Contrary to popular belief, memory problems are not always a result of the aging process itself, nor do they always get worse with aging. Memory is affected by many factors including physical, psychological and physiologic factors and can be improved by maintaining healthy practices which we often take for granted.

Causes of Memory Problems 

How to Improve Your Memory

Although memory changes may be a normal part of the aging process, not all adults experience memory loss. Simply forgetting where you put down your eyeglasses or house keys or where you parked your car in a large parking lot may be annoying but not necessarily serious, and may just be brought about by distractions rather than any real disease.

Some common reasons for forgetfulness include:

• Living a sedentary and mentally unchallenging lifestyle
• Lack of social interaction and keeping to yourself
• Lack of attention when doing something
• Being easily distracted

Some health problems are also related to memory problems such as:

• Hypertension, diabetes and other diseases that may decrease brain circulation
• Dehydration, infection, malnutrition
• Stress, depression, lack of sleep
• Some medications, heavy alcohol drinking, drug intake

Serious health problems associated with memory impairment include:

• Neurologic problems like Alzheimer’s disease, convulsive seizures and amnesia
• Head injuries or brain tumors
• Changes in levels of consciousness due to chemical toxins, heat stroke, hypothermia, etc.

How to Improve Your Memory

Unless you are suffering from a serious physical, psychological or physiologic condition which needs medical or surgical attention, you can improve your cognitive functions and memory by trying to live a healthy lifestyle and by consciously putting an effort in organizing your thoughts and activities. Here are some practical tips to improve your memory:

Eat. Exercise. Sleep.

Eating a healthy diet low fat diet with enough vitamins B12 and folate will help protect your nervous system. The right amount of exercise will also improve brain circulation, increase alertness and boost one’s energy. Together with a balanced diet, exercise will also help prevent disease like hypertension and diabetes which can affect one’s memory. Getting enough sleep is important to creating memories. Your brain strengthens your perceptions of important events that happened during the day while you rest. Resting adequately also diminishes stress which can affect your cognitive functions.

Avoid bad health habits.

Smoking, heavy alcohol intake and drug intake can affect physical as well as mental functioning. Overuse of non-prescription medicines may be the single biggest cause of memory loss or confusion especially in older adults. Tobacco smoking decreases blood flow to the brain, raises blood pressure and increases your risk of stroke. Avoiding these bad health habits improves one’s physical and mental well-being, including blood circulation to the brain and brain function.

Exercise your mental abilities.

Aside from doing brain stimulating exercise like doing crossword puzzles, playing scrabble or doing Sudoku, engaging in social activities with family and friends helps improve your memory. Another way is to try to learn new things and engage in hobbies rather than staying glued to the television all day.

Focus and organize.

Forgetting where you parked your car or where you put down your keys may not always be due to a mental lapse but simply a result of getting distracted, hurrying to do something else or thinking of something more important. Trying to organize your home, your desk and even your bag to keep a system that helps you keep track of your activities can help you keep up with small details that may escape your memory when you are trying to do or think of something else. A short-term memory must be meaningful in some way to make a lasting imprint in the brain, so focusing on one activity at a time is often times more productive than constantly multi-tasking, which some experts have found to cause more delays and mistakes.

Improvement of one’s memory has been found to take place within a few weeks of making meaningful lifestyle changes such as these. Unless you are studying for a big examination or a competition, these simple practical tips will lead to a healthier physical, mental and psychological well being that can enhance one’s memory abilities.

Reference

WebMD