20 Easy Ways to oost Your hemory

Memory Boosters, 1-5

1. Take the stairs
ercise beneIits your head as much as the rest oI your body, a growing number oI studies indicate. Overall
cardiorespiratory Iitness also lowers the risk oI obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular problems -- all known risk
Iactors Ior Alzheimer's disease. Theories on why that's so range Irom improved blood Ilow to the brain to less
brain shrinkage.
perts recommend making regular aerobic workouts part oI your routine. Failing that, it appears that even
small eIIorts add up. So avoid elevators. Park at the Iar end oI the parking lot. Start by walking around your
block in the evenings, and add a Iew minutes more each day.
2. Change your wallpaper
When doing routine things, the brain runs on autopilot. Novelty, on the other hand, literally Iires up the brain
as new data creates and works new neural pathways.
So shake up what you see and do every day: II your computer screen background is "invisible" to you, run a
program that mies it up every day or every hour. Take a diIIerent route home Irom work. Brush your teeth
with your nondominant hand. Buy, borrow, or download a book that makes you think about new ideas.
3. Steal some :::s by daylight
It's while you're sleeping that your brain sorts, consolidates, and stores memories accumulated during the day -
- that's why eight hours at night is so valuable. But a mere si-minute nap is as valuable as a Iull night's sleep
to short-term recall, according to German research. And a 90-minute nap has been shown to speed up the
process that helps the brain consolidate long-term memories.
4. Take a mental "photograph"
Memories aren't just stored in one spot in the brain; bits oI data are processed and stored in diIIerent areas. To
help make the memory oI an incident last, take a "snapshot" oI it while you're in the moment, using all your
senses. Look around and think about what you see. Notice colors and tetures. What do you smell? II you're
eating or drinking (or kissing), what's the taste?
This "mental camera" trick can help you hang onto a happy memory longer. But it can also help you remember
where you parked your car.
5. Eat less
AIter only 12 weeks, healthy volunteers (average age 60) who reduced their daily calories by 30 percent scored
20 percent better on memory tests, University oI Munster (Germany) researchers reported in January. The
possible reason: decreased levels oI insulin, created when the body processes Iood, and oI the inIlammation-
associated molecule C-reactive protein. Both Iactors are linked to improved memory Iunction.
The people in the study were cautioned not to consume Iewer than 1,200 calories a day. II cutting back on your
diet by nearly a third seems too daunting, Iocus on eating less Iat, meat, and dairy products. arlier this year,
Columbia University Medical Center researchers reported that in a long-term study oI more than 1,300
participants, those with the highest adherence to a Mediterranean diet -- rich in vegetables, legumes, Iish, and
monounsaturated oils (like olive oil) but low in Iat, beeI, and dairy -- had the lowest risk oI developing mild
cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease.

. Try a "brain-training" game -- or foin a "brain gym"

