As you get older, brain health becomes very important. While people of all ages complain, and joke, about memory lapses, the older you get, it seems the more frequent they are.
Even a teenager forgets where they put their Kees from time to time. But, the older we get, the more often a failing memory seems to stop us in our tracks.
Have you ever walked into the kitchen only to forget what you went in there for?
While diabetes seems to increase a person’s risk for developing dementia, that complication is still not a common diagnosis for people with diabetes, thankfully.
To be honest, our failing memories are actually more often caused by poor memory health. Here are some ways you can improve your brain health and reduce the risk of dementia and forgetfulness.
The following practices will help you exercise your brain and improve your mental health and memory fitness.
PAY ATTENTION
Your attention to facts and details is essential to your memory health. So, if your memory is failing, it could be as simple as re-training your mind to pay more attention to things.
You might notice you’re forgetting names more often (I’m terrible at remembering names, I must confess). Too often, that’s because we are preoccupied with other things, or we haven’t gotten a good night’s sleep.
Or, maybe something is distracting your mind from being “present” with those around you.
Understand that the fabled “multi-tasking” brain doesn’t exist. You can not focus on more than one task at a time… you may, however, have such a healthy brain that you can think of things more quickly so that it seems you are doing more than one thing at a time.
FOCUS
One of my mentors reminds me daily that focus is very important, especially when it comes to success. He tells me often that “FOCUS means to Follow One Course Until Success.”
I like that definition. As I said above, there is no such thing as a multi-tasking brain, only a very healthy one that can think so quickly it seems you’re multi-tasking.
It’s impossible to focus 100% of the time, but, you can improve your focus during times requiring your attention.
For instance, if you’re meeting someone who’s name you must remember, concentrate. Reject all other mental and sensory stimuli at that moment so that you can tie the name with a face, and with a “hook” in your brain that will be able to be accesses quickly.
Make an effort to keep your focus and pay attention in meetings. Again, ignore distractions. And, take notes. The act of writing down what your brain tells you is important drives that memory deeper into your brain and makes it easier to recall.
Here’s some ways you can exercise the part of your brain that will help you control your attention better.
Spend a few minutes every day focusing on your breathing. Shut out everything else. As you’re breathing in and out, think only about that breath.
This practice helps you to develop the ability to be “present.” To pay attention to those things that are important (even something that comes as naturally and instinctually as breathing) helps you to learn how to pay attention to other important things.
Much like that exercise, you can also apply this to each of your five senses. Close your eyes and focus on what you are hearing, or feeling. Begin to describe to your brain those sensations in great detail.
Do this for about 3 to 5 minutes a day. Schedule these mental workouts for a regular time of the day.
I usually do this just before I begin eating my lunch. Then, as I put my first bite into my mouth, I concentrate on the smells and taste of the food, slowly eating and savoring that meal so that I can remember it.
EXPAND YOUR ATTENTION SPAN
At first, those two exercises will seem difficult. That’s ok, just work on expanding your attention span.
This just means that you must work on this expansion. Just like runners must expand their lung capacity a day at a time, you must find ways to expand your mind’s capacity for focus and attention.
The irony of video games is that many of them help in this process. They can help you learn to keep focused and think quickly and shift strategies to win. All of these skills will improve your memory health.
Find a game to play on your cell phone, or buy electronic versions of old favorites like Simon, that exercise and challenge your memory. Borrow a Nintendo Switch or PlayStation 5 and search for games that expand and exercise your brain.
THREE HABITS TO IMPROVE YOUR BRAIN
EXERCISE
Many people are not informed of how their daily lifestyles affect their brain health. Just as eating a proper diet for health and weight loss significantly improve your bodies when combined with exercises, the same is true for your brain.
By keeping your brain active you make it easier to be at its optimum.
A recent study indicates that women remembered better if they would just walk every day for about 30 minutes.
This report is supported by a Surgeon General’s recommendation that people engage in about 150 minutes or more of moderate physical activity each week.
SLEEP
A good brain health also requires rest. Several studies have shown that more than a third of Americans don’t get a full eight hours of uninterrupted sleep. This is not beneficial to your memory.
Fatigue messes with your ability to focus and pay attention. It also makes learning more difficult, and decreases the ability to recall.
It is vital to your brain health to have a regular, relaxing sleep routine. This will boost your change of resting your brain to improve it’s ability to work better.
If you find it difficult to sleep, here are some ways to help your memory the following day.
- Take More Notes
- Avoid Distractions
- Remember to Sleep Better
You can find some good advice for beneficial sleep habits at the National Sleep Foundation’s website.
If your lack of sleep is persistent, talk to your health-care professional about the cause and potential treatments for your sleeplessness.
EAT
If you eat a healthy diet, your brain will be your friend!
The American Diabetes Association’s current dietary guidelines will serve you well in this endeavor. That’s because high glucose levels are linked to cognitive impairment.
The ADA dietary guidelines will help you keep your BGL levels in a healthy range more often.
Hypertension and stress also seem to be a danger for good memory. More study is needed, but if you are suffering from hypertension, you may want to work with a diabetic dietitian to incorporate some of the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) plan into your lifestyle. And, while you’re at it, stop eating salt as much as possible.
Another dietary substance that is known to impair your brain health is alcohol. Studies have proven alcohol will cause memory loss, and could increase your chance for developing dementia.
Also, if you drink caffeinated drinks, consider a cessation of those drinks after 6 PM. That’s because caffeine can interfere with sleep. If you find your sleep is interrupted, or delayed, reduce your caffeine intake.
There are some other things you can do to work on improving your memory in order to avoid, or delay, oncoming dementia. We’ll address them in a later article.
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