Do you often forget where you have kept your mobile phone or belongings? Do you plan tasks for the day but forget what to do next as the day proceeds? Everyone has some moments like these and it’s pretty normal as our brain is loaded with a lot of memories over a lifetime. But if these kinds of moments become frequent, you need to do something to improve your memory. While genetic, lifestyle, profession and eating habits play a major role in how your memorising power is, you can always do something in your capacity to improve your memory.
Ancient practices like Yoga help immensely to improve your memory.
Memory loss can also hint at serious neurological conditions like Alzheimer’s. Apart from serious conditions like Alzheimer’s, there are several minor reasons that can affect your memory. Having a strong memory is very important, specially if you are a student or a working professional. You can’t keep on forgetting important things as it may affect your daily work and can be problematic in the long run as well. But there are ways you can deal with the problem of forgetfulness.
The great thing is that most of these ways are natural and you don’t need to shed extra money to improve your memory. This article features some of the best ways to improve your memory naturally.
Meditation
People have been practicing meditation for thousands of years and the benefits of meditation are not hidden. From fighting anxiety and stress to improving concentration power, there are numerous benefits of practicing meditation on a daily basis. Meditation relaxes your mind and takes away stress and mental tiredness. Meditation helps in increasing the Gray matter that contains neuron cell bodies. This reverses the impact on the Gray matter as you age. A lot of people have been successful in getting over the problem of short-term memory loss using meditation.
Cutting Sugar Intake
If you have a sweet tooth, you’ll need to give something in order to gain something else. Sweets contain fats and consuming too much sugar is associated with several health issues and chronic diseases. Several studies prove that eating too much sugar can affect your memory and cause problems like reduced brain volume. Cutting your sugar intake will improve your memory significantly and will also improve your health.
Weight Loss
With Obesity and being overweight come to a lot of health issues. From rising blood-sugar levels to heart-related ailments or a weak memory, all these problems could be associated with you being overweight. Keeping a check on your fat intake and exercising properly can not only put you back in shape but also improve your memory. You need to focus more on maintaining a healthy weight as obesity can also lead to problems like Alzheimer’s.
Taking Enough Sleep
I can’t stress enough on this point. A healthy individual, no matter how busy, need at least 6 to 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Your mind needs enough time to relax and re-gather energy and sleep is the only way to do it. You being sleep deprived or getting another sleep could be the other reason behind a weak memory. Make sure that you sleep for 6 to 7 hours daily and you will see the difference for yourself.
Considering Sleep, you might wanna read 6 Habits That Might Be Affecting Your Sleep
Avoid Alcohol
No one consumes alcohol to remain sober. Consuming alcohol has a negative impact on your memory and if you are in the habit of drinking frequently, the impact on your memory could be lasting too. Drinking alcohol regularly leads to a rise in your blood alcohol levels and this results in memory deficit. If you are one of those who can’t do without drinking alcohol frequently, you should try to cut the alcohol intake and leave it permanently if possible.
Vitamin D levels
Lack of Vitamin D can also lead to weak memory. This problem is more common among adults. If you have a habit of forgetting things, you should get your Vitamin D levels tested and look for natural sources to get yourself enough Vitamin D to get rid of this problem. This problem is more common among people living in cold weather conditions. Your blood levels of Vitamin D should be more than 20 nanograms per ml.
Anti-Inflammatory Foods
The more the inflammation in the body, the more is the oxidative stress that is caused by free radicals. Antioxidants play a key role in reducing inflammation. Antioxidants have anti-inflammatory properties. People who consume fresh fruits and vegetables have stronger memory in comparison to those who have a habit of consuming junk food. Fruits like berries, nuts and almonds are very helpful to improve your memory.
Exercising
Your mental health is related to your physical health in a lot of ways. This is why only meditation can’t help you in getting rid of the problems of forgetfulness. Doing moderate exercises daily for 20 minutes to an hour can do wonders for your mental health. Exercise leads to the secretion of neuroprotective proteins. It also helps in improving the growth of neurons. The risk of developing problems like dementia is also reduced.