The brain has what seems like an endless capacity to store information, but as you age, your ability to store and recall memories can decline. This is a natural occurrence, since the chemicals your brain produces related to memory decline. However, you can preserve short-term and long-term memory with healthy living habits, including mental and physical exercise, a nutritious diet and management of medical conditions.
About Memory
From birth, the brain is taking in sensory information in the form of sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. These senses are the crux of building your lifetime of memory. As you grow, your brain strengthens in its ability to store and recall what you sense. The more external information you are exposed to, the more expansive your cognitive abilities become. Memory involves complex processes in your brain working simultaneously to absorb, perceive, store or regurgitate information. Minor glitches in memory occur from time to time. Instances like misplacing important items or misconstruing facts about a particular event are normal forgetfulness, notes Harvard Health Publications. However, memory loss that impacts your daily functioning is cause for concern. Traumatic injury, nutrient deficiency, and medical conditions like stroke or the onset of dementia are a few of the causes of serious memory loss.
Exercise the Body and Brain
Mental exercise stimulates and challenges your brain processes. Learn new information daily from reading magazine articles or newspaper headlines. Exercise recall and retrieval with a crossword puzzle or trivia. Stimulate your creative juices with a good book or learn a new skill you do not do every day. Exercise your body daily as part of maintaining your mental and physical health. According to MayoClinic.com, physical activity increases blood flow to your brain, and this is important for maintaining memory. Walk or ride a bike for 30 minutes a day, try new fitness videos, join a group fitness class or learn a new sport, which exercises your memory with new information while exercising your body.
Eat Nutritiously
Food is fuel, and as necessary as food is for physical health, it is equally significant for brain function. The different types of foods you consume break down during digestion into useful molecules distributed to different parts of your body. Nurture your brain with nutrient-rich foods like fruits, vegetables and whole grains, which contain vitamins for maintaining your memory. These foods are also sources of antioxidants, substances that protect you from toxic molecules called free radicals. Include five to eight daily servings of varied fruits and vegetables like leafy greens, sweet potatoes, citrus and berries. Limit your saturated fat intake from fatty red meat and whole dairy. Saturated fats increase your risk of arterial blocks leading to brain-damaging stroke. Choose baked chicken, fish, low-fat dairy and lean red meat. Stay hydrated with eight or more glasses of water daily and limit your alcohol use, which can cause nutrient deficiencies.
Health Care
Smoking, obesity, insomnia, untreated depression and high blood pressure contribute to memory complications. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, even high cholesterol is linked to memory loss, potentially because of poor dietary habits. Self-care is essential for healthy bodily functions; when you mismanage pre-existing medical conditions or have undiagnosed mental or physical health conditions, your memory suffers. Get annual health exams to rule out conditions that contribute to poor cognitive function. Talk to your physician if you are experiencing signs of mental health disturbance, like unexplained appetite loss, sleeplessness or persistent sadness. Follow up with medical and mental health recommendations from your health-care provider to protect your body and mind.
References
- MayoClinic.com; Memory Loss; 7 Tips to Improve Your Memory; Mayo Clinic Staff; April 30, 2009
- "Oxford Journals"; Disorders of Memory; Michael D. Kopelman; 2002
- FamilyDoctor.org: Memory Loss With Aging; What's Normal, What's Not?
- Harvard Health Publications: Forgetfulness; 7 Types of Normal Memory Loss
- Harvard Health Publications: Preventing Memory Loss
- University of Maryland Medical Center; High Cholesterol and Memory Loss; Alan Greene M.D.; Oct. 31, 2006
