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Tips for Training Memory

September 22, 2023

Topic at a Glance

  • Genetics play a role in memory, but a healthy diet, exercise, not smoking, and keeping cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar under control may help protect memory.
  • Staying mentally active may help keep memory sharp, much like physical exercise keeps muscles strong.
  • Brain-boosting habits include making everyday decisions, caring for a pet or grandchild, taking up a hobby, playing games like sudoku or crosswords, and learning something new each day.
  • A neurologist can diagnose memory and cognitive problems and look for underlying causes such as Alzheimer’s disease.

Age-related memory loss can be devastating to the person suffering from it as well as for their loved ones. How is it that some people can recite Shakespeare from memory and others do not remember what they had for breakfast? Genetics is an important factor, but so is our lifestyle. Healthy diet, exercise, abstinence from smoking, and keeping cholesterol, blood pressure, and sugar under control has been shown to help protect memory and prevent memory loss. Additionally, having a mentally active life is crucial. Mental exercise helps to keep mental skills and memory sharp, just like exercise helps to keep the muscles toned and the body strong.

Here are some tips on how to keep your brain working:

  1. Make Your Own Decisions: Having to deal with everyday tasks that require simple decision making and problem solving such as running errands and making appointments can help keep your memory in check.
  2. Care for Someone: Studies have shown that caring for a pet or spending time with a grandchild can boost different aspects of memory and reasoning.
  3. Find a Hobby: Creating art, making handmade cards can activate brain parts that have been less active. There may even be benefits associated with games such as sudoku, crossword puzzles, and board games.
  4. Learn Something New Every Day: Start learning a new language (or just vocabulary words), read recent news in the fields of science, medicine, archeology, or anything that interests you and share this information with your friends and family. Memorizing trains your brain to remember and to retain the information.
  5. Get out of Your Comfort Zone: A study published by Cognition revealed that walking backward may improve short-term memory. According to the publication, people who walked backward, or even watched a video simulating backward motion had a better recollection of past events than those who walked forward or sat still.

Stay mentally engaged. Your brain is like a muscle – you have to keep working it to avoid atrophy. Try to stimulate your mind on a daily basis by engaging in intellectual work and play.

A neurologist can diagnose memory and cognitive issues and design a treatment plan to address both the symptoms and their underlying causes. If you believe you or a loved one suffers from memory or cognitive impairment, it is important to address the signs as early as possible to prevent symptoms from worsening and to rule out or treat potentially serious underlying conditions such as Alzheimer’s. To learn more or to request an appointment with the specialists at Cayman Neurology and Pain Management, call 1 (345) 943-6900 or click on the link below.

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FAQs About Memory Training

Can healthy habits help protect memory?

They may. A healthy diet, exercise, not smoking, and keeping cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar under control may help protect memory.

They might. Games like sudoku, crossword puzzles, and board games may have benefits for keeping the brain active.

A study published in the journal Cognition found that people who walked backward, or even watched a video simulating backward motion, recalled past events better than those who walked forward or sat still.

If you think you or a loved one has memory or cognitive problems, it’s best to address them early. A neurologist may help keep symptoms from worsening and can rule out or treat conditions like Alzheimer’s.