Top 9 lifestyle tips for improving your memory (according to A Man’s Guide to Healthy Aging). By the way, don’t worry if you momentarily forget your ATM pin number – you really need to start to worry about your memory if you forget what the ATM is used for.
1) Physical (daily) exercise is important and will enhance your memory and decrease the risk of dementia.
2) Cognitive exercises such as doing jigsaw puzzles, puzzles, games and thinking challenges and whenever the brain is challenged will bolster memory functioning and builds reserves.
3) Antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids – include these in your diet and you will reduce your risk of cognitive decline. Top antioxidant super-foods are: chaga mushrooms, moringa tree, green tea, berries, broccoli, garlic, coco and other antioxidants. Read more about how antioxidants work
4) Have a good night sleep.
Lots of research suggest that sleep is critical for boosting your memory because sleep-loss impairs memory consolidation. The more you learn the more you need to sleep. For examples, babies sleep so much because everything is new to them and they need to process that information during their sleep. 33 top tips on good sleep
5) Drink less alcohol
Heavy drinking which is typically defended as consuming an average of more than two drinks per day, has a significant nagtive effect on the brain’s ability to make, stain and recall memories.
7) Don’t smoke
Research suggests that smoking causes white blood cells to attack and kill off healthy brain cells, increasing the risk of dementia. If that is not enough for you to stop smoking – remember that incidence of erectile dysfunction is nearly twice as great in men who are smokers compared to nonsmokers.
8) Learn to manage stress better
Chronic stress produces on overproduction of the stress hormone cortisol and glucocorticoids which are thought to damage brain cells in the memory-encoding centre i.e. the hippocampus. Top techniques to manages stress include: mindfulness, mediation and EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) / tapping.
9) Stay healthy
Health problems can interfere with cognitive functioning and cause memory loss. For example, the surges in blood sugar associated with type 2 diabetes reduce blood supply to the brain. Medication and exercise improve blood sugar levels and hence memory and thinking. Check this healthy alternative to sugar