As we get older many of us find that our memory isn’t what it used to be. Our minds don’t seem to be as clear and sometimes we end up with brain fog and forget the simplest things like why we walked into a room. I’m sure many will have been there. I have also seen some young individuals that also experience this and so this post is for you guys too!!! The good thing is there is hope for many that experience an issue with their memory. In this post, we look at some simple ways to improve memory. Sometimes, simple things that can have a big impact.

Simple Ways to Improve Memory

My memory was never the best when I was younger and having kids didn’t help much. In reality, the main issue was that I had much more to remember as I got older and I expected too much of myself. I did have bouts of brain fog but found that there are various things that you can do that will really help to improve your memory. There are some simple lifestyle and dietary changes that can greatly benefit anyone that wants to improve their memory.

Water

Would you believe our water consumption can affect our memory!!! By drinking enough water and ensuring we are properly hydrated we can improve both our memory and cognitive function (mental processes that allow us to learn, think and reason). This is especially important for students and when at work juggling a gazillion different things. When dehydrated, the length of time we can focus on a task greatly reduces. Studies have shown that in cases of mild-to-moderate levels of dehydration short-term memory can be can impaired.

Foods

Our diet affects our bodies so much. A healthy balanced diet can help ensure that our whole body is working well in most cases. It can also affect our brains ability to function at its best provided other factors are also in place such as the other points mentioned here. Research suggests that those that eat a “good diet” will have a better “memory performance”. So to lets get straight to the point, consider a diet that contains foods such as fatty fish such as salmon, leafy greens such as spinach and kale, blueberries, nuts, whole grains, legumes etc.

A deficiency in vitamin D can affect our memory and we can become especially low in this over the Autumn and winter months. Make sure you take supplements. Vitamin C intake is linked to reducing age related memory loss. Leafy greens contain folate alongside vitamin c. The folate helps to increase circulation and therefore the oxygen supply to the brain the benefit so of which are covered in more depth in the next point.

Dark Chocolate

Yes, it’s a food, but it has a section all to its self due to its awesomeness. Dark chocolate, the good stuff, not that cheap sugary rubbish, has the ability to increase hippocampal cerebral blood flow (blood flow to the hippocampus – part of brain that controls memory and learning). This is due to the cocoa flavanol content so the higher the cocoa content the better in these respects. The flavanols make the blood vessels widen (vasodilation), increasing blood flow to the brain. They promote new brain cell formation known as neurogenesis (helps with memory). The flavanols also promote angiogenesis (growth of new blood cells in the brain) resulting in improved blood flow in the brain and better communication between the neurons.

This tasty treat can help improve memory, brain function in general, your ability to learn and may help to prevent dementia!!

Exercise

Studies have show that regular aerobic exercise can be most beneficial for improving memory, focus and mental alertness and reducing brain fog. Walking can be a great choice for this and is something most able bodied individuals both young and old can do. By walking, we help to increase the flow of blood to our brain. Within this is carried oxygen. The increased flow of oxygenated blood helps to stimulate increased production of a protein (brain-derived neurotrophic factor – BDNF) that in turn promotes the growth of new brain cells known as neurons and with that new connections within brain networks. Exercise, costs very little (just whatever you are wearing as well as time) and increases the part of the brain which controls our memory, know as the hippocampus.

This can help us with learning, improve our ability when it comes to problem solving, reduce anxiety and depression, it prevents brain deterioration thus reducing the risk of cognitive decline and dementia. It also helps us to sleep better and can help reduce the risk of some cancers.

Look to exercise for a minimum of 30 minutes 3 or 4 times a week.

Sleep

Our ability to sleep can greatly impact our waking life. So it goes without saying that we need  to make sure we try to get as much good quality sleep as possible. When we don’t sleep it affects our ability to remember things, to learn and to focus on tasks. It also affects our ability to process information. If we don’t sleep whether we simply just don’t prioritise it or as a result of sleeping disorders we can develop problems with our memory and it is said that conditions such as Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia are more likely to develop.

When we sleep, our brain gets the opportunity to literally clean itself. It drives cleansing fluid through which flush out waste products that have built up. Sleep allows the connections between neurons that form memories to strengthen and helps us store new memories.

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Summary

I hope you have enjoyed reading my post, Simple Ways to Improve Memory and found it both interesting and helpful. As you can see there are a variety of ways we can help to improve our memory. Those mentioned are just a few of the various ways that we can do this. It goes without saying that the more of these you do the better the results you will see.

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Do you have a good memory? If not, would you like to improve yours? Which of these ways to improve memory are you planning on trying or have you tried?

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