How Can You Preserve Your Memory?

Published September 6, 2016 · Updated September 19, 2016

Are you using your memory enough and are you taking the proper daily steps to preserve it?

Stimulate Your Memory Every Day

The more you preserve your memory, the better it will function. There are some exercises that you can do regularly (you can find them easily in specialized books or online). But you can also use your memory as part of your daily routine, whether at home (remembering a culinary recipe) or at work (a colleague’s mailing address). How and what you memorize is not so important; what matters is varying the methods you use to learn and achieve progress (remembering a list of five objects, then six, seven, etc.).

Practical steps

Shopping lists, phone numbers, appointment dates and times, or poetry, songs, and theater all provide opportunities that you should seize to use your memory. If you need help to memorize things better, you can use a paper and pen rather than a computer or a smartphone. A study showed that memory is more effective when something is written down.

Move!

Physical activity is essential to maintaining overall equilibrium. But it also produces physical benefits that can free the spirit (you can talk to a friend while running, for example), which is great for memory. Several published studies have found that exercise has a direct impact on memory. Engaging in physical activity allows you to develop your memory and maintain a high capacity to memorize detail as you grow older.

Practical steps

Engage in regular physical activity (at least 2 to 3 times per week), preferably an activity that you can do outdoors.

Eat a Balanced Diet

Diet and memory? They are connected, and much more than you might think. A diet that satisfies your energy needs, including plenty of vitamins and minerals, and harnesses the power of antioxidants, may help you preserve already healthy neurons. Certain nutrients, such as choline or essential fatty acids (especially omega-3), could have the power to support neurons and memory.

Practical steps

Eat at least five fruits and vegetables per day to help with oxidative stress and cellular aging. Choose foods rich in omega-3 and choline (you can also take supplements) such as fatty fishes, wheat germ, almonds, and broccoli. Limit saturated fats (such as cold cuts, butter and cream) and sugars. Drink plenty of fluids.

Maintain an Enriching Social Life

Contacts, discussions, debates: participating actively in intellectual stimulation and psychological wellness are two ways to promote good memorization and limit memory challenges.

Practical steps

You can join a club or an organization. Taking advantage of cultural events in your city (such as conferences or exhibits) can open you to new horizons. Board and memorization games can also provide opportunities for very interesting discussions that could enhance memory.

Sleep and Reduce Stress

Lack of sleep, like any form of stress, may represent a challenge for memory. Its consolidation mechanisms are at work while sleeping, as we can see in children: they are learning so many things that they need more sleep.

Practical steps

Go to bed at a regular hour, in a temperate room, and always sleep between seven and eight hours a night. Practice relaxing activities in the evening (such as yoga or sophrology) to help relieve stress.

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