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Wednesday, October 10, 2012

10 ways to give your memory a boost


Struggling to remember what you were doing this time last month? Still recovering from that embarrassing incident where you forgot the name of your best friend's girlfriend? Don't despair - we've consulted the experts to find out how to improve the health of your memory and bid those goldfish jokes farewell once and for all.

Fight the fuzz

 Sadly, it's inevitable that our memories will decline as we age. However, there are various ways we can delay this process. "Certain major strategies can make a difference," says Professor Small, director of the Geriatric Psychiatry Division at UCLA's Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behaviour. "Firstly, we can protect our brain health through cardiovascular exercise (10-15 minutes each day) and with a nutritious diet (antioxidant fruits and vegetables, and omega-3 fats (from fish and nuts)."

Forget about genetics

While there's much that we don't understand about the brain, it's definitely all too easy to underestimate just how easily we can improve - or damage - our memories. "Only part of it is genetic - the other part is about lifestyle," points out Professor Murali Doraiswamy, a memory expert at North Carolina's Duke University Institute for Brain Sciences. "There's a saying: genetics loads the gun, lifestyle pulls the trigger. More than 300 genes have been identified which could play a role in memory, so we are still at the very early stages of understanding it.  In mice, scientists have been able to insert special genes which give them super memories."

Get physical

Having a good memory relies on having a healthy brain, and a healthy brain needs a good blood supply, which is why physical health is so important.  "A major problem is that so many people eat too much," points out Professor Small. "For example, being overweight doubles your risk of Alzheimer’s disease and obesity quadruples it.  That’s the bad news. The good news is that losing weight will improve your memory."

Food for thought

Studies have shown that monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats, which are high in omega-3 fatty acids - rather than saturated fats - are essential for healthy cell membranes, particularly those within our brain, and can give our memories a boost. Monounsaturated fat is also best for our heart and blood vessels, and this is essential when it comes to providing a steady supply of oxygen and nutrients to our brain cells. Recent studies also show that the fatty acids found within cold water fish such as herring, salmon and mackerel protect the brain cells from damage and can even promote brain cell growth.

Mind games

In addition, Professor Small believes that when it comes to our memories, mental workouts are just as important as physical ones. "We can learn memory techniques which help compensate for age-related memory loss," he says. Research has shown that games such as Sudoku can improve memory health by encouraging the brain to think more strategically. According to experts at the Professional Association of German Psychiatrists, learning a new language is one of the best ways to improve your memory, while listening to music can also help.

Look, Snap, Connect

The professor has a suggestion for those keen to boost their memory with a few mental exercises. "It's called Look, Snap, Connect," says Professor Small. "Look reminds us to focus attention (not paying attention never gives us a chance to learn what we want to remember).  Snap stands for creating a mental snapshot (our brains are hardwired to remember visual images). Connect means to link together your mental snapshots so they are meaningful and thus more memorable."

Test yourself

It's easy to become lazy but making the effort to correctly recall events, dates and facts is essential when it comes to maintaining a healthy brain. "The biggest misconception occurs when we believe our memories are accurate even when they are not," says Professor Small.  "The latest research shows that over time, when we incorrectly recall something, we are more likely to make similar memory errors in the future and eventually distort those memories that we are convinced are true."

Booze and the brain

When it comes to booze, drinking too much alcohol won't just leave you struggling to remember what you got up to last night, but your long term memory could also be affected. "Alcohol at a high dosage kills cells, so it's not a good idea," says Professor Eef Hogervorst, a biological psychologist and expert in memory based at Loughborough's School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences. "Benzodiazepines (sedatives) also really affect memory quite badly. In fact, recently scientists have found that the use of these calming agents, such as Valium, is associated with an increased risk of dementia."

Cheers!

The good news? While drinking too much alcohol should be avoided, the odd tipple can actually help your memory. "Moderate alcohol consumption (one or two drinks a day) is associated with better memory ability than abstinence or excessive alcohol use," points out Professor Small. "It may have to do with antioxidants in the alcohol or some other compound like resveratrol. However, it could also be that people who drink in moderation are less stressed out than others, and we know that chronic stress is not good for memory."


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