Health News and Tips:

Four Habits To Improve Memory and Brain Function:

Get regular exercise

Physical activity can make your brain and mental health better. According to research,

engaging in regular physical activity increases the size of the hippocampus, a key brain

region responsible for memory formation. Exercise also enhances blood flow to the brain,

promoting the growth of new neurons and enhancing synaptic connections. By making

exercise a priority, you can boost your memory and sharpen your focus during a busy and

productive day.

Eat healthily

Substantially increasing the chances that your brain will stay sharp and functioning

at a high level may have everything to do with what you put in your body. According to an

article published in Better Nutrition, a regular diet of fish and vegetables can actually

“slow down cognitive decline by the equivalent of up to 19 years.” One study that followed

27,860 people in 40 countries for five years found that people with the healthiest diets

were 24 percent less likely to have cognitive decline than people with the least healthy

diets. If you want to protect your brain against memory loss so you’re super sharp every

day for years to come, experts recommend feeding your brain blueberries, coconut oil,

spinach, and lean beef.

Stimulate your mind

Challenging your brain with mental exercises can improve memory and cognitive abilities.

Activities like puzzles, reading, learning new skills, and playing strategic games help keep

the brain active and enhance neural connections. A systematic review of 22 population-

based studies estimated that complex mental activities such as reading books, playing

checkers, and completing crosswords or other puzzles, reduced overall incident dementia

risk by 46 per cent during a median seven-year period.

Manage your stress

Chronic stress and anxiety can impair memory and cognitive function. Employing stress

management techniques such as meditation, deep breathing exercises, mindfulness, and

engaging in relaxing activities can help improve memory. At work, one of the best ways to

manage your daily stress is to calm your brain down and take a break. A while back I

wrote on the importance of downtime, and how neuroscience recommends that, for every

80-120 minutes, we need to take a 10-minute break to calm down our brain activity so we

don’t get overstimulated and lose our sharpness. I recommended (among others)

activities that can take as little as five to 10 minutes, including: