If you’re relatively young and healthy, improving your memory may not be the health goal you’re currently most focused on. However, memory impairment is an issue that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Considering that memory is tied to many other brain functions and serves as a window into overall cognitive health, it’s never too early to find ways to improve your memory.
Can you actually improve your memory? Research suggests that yes, you most likely can.
For people struggling with remembering things, concentrating, and making decisions, experts’ advice for how to improve memory includes:
- Learning new information regularly
- Eating an anti-inflammatory diet
- Exercising often
- Getting enough sleep
- Potentially trying certain supplements, including nootropics.
Keep Learning New Things
Challenging yourself with new tasks and “breaking out of your comfort zone” are great ways to encourage neuroplasticity, which is the brain’s ability to adapt to new things. Neuroplasticity describes how your brain responds to challenges and experiences by forming new connections, a fantastic way to improve memory. It happens when the brain reorganizes synaptic connections in response to learning and experiences.
It can be easy to get into a monotonous routine as we age, but continuing to develop new skills is essential for keeping the brain sharp and attentive. The best brain-boosting exercises require concentration, full engagement, and a bit of mental effort. Any activity or hobby that requires hand-eye coordination and complex motor skills is also great for the mind.
Ideally, you want to practice exercises you can become increasingly good at over time since progress is rewarding and fun. Some examples include:
- Learning a new instrument or language
- Building things with your hands (You can watch YouTube videos online for help)
- Playing chess and other games, either online or in person
- Dancing, yoga, and tai chi
- Golfing, tennis, bocce, and similar sports
- Doing crossword puzzles or playing board games
Eat an Anti-Inflammatory Diet
One important aspect of improving your memory is providing your brain with the fuel to protect against damage (like free radicals and oxidative stress). Eating an anti-inflammatory diet is one of the natural ways to improve memory.
A diet aimed at protecting cognitive function — and potentially even fighting neurodegenerative diseases like dementia and Alzheimer’s disease — should be filled with antioxidants (from colorful fruits and vegetables), quality proteins, and healthy fats. This eating style has been termed the MIND diet, a cross between the Mediterranean diet and DASH diet, created to support heart health. A 2020 study found that the MIND diet may contribute to cognitive resilience in the elderly.
You’ll want to include plenty of “brain foods” that support focus and memory in your diet, such as:
- Healthy fats, including olive oil, avocado, coconut, nuts like walnuts, egg yolks, ground flaxseed, and flaxseed oil
- High-antioxidant foods, such as leafy greens, peppers, onions, citrus fruits, berries, broccoli, dark cocoa, acai, turmeric, and herbs
- Cold-water “fatty fish,” such as salmon, tuna, halibut, trout, mackerel, sardines, and herring, which provide omega-3s
- Superfoods like wheatgrass, seaweed, and algae
- Green tea and coffee in moderation
- Wine in moderation (about one glass a day for women, two for men)
Exercise Regularly
Regular exercise has been shown in studies to help protect both short-term and long-term memories. It helps your mind stay sharp by:
- Halting age-related changes in the hippocampus
- Increasing circulation and oxygen to your brain
- Boosting neuroplasticity by stimulating growth factors and neuronal connections, including those facilitated by neurotrophins and myokines
- Managing inflammation and supporting a healthy immune system
- Reducing the risk for disorders that can contribute to memory loss, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease
- Building resiliency against stress
- Reducing fatigue
- Releasing endorphins that fight depression
Aerobic exercises like brisk walking, swimming, and cycling are among the best options for older adults, including those with injuries or pain.
Get Enough Sleep
Sleep impacts not only your energy level but also your focus, memory, problem-solving abilities, emotion regulation, and creativity. Researchers have even found that getting enough sleep (avoiding sleep deprivation) plays a role in long-term and short-term memory consolidation, which takes place during the deepest stages of sleep.
Adults need between seven to nine hours of sleep per night to feel their best. Some tips for getting better sleep include:
- Stick to a regular schedule to support your circadian rhythm (your internal clock). Go to bed at the same time every night and get up at the same time each morning.
- Limit screen time at night and avoid scrolling through distressing news online. Instead, do something relaxing, such as reading, meditating, or writing. Blue light emitted by electronics, such as TVs, tablets, phones, and computers, can affect your sleep.
- Try soothing activities, such as listening to music, meditation, or yoga, which can improve cognitive abilities, including focus, creativity, memory, and learning. One study found that meditation and music significantly enhanced subjective memory function and objective cognitive performance in adults with cognitive decline.
- Avoid alcohol, caffeine, sugar, and spicy foods before bedtime.
- Take a nap, especially after learning new information. According to some studies, this may help with remembering things more easily.
