7 Brain Hacks That Can Help Sharpen Your Memory

 

Despite what many healthcare practitioners would have you believe, losing your memory or developing mental fog in your forties, fifties, sixties, or even seventies isn’t normal – it’s a sign of trouble.

Serious memory loss isn’t inevitable with advancing age. If you’re experiencing memory problems, early intervention is key to getting positive results. Now is always the best time to get serious about the health of your brain.

To put the brakes on brain decline and conserve your memory, try these practical, and natural, strategies…

7 Brain Training Exercises That Can Help Sharpen Your Memory

Brain Training Exercises to Sharpen Your Memory | BrainMD

  1. Become a Lifelong Learner

One of the keys to aging well is to continually engage in new learning. Like a muscle – the more you use your brain, the stronger it gets. Whenever you learn something, new neural connections are created.

Try learning a new language or a new hobby like painting or playing a musical instrument. Motor activities like yoga or dancing also can improve your mental sharpness.

  1. Memory-supporting Foods

Here are some memory-supporting foods to work into your diet:

  • Omega-3s: One of the most studied foods for brain health, fatty fish – such as sardines, wild salmon, tuna, and mackerel – are high in the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, which are critical to brain health and memory.
  • Vegetables: Vegetables are loaded with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants (including carotenoids), flavonoids, and other polyphenols that help keep the brain healthy and memory sharp.
  • Fruit: Flavonoids and other polyphenols – particularly those found in berries, apples, and citrus fruits – have recently shown potential in helping to reverse age-related decline in memory and learning.
  • Herbs and Spices: Saffron, turmeric, rosemary, and sage contain substances that support memory and offer overall protection against cognitive decline. Cinnamon has been found to improve blood sugar status as well as fight inflammation.
  • Nuts and Seeds: Nuts are loaded with healthy fats, minerals, and nutrients that are needed to power the brain’s memory function. Walnuts and almonds have shown promise for supporting mental sharpness in clinical trials.
  1. Play Brain Games

Brain games can be helpful for preserving memory and other cognitive functions, especially for older adults. Spending a minimum of 15 minutes a day on games – such as crossword puzzles, chess, sudoku, and jigsaw puzzles – may help improve concentration. There are various online sites where you can do mental exercises to improve your cognitive skills.

Regardless of your age, mental exercise can have an overall positive effect on your brain. On the other hand, when you stop learning, your brain starts fading. Don’t stop challenging your brain daily!

  1. Memory Aids

Memory aids are a great way to boost your brain while developing a system to remember things. When memorizing a list, associate each item with the most humorous or ridiculous image you can think of to help you recall it later. No one sees the image in your mind, so be creative and have fun with it.

To help you remember names, repeat a person’s name once or twice in conversation. Visualize the name as a picture (perhaps on the person’s forehead) and use their name when saying good-bye.

  1. Take a Trip

Traveling helps the brain by exposing it to new places and faces. Using maps exercises the brain’s visual-spatial abilities and helps stimulate your memory pathways. In addition to breaking up the sameness of your daily routine, taking a trip can provide a whole new set of experiences, some of which may become cherished memories.

  1. Get Physical

Numerous clinical trials have established that physical exercise enhances brain health and supports memory by:

  • Increasing the size of the hippocampus, the brain’s main memory-forming zone, according to a 2017 study published in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.
  • Protecting the hippocampus from stress-related hormones, like cortisol, which can damage the brain when its levels are high for sustained periods due to ongoing stress.
  • Stimulating the production of growth factors, such as BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factors), which nurture brain maintenance and neurogenesis.
  • Decreasing the formation of beta-amyloid plaque, clumps of protein found in the brains of people with severe memory issues.
  • Facilitating greater detoxification through sweat, which is critical since toxins in any form damage the brain and increase the risk of memory problems.
  1. Eat Dark Chocolate

Consuming dark chocolate can improve circulation and brain blood flow. The cocoa in dark chocolate is loaded with polyphenols and other beneficial substances.

Cocoa powder and dark chocolate can enhance memory and other cognitive functioning in the young and old. For a guilt-free experience, remember to eat dark chocolate in small amounts.

Here’s to a Better Memory

The best way to sharpen recall, reduce brain atrophy, and avoid long-term memory problems is to be proactive. There will never be a better time to start improving your memory than now.

Since the brain is a muscle, it’s important to exercise it every day. In fact, keeping your brain fit is a great way to support cognition and memory throughout your life.

One of the best ways to prevent premature memory loss is to take supplements with highly purified nutraceutical ingredients that are clinically researched to keep your mind sharp and efficient.

BrainMD offers an entire category of Memory Supplements to help strengthen, preserve, and protect your memory. Try one and start sharpening your memory today!

At BrainMD, we’re dedicated to providing the highest purity nutrients to improve your physical health and overall well-being. For more information about our full list of brain healthy supplements, please visit us at BrainMD.

 

Keith Rowe
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Wendi Haas

I have just found your facility and feel so lucky you all are here. My heartfelt thank you for all you do. If covid wasn’t so rampant ( I have to fly to see you) I would have already made an appointment. You are a lifeline for so many of us trying to navigate a healthy life. Dr. Amen, I feel you are a brilliant pioneer of the mind. Thank you all!

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