It’s common to feel your memory slipping as you get older, but this is a problem that can be fixed. There are things you can do to improve your memory – puzzles and crosswords for example – but there are also things you need to stop doing. This list will let you know about habits you need to break for better brain and memory health.
Lack of Sleep
How do you feel after getting no sleep? Tired, grumpy, forgetful? You really need to be getting 8-9 hours of sleep every night. If you’re one of those people who believes they can function on very little sleep, you’re wrong. Listen to what your body is telling you.
Chronic Stress
Long-term stress floods the brain with cortisol, a hormone that can damage the hippocampus, which is the part responsible for memory. There are ways to manage stress, luckily – you can see a mental health specialist or a therapist.
Poor Diet
Diets high in sugar, trans fats, and chemicals can promote inflammation and impair brain function. Stop going to fast-food places – burgers and fries are bad for your body as well as your brain – and eat more leafy greens, fatty fish, nuts, berries, and eggs.
Alcohol
Too much alcohol affects short-term memory and the brain’s ability to form new memories. Unfortunately, given time, this can lead to cognitive decline. If you’re worried about the amount of alcohol you’re drinking, go to your doctor. They can help you to quit.
Smoking
Smoking is bad for your lungs, can cause cancer, and makes your teeth yellow. You’d think that would be enough reason to avoid cigarettes at all costs, but did you know smoking affects your brain function too? It reduces oxygen flow to the brain and makes your memory worse.
Multitasking
Some people are good at multitasking, it’s true, but unfortunately it’s also pretty bad for your brain. Switching between tasks divides attention and prevents what’s called “deep encoding” of information into your memory. Try focusing only on one task for a while.
Lack of Exercise
Exercise is important for keeping your body healthy, and turns out it’s important for keeping your brain healthy as well. Regular physical activity (intense or not) boosts blood flow and oxygen to the brain, which keeps your memory functioning well.
Loneliness
There have been many campaigns in recent years to try and reduce loneliness among older people, and there’s a good reason for that. Not only does having friends help their mental health, it helps their cognitive health as well.
Dehydration
The brain relies on regular fluids to function effectively, and making do with a low water intake can cause brain fog, fatigue, and reduced mental clarity. So if you’re getting dehydrated all the time, that can be incredibly dangerous to your cognitive health and memory.
Skipping Breakfast
Skipping breakfast will make you hungrier later on in the day, of course, but it will also impair your memory. Make sure you eat a healthy breakfast, too! Don’t eat a pop tart, for example, eat some yoghurt and fresh fruit.
Loud Noise Exposure
If you like to go to loud rock concerts, consider getting some earplugs. Too much exposure to loud noise can increase stress hormones and impair the brain’s ability to store memories. Plus, obviously it’ll affect your hearing as well. Many older people bemoan not being more careful with noise in their youth.
Using Your Phone Too Much
People hate the way younger people spend all their time buried in their phones, and they’re right to complain – the constant access to all the information in the world is affecting their attention span and thus their memory. More people need to put the phone down and try reading a book instead.
Negative Thinking
Once you’re in a spiral of negative thinking it can be very hard to get out of it, but you need to try for the sake of your cognitive health and memory. Negative thinking causes stress and lowers self-confidence, both things that have a bad effect on the brain.
Sitting Down Too Much
If you have an office job, you should be getting off your chair and walking around every 10-15 minutes. Not doing this reduces circulation in the body and slows down your cognitive function. Basically, movement helps keep the brain active.
Skipping Challenges
You’re supposed to challenge your brain with number and word puzzles every so often. Think of it as like a workout for your brain. You don’t even have to go out and buy puzzle books – you can find lots of great puzzles online! (Getting exercise from walking to the store is always a good idea, though.)
Unmanaged Health Conditions
Conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, and thyroid disorders can impair blood flow to the brain, affecting memory. And then of course there’s the stress involved, which will also affect your memory. Ask your doctor for help if you suspect you might have a medical condition.
Relying Too Much on GPS
GPS was a great invention when it first came along, but now people fear it might be affecting the memory. Relying too heavily on GPS instead of remembering directions weakens your spatial memory, and eventually the rest of the memory too.
Ignoring Mental Health
Depression and anxiety interfere with memory by disrupting concentration and messing with your brain chemistry. Luckily, help is at hand. A doctor will be able to prescribe you medication for your mental health condition, and you can combine that with therapy.
Poor Posture
This one sounds pretty wild. Can poor posture really affect your cognitive health that much? But experts in the matter think it very much can. You see, slouching reduces oxygen flow and circulation, making it harder for the brain to stay alert and focused.
Lack of Routine
Some studies show that an inconsistent daily schedule causes mental clutter and forgetfulness, leading to bigger problems further down the line. Try writing yourself out a schedule for every day and then sticking to it. You might be surprised at the difference it makes.