Prioritize Relationships to Fight Loneliness
Studies show that meaningful relationships in one’s life and a supportive social circle can help defend the brain against damage since these decrease loneliness, a form of psychological stress.
To boost your mood and brain function, make an effort to maintain relationships and reach out to others often. Try finding a community you can actively engage in, such as a church or faith group, fitness centre, sports team, volunteer organization, etc.
Laughing with others and physical affection can help release “happy hormones,” such as oxytocin, that can aid in cognitive health. Intentionally seek out and spend time with positive people. Playing with children and pets is another great stress-reducer that can make life more playful and help you take things less seriously.
Here’s a tip: If you find it difficult to keep up with an active social life and remember events, try staying organized with the help of calendars, planners, maps, shopping lists, file folders, and address books. These types of things are associated with enhanced memory among older people.
Consider Taking Supplements Like Nootropics
Let’s say you’re cramming for an exam and looking for ways to help you retain information. Nootropics may come in handy. These supplements, some of which contain caffeine or other stimulating ingredients, tend to help with focus and possibly memory. However, it’s important to use them cautiously and do your research since some may not be safe.
Nootropics cover a broad range of focus-boosting drugs, herbs, and supplements, such as:
- Adaptogen herbs, like ginseng and rhodiola
- Medicinal mushrooms, such as cordyceps
- Amino acids, like L-carnitine
- Creatine
- DHA/fish oil
- B vitamins, especially B12
- Coffee or green tea extract
- Gingko biloba
- Theobromine
- Several others
Each nootropic supplement works uniquely and has its specific mechanisms of action. Many are capable of altering levels of certain neurotransmitters, enzymes, or hormones in the brain, such as:
- Acetylcholine
- Adrenaline
- Dopamine
- Serotonin
- GABA
This allows these supplements to increase energy and motivation, promote blood flow, and help protect the brain from oxidative stress — another option for improving memory.
If you’re more focused on short-term memory recall than preserving long-term memories, other tips for improving memory include:
- Studying in a place without distractions (no television, music, phones, etc.)
- Utilizing mnemonics are associations you make between terms and something else you’re familiar with. You can also add humour to make ideas more memorable.
- Learning the information over a longer period rather than cramming.
- Focusing on the big-picture concepts.
- Grouping similar concepts and terms, you mix new material with things you already know.
- Using visualization, photographs, charts, and other graphics.
- Rehearsing the information out loud to yourself.
Risk Factors for Memory Impairment
Researchers have found that several lifestyle habits and health conditions are often associated with memory loss. Some of the biggest risk factors for experiencing cognitive decline and related diseases, such as dementia and Alzheimer’s, include:
- Having a history of heart disease or diabetes
- Eating a diet that’s low in antioxidants and healthy fats but high in ultra-processed foods, added sugar, and saturated fat (such as from foods like factory-farm red meat, whole milk, cheese products, and desserts like ice cream)
- Hormonal issues, including thyroid imbalances, low testosterone, and low estrogen
- High consumption of alcohol
- Smoking cigarettes and drug abuse
- Vitamin B12 deficiency
- Chronic stress. Too much stress can damage brain cells due to its effects on hormone levels, inflammation, and even gut health.
- Taking certain medications, such as cold and allergy medications, sleep aids, and antidepressants
- A sedentary lifestyle
- Having an unhealthy balance between work and leisure time/not enough time for relaxation
- Loneliness and having few close relationships
Conclusion
How can I sharpen my memory? This is a great question, considering that memory is involved in learning, decision-making, and even maintaining relationships.
Based on available research, here’s how to improve memory by helping your brain form and retain memories:
- Keep learning since this is related to neuroplasticity, which increases cognitive abilities. Try things like playing music, playing challenging games online, reading, building things, and so on.
- Eat an anti-inflammatory diet with lots of antioxidants.
- Exercise often.
- Get enough sleep.
- Prioritize relationships to fight stress and loneliness.
- Take supplements, such as nootropics.
FAQs
1. Can improving memory help with decision-making?
Yes, a sharper memory can enhance your recall of relevant information, aiding in making more informed and quicker decisions.
2. Are there specific foods that boost memory?
Food rich in antioxidants, healthy fats, and omega-3 fatty acids, such as leafy greens, berries, nuts, and fatty fish, support memory and cognitive function.
3. How much exercise is needed to see improvements in memory?
Even moderate exercise, such as 30 minutes of brisk walking a few times a week, can significantly benefit your memory and overall brain health.
4. Can supplements improve memory?
Certain supplements, particularly those classified as nootropics, may help enhance memory and cognitive function, but they should be used with caution and ideally under the guidance of a healthcare provider.
5. What are some simple activities to start with for improving memory?
Simple activities like learning a new language, playing musical instruments, doing puzzles, or engaging in regular physical exercise can improve memory.