging your mind can help it to grow and expand, and you want to be able to do that to improve the gray matter hanging around up there. If you ensure that you are spending 15 minutes a day on thinking activities, you’re going to improve your memory long term. From puzzles and SUDOKU to memory card games, you can complete these every day to help your brain to remember for longer.
- Cut the cr*p
Well, not really. You don’t have to cut out any foods in your diet to be healthy, but did you know that a diet that is saturated in added sugar is one that will be associated with health conditions and other chronic issues? This includes cognitive decline, and too much sugar can also lead to a poor memory. If you reduce the amount of sugars that you have in your diet, you can ensure that you are able to improve your memory rather than keep eating the sugar overload.
- Exercise
They say that going for a walk can really help to improve your memory, and it’s true. You’re blowing out the cobwebs, so to speak. Regular workouts can reduce your risk of cognitive decline, and aerobic exercise has proven to be very effective for those in the earliest stages of Alzheimers. If you can swim, ski or dance, you can get your exercise going and your memory improved.
- Know your supplements
There is plenty of evidence out there to suggest that fish oil has a lot of DHA and omega-3 fatty acids. These are the types of fats you want in your diet, as they are responsible for your overall health and wellbeing. They can really help you to feel good in yourself while also reducing your risk of anxiety, heart conditions and inflammation in the body. It’s important to discuss any supplemental medicines with your doctor or pharmacist, however, as you don’t want to take something you shouldn’t take!
- Meditating!
A time to focus each day is a good thing to start with every morning. Meditation can reduce your stress and pain while improving your memory at the same time. You can improve your brain function, improve your working memory and give your long-term memory a boost, too. If you’re practicing meditation regularly, you can ensure that you are keeping your brain healthy. You can improve the gray matter of the brain and really give yourself a boost.
- Look after your weight
You know that your body will perform at its best when your weight is stable, so the worst thing that you can do is to let your weight go too high. You can, of course, be healthy at any size, but you are increasing your risks of increased inflammation and insulin resistance the heavier you are. You want to make sure that your body is as healthy as possible, as this is going to ensure that you are feeling good on the inside.
- Coffee? Caffeine? Both – both is good
Did you know that caffeine is going to help you to build your memory? If you’re not a coffee fan, green tea is an excellent herbal remedy to help your memory build. You can boost your short term memory, too, so if you’re studying, this is the best thing to do when you really want to do well. Don’t be afraid to research the best methods of taking caffeine for you. You could surprise yourself.
- Get some sleep
Exhaustion and fatigue are some of the leading causes of poor memory. Sleep is a crucial component in ensuring that your memory is as healthy as it can be. Sleep-deprived people experience terrible effects on their memory, but you don’t have to if you can avoid it. Getting a good night of sleep is important, just look at night shift workers. They are statistically at higher risk of a mathematical medication error because of the lack of sleep compared to day shifting nurses.
- Embrace chocolate
We all love the silky smooth taste of chocolate, right? Well, you’ll be pleased to know that dark chocolate is linked to improved memory, and this is because of a suggested study that shows that the compounds of chocolate can help to improve brain function. There are suggestions that those who eat dark chocolate can perform much better in memory tests than those who don’t.
- Practice being present
Mindfulness is a practice that we should all be doing day to day, but if you want to improve your memory, it’s one such activity that you need to get involved with. Meditation and mindfulness aren’t the same thing, though they both have the same intention. Being mindful is a habit that you build up over time, and meditation is more of a formal practice. You can reduce the risks of age-related decline when you practice being mindful every single day. Not only that, but it will make you feel better as a person, and there’s nothing better than that.
- Bye, bye, wine
You should try to avoid alcohol if you want to improve your memory. Binge drinking is easy to get sucked into, but too much alcohol and you can end up raising your blood alcohol levels and alter your brain function, which will directly bring about memory deficits. No one wants to forget things because they enjoy wine every night, so cut down on the amount that you’re drinking and make sure that you are drinking water instead. Swapping wine for water isn’t the religious story you’re thinking of, but it’s helping to prevent those neurotoxic effects on the brain. Repeated binge drinking can damage the brain, and the hippocampus is likely to be damaged, too.
- Drink more water
We just talked about swapping out the wine for water, but in general you should be drinking more water. Hydration is so important for your brain to function and thrive, and if you’re not drinking enough water, you will find that your brain just forgets it all. The more you drink water, the better your brain health, and you should consider getting a large bottle to keep your water levels high enough through the day.
- What style of learner are you?
One of the best ways to improve your memory – whether you are in school or not – is to work out what kind of learner you are. Whether you are a listener, a doer or a writer, you need to figure out what it is that helps the information you learn to stick. You can really improve your memory game when you are working on what makes your memory respond well. If you know that singing or speaking aloud will help you to learn, do that! It doesn’t matter if people around you don’t want to hear it – you’re doing what works for you!
- Speak to the doctor
When you’ve tried all the tricks and attempted all the herbs, you now need to speak to a professional and make sure that they are aware of the memory issues that you’re having. They can test your blood levels to see where your hormones are sitting, and they can even test you for dementia. You need to speak to a professional if you’re having concerns.
- Look for the antioxidants
If you can choose anti-inflammatory foods, you’re going to be including more antioxidants in your diet. More fruit, vegetables and water are always going to be a positive thing for your memory, so make sure that you are getting on it as early as possible!
