10 Memory Improvement Tips to Stay Sharp

Do you often find yourself asking “what was I coming into this room for again?” or saying “I just can’t remember!” Memory play an important role in life form recalling cherished memories to keeping you on task.

Memory lapses happen to the best of us for various reasons, whether it be pregnancy, also known as “baby brain” or the decline with wise age.

Memory is most often on the decline starting in the mid 60’s but can happen as early as early as the 40’s or 50’s depending on medical conditions and/or side effects of certain medications.

Most of the time, we won’t even realize that our memory is going downhill until on day, it’s just hits us like a train. Usually, a concerned family member will be the messenger and ask that you seek a professional medical opinion.

Although seeking professional help is the very best thing you can do for your memory loss, there are a few things that you can try at home to either help prevent or ease the rate in which your memory is slipping away. Here are a few memory improvement tips that can help!

• Exercise: When you exercise regularly, it not only makes you look good, but feel good too! Moving around helps your blood flow all around your body, which also includes getting some much needed blood to your brain! So get out there and take a brisk walk a few times a week; it could be just what your brain needs!

• Keep yourself busy: Your brain is a muscle and in turn it must also be exercised. The only way to do this is to indulge in activities that make you think! One of the reasons why memory tends to start declining in the mid 60’s is because this is when many choose to retire, and often times, it means they retire to the couch. Keep yourself busy with projects that require some math, reading, puzzles, and anything that makes you have to think!

• Learn something new: Keeping the brain busy sometimes goes beyond what you already know, and learning a new hobby can be just what your brain needs! Break open a few books on the new hobby, attend classes, and gather with others who enjoy the hobby and you can really help yourself!

• Diet: It’s no secret that a healthy diet plays a key role in total body fitness. Eating a well-rounded diet along with consuming more water than any other beverage can help alleviate that horrible memory loss!

• Take supplements: Sometimes it’s hard to get in all of the daily required nutrients, but alas! We can take multi-vitamins for that little nutritional boost! Also, an important nutrient in brain function, which is often obtained from eggs, nuts, and fish especially, is Omega 3’s. Take these specific supplements if your diet lacks this important nutrient.

• Go out with friends and family: Another thing that happens once people retire is that they don’t socialize as much as they would if they were still working. Don’t skip on those invites to go out with friends or family, or even be that one who organizes the weekly outings to get everyone--including yourself--out of the house!

• Sleep: Sleep is one of the most vital things to human life. No matter what age you are, sleep deprivation can cause memory loss! Not only that, but sleep actually helps your brain to store important memories from the day prior making it an important tool for later remembering those important moments!

• Stay organized: If you often forget where things are or just forgetting things in general, take a good look around your home. Is there a lot of clutter? Is there a lot of things that have a place but are just laying around? Consider having a garage sale to declutter and have someone help you organize everything! Also, get into the habit of making to-do lists and keeping your to-do lists and notes all in one place. Writing down your to-do tasks makes it so that you don’t have to try to remember them. If there’s one thing I learned from Psychology class, it’s that making to-do lists are so important because it makes more room in your brain for other more important things you have to remember.

• Take notes: Speaking of staying organized and notes, I wanted to emphasize taking notes! Anything that you think is important that will need to be remembered later, jot it down! Sometimes this simple act of repetitive thinking is all you need to be able to recall the note without even looking at it. Write it down and read it over a few times in an effort to help it stick!

• Seek medical help: If you are really concerned about your memory or lack thereof, then it is likely in your best interest to seek out a professional medical evaluation. There could be something deep down causing the memory problems that your trusty doc just might find!

With these easy memory improvement tips, you should be on your way to a better memory in no time! I hope you took a few notes!