It’s normal to feel a little forgetful at times. Sometimes, misplacing your keys or forgetting someone’s name is a sign of bigger problems, though. In fact, a decline in mental abilities is one of the earliest signs of impending dementia or Alzheimer’s.
About one in nine Americans over the age of 45 say they experience cognitive decline. Symptoms of memory loss or confusion aren’t a normal part of aging.
Only 45% of people who experience memory or other mental issues have spoken to a doctor, though.
You don’t have to let your memory slip away! Instead, use these tips to learn how to improve your memory.
Learning how to improve brain health can help you avoid mental problems in the future. You can maintain your ability to perform everyday activities, too.
Read on to discover how to improve brain health with these tips today!
Table of Contents
1. Consider Supplements
As you work to improve your memory this year, consider adding supplements to your routine.
For example, you might consider consuming daily fish oil supplements. Fish oil is rich in omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA. These healthy fats can benefit your overall health by:
- Reducing your risk of heart disease
- Slowing mental decline
- Easing stress and anxiety
- Reducing inflammation
Some studies indicate that fish oils can improve your memory, too. They could help patients with mild Alzheimer’s disease as well.
Consuming a daily fish oil supplement might improve your short-term memory. It could improve episodic memory as well.
Fish oils can also reduce inflammation in the body, which is associated with cognitive decline.
Consider visiting a doctor to have your vitamin D levels tested, too. A vitamin D deficiency could reduce cognitive function. It could increase your risk of dementia as well.
Other supplements that can improve your short- or long-term memory can include:
- Resveratrol
- Creatine
- Caffeine
- Phosphatidylserine
- Acetyl-L-carnitine
- Ginkgo biloba
- Bacopa monnieri
- Rhodiola rosea
- S-Adenosylmethionine
You can also check out these brain supplements for memory.
Make sure to consult a doctor before adding new vitamins and supplements to your routine. They’ll make sure the supplements won’t interact with the medications you’re taking.
2. Adjust Your Diet
Small changes to your diet could have a big impact on your brain health as well.
Eating too much added sugar might increase your risk of chronic diseases and health issues. It could lead to future cognitive decline, too.
Try to reduce your daily intake of sugar. It could improve your overall health and benefit your memory.
You can also learn how to have a healthy brain by maintaining a healthy diet. Try cutting down on refined carbs. Refined carbs include cereal, cakes, cookies, and white rice or bread.
These foods have a high glycemic index. The body digests foods with a high glycemic index quickly, leading to a spike in blood sugar levels.
Following a diet high in refined carbs might increase your risk of cognitive decline and dementia.
Instead of foods that are high in sugars and carbs, consider adding anti-inflammatory foods to your routine. These foods can reduce oxidative stress in the body to ease inflammation.
Try eating more fruits, vegetables, and green tea.
Otherwise, spice up your life! Curcumin is an antioxidant that’s found in turmeric. Adding turmeric and curcumin to your diet could reduce oxidative damage and inflammation in the brain.
Amyloid plaques might cause cell and tissue death, which could lead to memory loss and Alzheimer’s. Curcumin could lower the amount of amyloid plaque in the body.
You can also add cocoa to your diet, which is full of powerful antioxidants called flavonoids. Flavonoids could boost your brain health. They can stimulate the growth of neurons and increase blood flow to the brain.
Look for dark chocolate with a cocoa content of 70% or higher.
3. Try Meditating
New lifestyle practices can help you learn how to improve your memory as well. Try picking up the practice of meditation.
Meditating could reduce your stress and pain levels. It might help lower your blood pressure and improve your memory, too.
Meditation could also boost gray matter in the brain, which contains neuron cell bodies.
As you grow older, gray matter declines, which can impact your cognition and memory.
4. Catch Some Shut-Eye
Make sure you’re getting plenty of sleep each night. Poor sleep is associated with poor short-term memory.
Getting enough sleep can strengthen short-term memories before they’re transformed into lasting memories.
5. Work Up a Sweat
As you continue learning how to have a healthy brain, make sure to find time to maintain a healthy weight, too. Exercising can improve your mental and physical health.
Exercising could boost the secretion of neuroprotective proteins to improve your brain health as well.
Try to maintain a healthy weight to avoid obesity. Otherwise, obesity could increase your risk of insulin resistance and inflammation. Both can have a negative impact on your brain health.
6. Use Mindfulness Techniques
If meditation doesn’t suit your lifestyle, consider practicing mindfulness techniques instead. You can use mindfulness to reduce your stress levels and improve your memory.
Practice mindfulness by focusing more on your present situation. Focus your attention on your breathing and note when your mind wanders.
7. Exercise Your Brain
Let your brain get a workout, too! Exercising cognitive skills with brain games can help boost your memory.
For example, you can try mobile apps dedicated to memory or word-recall games. Give crosswords a try, too!
Brain-exercising games and activities could reduce your risk of dementia in the future.
8. Drink Less Alcohol
As you start making these changes to your lifestyle, consider drinking less alcohol. Otherwise, binge drinking can alter the brain and cause memory issues.
Alcohol can also exhibit neurotoxic effects. Drinking could damage the hippocampus, which is vital to your memory.
How to Improve Your Memory: 8 Tips for a Healthy Brain
A few small lifestyle and dietary changes can have a major impact on your brain health. Use these tips to learn how to improve your memory. Learning how to have a healthy brain now can benefit your life for years to come.
Make a change for the better with these tips for avoiding cognitive decline today.
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