We’ve all misplaced our keys, missed an item at the store or walked into a room only to completely forget why. Memory is something that most people inevitably lose as they age-but is there a way to stop that?
Maybe not completely, but there are a ton of tricks you can implement now to keep you from loosing valuable memory in your future.
1. Have a job or hobby that challenges you.
The American Academy of Neurology completed a study that proved people with more challenging careers starved off age-related memory loss much longer. Those who’s jobs required more speaking, developing strategies, conflict resolution and managerial tasks were better protected in the long run from losing memory. But before you go and apply for those seriously tough jobs, positions that are too hard and thus cause more stress have the opposite effect on memory, leading to a greater amount of memory loss at an old age.
2. Get more sleep.
Sleeping is pretty much good for every part of your body, but it has a special effect on your brain. A study on fruit flies (which isn’t as weird as it sounds) that proved the flies that got the most sleep were the best at attracting partners, because they had retained the most memory. Scientists believe that the same idea applies to humans, so if you need more memory–or to attract a date?–get some more sleep!
3. Eat fish.
This one only works on those under the age of 30, so you better get started ASAP. A study done in 2012 showed that the acid in omega-3 (the acid found in fish and fish oil tablets) helps to increase communication between different parts of the brain, which helps you to retain more memory at a young age.
4. Work out.
There’s obviously a million reasons why working out is good, but here’s another. Aerobic exercise influences human memory, according to this study. Because more blood is flowing to the brain, those who worked out 2x as much as their lazier counterparts scored up to 25% better on a memory test. So put that down as one more reason to get up off your butt and get to the gym–as if you needed another.
5. Practice visualization techniques.
Fans of the show Sherlock (starring everyone’s favorite Brit, Benedict Cumberbatch) will know this technique as the title character’s insane ability to figure out any mystery. And while the “mind palace” of the typical twenty-something might not be as impressive as his, you can use this technique to retain memory. This complicated process goes back to the ancient Greeks, and all you do is “store” memories in a specific location by vizualizing it, and then later, by walking through that location, you can recover the memories. Sounds confusing right? But it is highly recommended.
6. Do Sudoku.
Sudoku is a great way to kill time, but it’s also a great tool for memory. Even though brain training games have been faced by criticism, it has been shown that Sudoku helps with older people who are at risk of dementia. There’s no proof that these puzzles make a difference in younger minds, but it’s a lot better for your brain than sitting around watching TV. So maybe try it.
[Featured Image Credit: www.zemescience.com]
