Most of us have a fairly good idea what it takes to keep our bodies in good shape. We watch our diet, try to control our weight, get regular check-ups, and exercise. As I approach my 50th birthday, I can see where all of these efforts are paying off – I’m told that I don’t look a day over 45!
But are there things that we should be doing to help maintain our memory and maximize our ability to remember? As it turns out, there are things that can help us do exactly that. Here are 10 things from the Harvard Health Letter “Preserving and Boosting Your Memory,” that will help us all fine tune our memory abilities.
• Exercise your mind. Several studies show that continually challenging the mind increases memory capacity and may delay or prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. So, pick up that musical instrument you’ve always wanted to play, get together with friends to play challenging board or card games, finally learn to speak Italian, read a good book, pick up a new hobby, or start a new career.
• Exercise your body and lower your blood pressure. Just six hours of leisurely walking per week, or 1½ hours of brisk walking per week, will increase cerebral blood flow, improve mental abilities, and protect against dementia, heart disease, and stroke. Strength training and stretching provides additional benefits.
• Eat, drink, and be healthy. The guidelines are simple: eat diets high in whole grains, plant fats, fruits, vegetables, and nuts to lower weight and reduce the risk of cerebral artery disease. Drink sufficient water, reduce alcohol intake, and eliminate smoking.
• Develop reminders and cues. Normal aging results in difficulty freely recalling information. To help compensate, write things down, keep objects in designated locations, set up cues to remind you about certain tasks and activities, and use repetition to help remember important things like appointments and names.
• Take your time. As we age, our thinking speed declines, and it may take longer to retrieve information. Try to slow down and allow more time to devote your full attention to what you are trying to remember. If this doesn’t work, think about something entirely different, and you will be surprised how often the information you were trying to remember will come to you.
• Learn to relax. Too much anxiety and muscle tension markedly impairs learning and memory abilities. Calming your body and mind will allow your memory to work at its full potential. Things like hot baths, leisurely walks, and listening to calming music are all simple ways to relax.
• Maintain a positive attitude. Positive thinking creates positive emotional states, which markedly influences how our memory works. Interestingly, optimists live longer and maintain higher mental abilities, including memory, into old age than do pessimists.
• Get regular check-ups. Work with your doctor to identify any health factors that can affect your memory, including fatigue, stress, medication side effects, vitamin deficiencies, depression, poor vision and hearing, and illness.
• Keep stress under control. Chronic high stress can result in the shrinkage of the part of the brain responsible for learning new information, and result in significant memory problems. Whether you squeeze a stress ball, hit a punching bag, or just count to 10, do your best to minimize your stress.
• Keep a rational perspective. Remember that EVERYONE forgets things sometimes, and that some forgetting is NORMAL. “Senior moments” are a part of the privilege of growing older.
Following these guidelines will help us maximize our memory abilities well into old age. However, if you have concerns about your memory abilities, consult your doctor for a thorough physical examination and a review of your medications. If the cause of your memory problem is not found, seek a referral to a neurologist for a thorough neurological evaluation. This will likely include taking some pictures of your brain (a CT scan or MRI) and a referral for a neuropsychological evaluation to get a detailed analysis of your memory functioning and other cognitive abilities. There are many causes of memory problems and many options available for addressing them. Talk to your doctor today if you or a loved one is experiencing memory problems that appear to be beyond “normal” forgetting.
-Mark Prohaska, Ph.D.
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