How to Improve Your Memory with a Healthy Lifestyle

By treating your body well, you should be able to enhance your abilities at being able to process and recall information.

Below, we will take a look at some different healthy habits you could integrate in to the life you lead at the present time in order to help improve your memory.

1. Exercise

Taking regular exercise helps to increase the flow of oxygen to the brain. This, in turn, reduces the risk for you suffering from disorders which can lead to memory loss, such as cardiovascular diseases or diabetes.

Also, it helps to improve the effects that the helpful brain chemicals have, as well as protecting those brain cells you already have.

2. Manage your Stress Levels

The stress hormone known as Cortisol can actually cause damage to the hippocampus in the brain if a person is unable to relieve the stress that they are feeling. In most cases, a person who is feeling stressed will find it much more difficult to concentrate on things, which in turn results in them actually not being able to process and retain information easily.

3. Improve your Sleeping Habits

We all need sleep, and it is very important, as it helps the memory to consolidate the information we have obtained during the day. Unfortunately, if you are someone who suffers from insomnia or sleep apnea, or just generally do not like to sleep more than a few hours each night, then during the day, you will be feeling tired and will find it very difficult to concentrate.

4. Do Not Smoke

Anyone who smokes is at a greater risk of suffering from a vascular disorder, which in turn can result in them having a stroke, or their arteries become constricted, and so the delivery of oxygen to the brain is diminished.

5. Improve your Diet

Aren’t we all being told these days that a good diet is one which contains fruit, vegetables as well as whole grains and healthy fats? Not only can a good diet provide our body with plenty of health benefits, it can also help to improve a person’s memory.

Research carried out is indicating that certain nutrients will help to not only nurture, but also stimulate the functions of the brain.

a. Vitamin B6, B12 and Folic Acid

These help to protect the brains neurons by breaking down homocysteine, which is an amino acid and which is toxic to the nerve cells. But they also help to make red blood cells, which our bodies need in order to transport oxygen around it, including to the brain.

The best places to get a good source of Vitamins B from are in spinach, as well as other types of dark green leafed vegetables, broccoli, asparagus, strawberries, melons as well as black beans and other forms of legumes. Also, you should increase your intake of fruit and soybeans.

b. Antioxidants

Specifically, we are looking at Vitamins C and E, along with Beta Carotene. They help to fight any free radicals in the body, which are atoms that are formed when oxygen is able to interact with certain molecules in the body. They are highly reactive, and can cause damage to the body’s cells. But antioxidants are able to interact with these safely, and so are able to neutralize them. These antioxidants can help to improve the flow of oxygen through our bodies and to the brain.

The best places to find these particular antioxidants in are blueberries, and all other sorts of berries, along with sweet potatoes, red tomatoes, spinach as well as broccoli and green tea, nuts and seeds. Also, citrus fruits and liver are a great source for getting antioxidants as well.

c. Fatty Acids – Omega 3

These are concentrated in the brain and are associated with a person’s cognitive functions. These count as healthy fats in a person’s diet, as opposed to those which are not, such as saturated and trans fats. They help to protect a person against inflammation, as well as having a high level of cholesterol in their body.

The best places to obtain Omega 3 fatty acids is by eating cold water fish, such as salmon, herring, tuna, mackerel or halibut. Also, walnuts, walnut oil, flaxseed and its oil are a good source of Omega 3 fatty acids as well.

Plus, as we grow older, we are more likely to suffer from a deficiency of both Vitamin B12 and Folic Acid, and so it is important that older people use a supplement to counteract such deficiencies. If you are someone who is not particularly keen on fish, then also include an Omega 3 supplement as part of your new diet regime. However, no nutrient will work effectively without us consuming the right sorts of foods as well. Therefore, it is important that as part of your healthy diet regime, you ensure that you eat plenty of colorful plant foods and choose those fats which can help to keep your arteries clear. In the long run, not only your body, but your brain will be thanking you for the changes that you have made.

Links for further reading:
Free book about insomnia and sleep disorders
Free book to help you quit smoking
A scientific step-by-step method to improve your memory