Brain and Memory Boosters

Need a brain boost, a memory nudge, a way to feel sharper and more cognitively intact? Try these six tips from an expert!

We rounded up six ways, thanks to picking the brain of Augusto Miravalle, MD, professor of neurology at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, and searching studies and other sources. Miravalle says he’s often asked about this and shared with us the suggestions he gives patients, including some that make patients say: “Really? That will help my memory?”

Exercise.

This one surprises people, Miravalle says. “They don’t link exercise to cognition,” he says. But he tells them: “It’s probably one of the most important contributors to cognition.”  A recent study, looking at adults age 50 to 83, found that an additional 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity, as recorded on the participants’ accelerometers, boosted memory test scores the next day, with the benefit persisting for 24 hours. Sedentary behavior lowered those scores.

The parts of the brain controlling thinking and memory are larger in volume in exercisers than in non-exercisers, according to Harvard experts.

Get Out and Socialize.

The pandemic taught us, Miravalle says, how bad social isolation is for the brain.  Social isolation and loneliness, research has found, are both linked with cognitive decline.  Social isolation, some researchers found, is a risk factor for dementia, regardless of whether a person is experiencing loneliness, too.

Learn New Things.

“When we learn, we have to remember,” Miravalle says.  Grasping all that new information revs up your brain’s nerve cells. “The neurons in the hippocampus—the memory center—are one of the few ones that can actually regenerate.”  So to get them going, he says, learn a new language, a new sport, a new dance. This report from Harvard offers some how-tos.

Get More Sleep.

Adults 60 plus need 7 to 8 hours a night, Miravalle advises. The Sleep Foundation lays out the link between sleep and memory. The National Institute on Aging offers 6 healthy sleep habits for people 60-plus.

Eat Right.

While research has produced conflicting results on which specific eating plan is best for cognition, Miravalle supports the MIND diet—a  combination of the Mediterranean diet and the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diets. This recent Rush University study found it may  be associated with improved cognitive functioning in older adults.

MIIND stands for the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay. It emphasizes whole grains, berries, vegetables, nuts, poultry and fish. It’s also described in detail here.

Learn how tech can help your brain at this Senior Planet class on March 10. Registration is required! 

Treat Depression.

Depression and memory have a bidirectional relationship, according to this research. During a 16-year follow up, researchers evaluated more than 8,200 participants, age 50 and above. They found that the worse the depression at the study’s start, the poorer the memory—and the greater the memory declines that occurred over time.

YOUR TURN

What tricks and tips do you use to improve your memory! Share yours in the comments!

 

Kathleen Doheny is a Los Angeles-based independent journalist, specializing in health, behavior, fitness and lifestyle stories. Besides writing for Senior Planet, she reports for WebMD, Medscape, MedCentral and other sites.  She is a mom, mother-in-law and proud and happy Mimi who likes to hike, jog and shop.

 

Photo of Kathy Doheny: Shaun Newton

 

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