Spend
Time for Meditation
Maintaining healthy body weight is essential for well-being and is one of the best ways to keep your body and mind in top condition.
Several studies have established obesity as a risk factor for cognitive decline.
Interestingly, being obese can cause changes to memory-associated genes in the brain, negatively affecting memory (13Trusted Source).
Obesity can also lead to insulin resistance and inflammation, which can negatively impact the brain (14Trusted Source).
Get Enough Sleep
Lack of proper sleep has been associated with a poor memory for quite some time.
Sleep plays a vital role in memory consolidation, a process in which short-term memories are strengthened and transformed into long-lasting memories.
Research shows that if you are sleep-deprived, you could be negatively impacting your memory.
For example, one study looked at the effects of sleep in 40 children between the ages of 10 and 14.
One group of children was trained for memory tests in the evening, then tested the following morning after a night’s sleep. The other group was trained and tested on the same day, with no respite between training and testing.
Practice Mindfulness
Mindfulness is a mental state where you focus on your present situation, maintaining awareness of your surroundings and feelings.
Mindfulness is used in meditation, but the two aren’t the same. Meditation is a more formal practice, whereas mindfulness is a mental habit you can use in any situation.
Studies have shown that mindfulness is effective at lowering stress and improving concentration and memory.
One study of 293 psychology students showed that those who underwent mindfulness training had improved recognition-memory performance when recalling objects compared to students who did not receive mindfulness training (19Trusted Source).
Eat Less Added Sugar
Overeating added sugar had been linked to many health issues and chronic diseases, including cognitive decline.
Research has shown that a sugar-laden diet can lead to poor memory and reduced brain volume, particularly in the brain area that stores short-term memory (1Trusted Source, 2Trusted Source).
For example, one study of more than 4,000 people found that those with a higher intake of sugary beverages like soda had lower total brain volumes and poorer memories on average compared to people who consumed less sugar (2Trusted Source).
Cutting back on sugar not only helps your memory but also improves your overall health.
Try a Fish Oil Supplement
Fish oil is rich in the omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).
These fats are essential for overall health and have been shown to lower the risk of heart disease, reduce inflammation, relieve stress and anxiety, and slow mental decline (3Trusted Source, 4Trusted Source).
Many studies have shown that consuming fish and fish oil supplements may improve memory, especially older people.
One study of 36 older adults with mild cognitive impairment found that short-term and working memory scores improved significantly after taking concentrated fish oil supplements for 12 months (5Trusted Source).
Another recent review of 28 studies showed that when adults with mild symptoms of memory loss took supplements rich in DHA and EPA, like fish oil, they experienced improved episodic memory (6Trusted Source).
Both DHA and EPA are vital to the brain's health and functioning and help reduce inflammation in the body, which has been linked to cognitive decline (7Trusted Source).
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