You’ve probably had that moment when you walk into a room and forgot what you were looking for, or you just can’t remember the name of the guy who sits opposite you at work. Studies have shown that memory loss can affect your mental wellness from as early as your 20s, but, fortunately, there are things you can do to improve your current and future mental health.
Firstly, according to a study from Tufts University, your brain needs carbs to stay in peak form, so skipping them harms your memory. Whole-grain and complex carbs are digested more slowly, meaning that they deliver a steady stream of glucose to your brain, so grab a slice of whole-wheat toast at breakfast, and add a side of scrambled egg and cup of berries to jump-start your grey matter.
Exercise is also known to increase your blood flow to your brain, which gives it the oxygen- and glucose-fuel it needs to function. According to a study in the journal Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, you can learn vocabulary words 20% faster if you try to memorise them after doing an intense workout, and you can benefit from a dance or kickboxing class because these require you to remember a routine.
Next, a study published in the journal Cognition showed that changing your commonly-used font to Comic Sans Italicised improved long-term retention, as it makes your brain’s processing centre work a little harder. While you’re on the computer; have a cheeky Google. According to a recent study from the University of California, Los Angeles, if, every day, you spend an hour looking online at something you’re interested in, such as holiday spots for your summer trip, you stimulate the part of your frontal lobe that’s responsible for short-term memory. However, mindlessly surfing Facebook won’t do the trick, because the study found that if it’s too easy, it won’t work.
Finally, whilst drinking heavily can obviously impair your memory, a study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease found that drinking seven or fewer alcoholic drinks per week puts you at a lower risk of cognitive impairment than those who drink more, and those who don’t drink at all! The researchers believe this is because alcohol has anti-inflammatory properties, or because those who drink moderately also tend to look after their wellbeing more. Whatever the reason, now you have an excuse to have a glass of wine with dinner!
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