Concern over an increasing loss of recall is understandable, but usually, there are proactive steps we can take to improve memory. 

Once we recall information repeatedly, it becomes established as a memory. That’s why it’s easier to remember your childhood address than the ten items on the grocery list sitting at home on your counter.

Storing, encoding, and recalling memories is a natural process for our brain. If our brain isn’t healthy, though, it won’t work as it should.

This article will help you identify and attack  7 common culprits that you may have allowed to sabotage your brain and result in memory loss and cognitive decline.

1. Lack of Brain Engagement

The brain is a construction engineer. It takes the information it has, assimilates it, and then builds a network of knowledge.  

It thrives on working to reach the next level of proficiency or learn new things.. Its job is to consolidate and recall pieces of information. Your job is to keep it active.

Give your brain a challenge.

What do you want to learn? Choose something challenging – like scuba diving or playing an instrument. If you already know beginning Chinese, move on to a conversational group. 

Strengthen recall channels

Do you remember flashcards to practice sight words or math facts? They were actually  brain exercises for recall. 

Here are a few other things you can incorporate into your normal day to strengthen your recall:

  • Look through photo albums and “search your brain” to name the people and remember what happened when the picture was taken.
  • After reading a list out loud, close your eyes and wiggle your eyes up and down and from side to side for 30 seconds. This activity connects the hemispheres of your brain.
  • Put away your GPS and find a location on your own. You could also use the GPS to find the location and then turn it off to get back home.
  • Before you go to sleep, close your eyes and recall, in order, the parts of your day. 

2. Ignoring the Brain’s Need for Sleep

An article on the VeryWell Mind website discusses why sleep is so important, including the .information consolidation theory of sleep -where our short-term memories move to long-term memories. 

Research and studies show that adults need at least 8 hours of quality sleep. You may have trained yourself to get by on fewer hours of sleep, but your brain is not performing optimally without optimal sleep.

Good quality means that your sleep isn’t interrupted and your brain isn’t receiving outside stimulation, either from noise or changes in lighting.

This stimulation reduction begins at least an hour before you go to sleep by turning off all screens. That means computers, television, and even phones, which have a blue light that can reduce melatonin levels, disturbing the circadian rhythm necessary for sleep.  

Also, what you see on your screens can cause you stress and anxiety, even if it doesn’t personally affect you. It could be reading about, or seeing something that makes you feel sad or afraid. Even if what you see makes you excited or happy, this stimulation can add hours to the time it takes you to fall asleep.

3. Consuming Damaging Foods and Drinks

Your brain can do many things, but it can’t produce proteins and nutrients and feed itself the balanced diet it needs for memory and optimal work. Your brain’s nourishment depends entirely on you.

There are just a few basics when it comes to food selection:

  • Eat fruits and vegetables.
  • Avoid processed sugar.
  • Get your antioxidants
  • Stay away from refined carbs.

Shop the outside aisles of the market first. Spend most of your time, and money, in the produce section. Just buy what you will eat before it goes bad, though. We’ve probably all thrown away potatoes that look like they came from outer space and lettuce far beyond wilted.

Once out of the produce section, check the labels. You won’t believe the cans, bottles, and boxes hiding processed sugar and refined carbs.

Refined carbohydrates are found in white bread and pasta, cookies, cake, candy, and sugar-sweetened sodas and drinks. While these foods may sound satisfying and inviting, remember that they have a high association with:

  • Dementia
  • Cognitive decline
  • Reduced cognitive function

Instead of all of that refined sugar and carbs, add dark chocolate (70% or higher).

Dark chocolate has incredible benefits. It stimulates the growth of blood vessels and neurons and increases blood flow in the parts of the brain affecting memory.

Eat dark chocolate with a fresh, crisp apple. Dark chocolate tastes nothing like milk chocolate, but if you cut out processed sugar and eat this for two weeks, it might become your favorite dessert. 

Finally, feed your brain foods rich in Omega-3 fatty acids. Consuming them may help improve short-term, working, and episodic memory, especially in older adults. The most common sources are fish/fish oil and flax oil/flax seed (a good alternative for vegans and vegetarians).

Once you make positive changes to your diet you will probably begin to notice changes in your body and brain. The brain fog may begin to lift. You might even feel more in control of your stress levels. 

4. Not Alleviating Stress, Anxiety, and Depression

Prolonged stress can change the brain and affect memory, lead to a higher risk for Alzheimer’s and dementia, and cause cognitive decline.

