Believe it or not, we can improve our memory as we age. Dr. Richard Restak, a leading brain expert, advises that we can and should practice a number of activities to protect our memory. Hope Reese reviews Dr. Restak’s new book, A Complete Guide to Memory: The Science of Strengthening Your Mind, in The New York Times.
Dr. Restak, a neurologist, prescribes an array of daily activities to fend off memory loss, which he claims is not inevitable. He starts with this advice: pay more attention. Work to remember names and experiences. Here’s Restak’s trick to remember the name of someone you just met: Visualize it.
Restak also advises you challenge your memory every day. Instead of depending upon the to-do list you put together, try to recall the items on the list. How? By visualizing them! Similarly, don’t rely on the GPS to get where you need to go. Try to recall the route you’ve taken.
What else? If you’re not a chess or bridge player, Restak likes the game 20 questions, because it forces you to remember the answer to many questions in order to succeed at the game. You could also play history games. Name the presidents starting with Biden and working backwards. Or, name the Democratic presidents.
Restak believes that reading novels can also help with memory. I find that I forget these names right after I’ve read them. But, Restak, I think, is more focused on training our minds to retain the various characters’ story lines.
Don’t let technology distract you, Restak warns. Multi-tasking and looking at your phone or laptop while talking to someone can hurt your memory. You need to focus on the present and your phone or laptop does not permit that.
Lastly, Restak explains that a poor emotional state–bad moods and depression–can harm memory, restricting focus to sad events and memories. Conversely, getting treatment for depression can improve memory.
Additional research provides other tips for protecting and, perhaps, improving memory. Exercise could strengthen memory, as could eating green leafy vegetables. Steer clear of foods with added sugars, food with nitrates, alcohol, simple carbohydrates and fried foods. Lastly, memory supplements should be avoided.
Here’s more from Just Care:
- Avoid memory supplements
- Eating green leafy vegetables could help your memory
- Avoid these five foods to keep your mind sharp
- Music: Could it be medicine for the mind and body?