The science is promising, iI not conclusive, as to whether so-called brain-Iitness soItware can actually improve
memory. A study in the April 2009 *Journal oI the American Geriatric Society* shows that people over 65
who used a computerized cognitive training program Ior an hour a day, over a period oI eight weeks, improved
memory and attention more than a control group.
7. Spend some time online
Neuroscientist Gary Small, director oI the UCLA Memory & Aging Center and author oI* iBrain*, says
searching the Web is a bit like using a brain-training course. His researchers used MRI to measure brain
activity in Web users ages 55 to 76; the net-savvy users showed twice as much brain activity, especially
regarding decision making.
8. Stop and sip a cuppa
Green and black teas have a protective eIIect on memory, possibly by inIluencing enzymes in the brain. The
caIIeine sparks concentration, too. And people who drink moderate amounts oI coIIee at midliIe -- as many as
three to Iive cups -- have lower odds oI developing dementia in late liIe, Finnish and French researchers say.
Another beneIit: Taking a coIIee or tea break in your day (or three times a day) is a good opportunity Ior
destressing.
9. See a doctor if you feel depressed
Maybe it's "just a mood." But untreated depression is common and can impair memory. Talk therapy and/or
antidepressant medication can resolve the problem. Two red Ilags worth mentioning to a physician: a loss oI
interest in things that once gave you pleasure and a persistent sense oI hopelessness.
People at higher risk Ior depression include caregivers oI older people and those who have a Iamily history oI
depression.
10. Take the "multi" out of your tasking
specially when they're trying to learn something new, people remember less well later iI they were
multitasking while learning, UCLA researchers have shown. II, Ior eample, you're studying while listening to
the radio, your memory recall may be dependent on the music to help you later retrieve the inIormation during
the test -- ecept, oI course, that you can't usually replicate the same circumstances (like music during a test).
Try to learn something new -- reading a contract or directions, copying a skill -- when you can give it your Iull
concentration. Cut out distractions like the TV in the background or pausing every Iew seconds when you hear
the "ding" oI your e-mail or tet-message inbo.
11. Keep your blood sugar under control
II you're diabetes-Iree, work to maintain a normal weight and Iollow a balanced diet to reduce your odds oI
developing the disease. II you're a type 2 diabetic already, Iollow medical advice Ior managing blood sugar
levels.
New research shows that brain Iunctioning subtly slows as diabetics' blood sugar rises and the blood vessels
that supply the brain are damaged. This process begins well beIore memory problems become obvious, or even
beIore there's a diabetes diagnosis.
12. Waggle your eyes back and forth
To help you remember something important, scan your eyes Irom side to side Ior 30 seconds. This little
eercise helps unite the two hemispheres oI the brain, say researchers at Manchester Metropolitan University
in ngland. When the two hemispheres communicate well, you're better able to retrieve certain types oI
memories.
13. Eat your green vegetables
There's no such thing as an "anti-Alzheimer's diet." But people who are deIicient in Iolate and vitamin B12
have an increased risk oI developing dementia. (The research is iIIy, in comparison, on the beneIits oI taking
so-called memory enhancers: vitamin C supplements, ginkgo biloba, and vitamin .)
Great vegetable sources oI Iolate include romaine lettuce, spinach, asparagus, turnip greens, mustard greens,
parsley, collards, broccoli, cauliIlower, and beets. For you vegetable haters, the nutrient is also abundant in
lentils, calI's liver, pinto beans, and black beans.
14. Dont ignore sleep apnea
People with sleep apnea -- a condition involving blocked airways that causes people to brieIly stop breathing
during sleep -- show declines in brain tissue that stores memory, researchers at UCLA reported last year.
More than 12 million Americans have obstructive sleep apnea. II your doctor has suggested you have the
condition, be vigilant about trying treatment, which can include wearing oral appliances and "masks," losing
weight, and surgery.
15. Learn something new thats a real departure for you
II you're a sudoku Ian, you might think a good way to stretch your mind would be to take up a diIIerent
Japanese numbers game, like kenken or kakuro. But an even better strategy Ior a nimble brain is to pursue a
new kind oI activity using skills Iar diIIerent Irom those you're accustomed to using.
II you ordinarily like numbers, try learning a language. II you're an ace gardener, try painting Ilowers instead.
1. Quit smoking
The relationship between smoking and Alzheimer's disease is hazy. But smokers do develop the disease si to
seven years earlier than nonsmokers.
In case you were looking Ior another good reason to quit.
17. Eat some chocolate'
very year some study etols the virtue oI dark chocolate, and the eIIects oI this wonder-Iood (or, at least,
wonderIul Iood) on memory have not gone ignored by researchers. In 2007, a *Journal oI Neuroscience *study
reported on the memory-boosting eIIects in rats oI a plant compound called epicatechin, possibly because it
Iueled blood vessel growth.
In addition to cocoa, epicatechin is Iound in blueberries, grapes, and tea.
18. Put everything in its place
While novelty is like growth hormone to the brain, your memory needs a certain amount oI Iamiliarity to keep
your liIe Iunctioning smoothly. Place your keys and glasses in the same place all the time. Write notes to
yourselI as reminders (the very act oI writing will help your recall). II you want to remember your umbrella
tomorrow morning, place it right at the door, so you won't miss it.
19. Dont retire
Good news Ior those who can no longer aIIord to quit: Provided you like your work, you're helping your brain
by sticking with it as long as you can. A satisIying work liIe oIIers social stimulation and decision-making
opportunities -- and eercises problem-solving skills.
Net best: Volunteering, such as at a school or museum, where your training involves learning new material
and the task involves interacting with others.
20. Throw a party
Being around other people lowers one's risk oI developing dementia. The catch: They should be people you
enjoy who make you Ieel engaged and stimulated. People who are physically isolated (not around people) or
emotionally isolated (around people but Ieeling lonely nevertheless) are at higher risk Ior depression.
Just go easy on the alcohol at those parties. Studies on its eIIect on memory are mied. Long-term, ecessive
drinking is clearly linked with dementia. Binge drinking also impairs short-term memory. On the other hand,
Ior people who drink moderately (one drink a day), alcohol may have a protective eIIect. One study Iound that
in people with mild cognitive impairment (mild memory loss that doesn't necessarily advance to dementia),
those who drink less than one drink a day progressed to dementia at a rate 85 percent slower than teetotalers
who didn't drink at all.
Hone your manuaI skiIIs: Learn a new instrument, start quilting, build a model airplane, or get going on
those carpentry projects you've been putting off. Such activities not only help promote hand and finger
dexterity, they also foster the development of new neural connections.
Learn one new word every day: This engages the brain's language centers, frontal lobe, and memory
circuits. "t's like aerobics for your brain, says George Washington University Neurology Professor
Richard Restak, MD.
ChaIIenge your short-term memory: Although iPhones and BlackBerries may be convenient, they have
one downside: They've robbed us of the need to commit things to memory. Do it anyway. Memorize your
grocery list, your friends' phone numbers, the US presidents in order, every state's capital city. As the
saying goes, if you don't use it, you lose it.
Mix it up: Try a wide variety of mental games, from crossword puzzles to computer games. Experts say
seniors tend to do what they're good atover and over again. While that may improve proficiency, it
doesn't form new neuronal connections or boost neurotransmitter production in the brain like new and
diverse experiences do.
Be friendIy: Engage in social activities as much as possible. Multiple studies have shown that living a
solo life can vastly increase your risk of dementia. One recent Swedish study of 2,000 men and women
found that people living alone at age 50 had twice the risk of developing dementia 21 years later than
those who were living with a partner in middle age.
Shut the TV off: Research shows that those who watch minimal TV are as much as 50 percent less likely
to develop Alzheimer's disease.
Keep working: Resist the temptation to retire early. A recent British study of 382 men found a significant
association between later retirement and later onset of Alzheimer's disease.


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