Anxiety often leads to nearly constant stress and fixation. When there is, or has been trauma, the victim of the trauma may blur it to make it more bearable and to be able to cope with life. However, unaddressed anxiety is even worse for memory loss in the long term. 

Depression, also, is linked to memory loss. 

Taking care of our brain means taking care of our mental, as well as our physical health. In conjunction with any medications that might be prescribed, there are some other very proactive things you can do.

Meditation & Mindfulness

Memory improves with meditation. As we age, the brain’s gray matter, which contains neuron cell bodies, declines. Meditation increases the gray matter! 

Mindfulness meditation focuses on the present. During the meditation, you are aware of your current surroundings and feelings and bring your mind back, if and when it begins to wander.

The Mindfulness website posted that “recent research from neuroscientist Amishi Jha discovered that 12 minutes of meditation, 5 days a week, can protect and strengthen your ability to pay attention.”

This website can help you learn the basic steps of meditation and mindfulness.

Spend time with friends

Sharing life with friends is conducive to a healthy brain. Being actively involved with others forces your brain to be on its toes.

Engaging with friends is a great mental exercise. Your brain has to work to process all of the information they are giving you. The best thing – it’s enjoyable.  Maybe you want to take a friend with you to make exercise more enjoyable, as well!

5. Leading a Sedentary Lifestyle

Exercise has to fit into your life comfortably, or you (probably) won’t keep up with it.

And since research shows exercise can actually change your brain and make it healthier, it’s worth doing. Mid-life exercise is associated with a lower risk of developing dementia later in life. 

It isn’t easy for most people to start and stick to an exercise program, even less so if you are doing it on your own. Some important steps that might help you are:

  • Make and follow a schedule
  • Find a partner or an accountability buddy
  • Keep it simple and fun, especially if you are just beginning
  • Get your heart rate up
  • Stay hydrated
  • Remember you are doing this for yourself; it isn’t punishment

You are taking proactive steps to protect and build your memory. Seeing your doctor is just another one of them. There was a reason to get a physical before beginning a school sports program; there’s a reason to do the same thing now.

6. Ignoring Underlying Medical Issues

Seeing your doctor is an opportunity to examine your overall health and discuss memory concerns. This visit should: 

  • Rule out any medical issues or medications that could cause memory loss. Take a list of your supplements and prescriptions with you, including any use of alcohol, CBD, etc.
  • Get a baseline for current weight, blood pressure, vital signs
  • Set up appointments for blood screens and any diagnostic tests. Be sure your Vitamin D levels are checked. Vitamin D deficiency is common, and low Vitamin D is linked to dementia and loss of cognitive function.
  • Make the doctor aware of any depression, stress or anxiety you are experiencing.

If you are overweight, you are aware. But are you aware that studies have established obesity as a risk factor for cognitive decline? Consider that

  • Obesity can cause changes to memory-associated genes in the brain
  • Obesity can lead to insulin resistance and inflammation, which negatively impact the brain
  • Obesity is associated with a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease

When you see your doctor you might come away with recommended lifestyle changes. Prescriptions might be modified, changed, deleted, or added to. You may find that some supplements interfere with your prescriptions.

You might be angry, frustrated, and uncomfortable with what you find out. Make sure to ask questions, share your fears and frustrations, and know the prognosis if you don’t change anything.

Improving memory isn’t as important to anyone as it is to you. You are the only one who can make changes, and sometimes those changes are hard to make. 

One thing that can make it easier is a support group and adding some positive and enjoyable changes.

Step 7 – Avoiding or Limiting Social Interaction

Our brains thrive on experiences and interactions.

Researchers from Ohio State University in Columbus note that memory declines naturally with age. But consistent social interaction seems to protect the brain from this effect.

Social interactions outside of the family are a strong preventative measure against Alzheimer’s Disease. 

Enjoy the things you enjoy doing and, at least sometimes, enjoy them with others.

Go out for dinner or coffee, take a bus tour, join a study group or a book club, or forage for mushrooms. 

Stay in your comfort zone or get out of it – but engage with others – even by phone, facetime, or Zoom. Look at the faces you are with and absorb the memories you are making.

Stand Your Ground Against Memory Loss

You are now aware of the things that could attack your memory. You also know what you have to do to attack back. That’s powerful.

So make your plan and follow it. Don’t give up. In no time you will see a positive difference in your memory and overall cognitive performance.

You CAN improve your memory!