Improve Your Memory

Everyone has moments of forgetfulness from time to time, especially when life gets busy.

While this can be a completely normal occurrence, having a poor memory can be frustrating.  As your age you may notice the decline moves even faster.

There is much research out there that says genetics plays a role in memory loss, especially in serious neurological conditions like Alzheimer’s disease. However, research has also shown that diet and lifestyle have a major impact on memory too.  Research is showing that our genes may not have as big affect in our chances of having several common illnesses, like heart disease, asthma and diabetes as much as we might think.  There are many other factors, such as diet and lifestyle.   Many genetic and non-genetic factors affect our health, but scientists don't yet know what they all are, or how they interact with each other.

What we are learning is we can have an affect on our genetic  expression.  Something called Epigenetics.  Our DNA is still our DNA and that can not be changed however the expression  of our DNA can be impacted by diet, environment , our thoughts, exercise , use of alcohol  and/or drugs, even parenting . 

Are you starting to get the sense that you have more control over your memory and health then your previously thought.  If so that is awesome.  If not, I invite you to do some research into Epigenetics.  It is still somewhat new and there is much more to learn in that area.  But wow, I love the idea that I have much more say in my health then the medical professionals  would like me to believe.

Here are a few things the you can do to improve your health and memory

Give your brain a workout -  Learn something new, something that challenges your brain and something that is rewarding.

Physical exercise -  helps your brain stay sharp and reduces risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. 

Get a good night sleep -  Research shows that sleep is necessary for memory  consolidation with the key memory enhancing activity occurring during the deepest stages of sleep.

Make time to get together with friends -  Relationships stimulate the brain -  in fact interaction with others may provide the best kind of brain exercise. 

Keep stress levels in check -  Over time chronic stress destroys brain cells and damages the hippo-campus.   The hippo-campus is the region of the brain involved in the formation of new memories and retrieval of old ones.  Stress is linked to memory loss. 

Have a good laugh and chill out -  Laugh at yourself.  When you hear laughter seek it out, join in.  Spend time with fun playful people.  Seek out children, they are the experts on playing and taking life lightly and laughing. 

Eat a brain boasting diet -  Healthy fats, lean proteins, fruits and veggies. 

Try out Neurofeedback -  Neurofeedback /  brain training programs excel at improving memory, attention and cognitive functions.