Remember these tips on how to improve your memory

My father, who is in his 90s, never ceases to amaze me. During one of our regular Sunday dinners at his home, he told a guest that the priest dedicated the Sunday Mass to our country’s thousands of seafarers who make a lot of sacrifices to be away from home on long periods of time in order to provide for their families.

“I was a seafarer right after World War II,” he said, surprising us all. “We sailed to Hawaii, Long Beach California, San Diego, the Panama Canal, then to Newport News .... The Panama Canal is an engineering feat, it is one of the biggest and most difficult projects ever undertaken by mankind,” he stated with conviction.  He further described the magnificence of the Panama Canal, its history, and the extensive work that France and other countries undertook to finish the canal. As he talked, family members and some guests were in awe, taking in all the vital information about the Panama Canal from a nonagenarian with an elephantine memory. 

How could he have remembered events in his life that occurred 60 plus years ago! I can’t even remember where I was last month, truth to tell, unless I consult my agenda book and look at photos of events I attended.

I made an appointment with his secretary to see him the following day  (yes, he still goes to office!!) as I wanted to hear more of his adventures as a seafarer. I also wanted to know more about the secret to his extensive memory. He has no secret, he said. It was the kind of disciplined life that he lived — eating the right things, mostly a lot of fresh fish as he lived near the sea during his childhood and his mother would buy fresh fish from fishermen; exercising his body through sports and gymnastics and, more importantly, not going on retirement at 60.  He still goes to office up until now, answering all the correspondence addressed to him even if his sons are there to help him. He still plays golf and drives his car, much against the family’s wishes, arguing with us that driving sharpens his reflexes.  He also tries to sleep seven to eight hours a day.

In 2011, (or was it 2012?) I enrolled in a short course at Harvard Medical School on mind-body medicine. My brother was stricken with cancer, (praise God, he is healed now) and I wanted to help, if I could, with non-conventional methods of healing him, using his mind to heal his body.

After my talk with my father, I knew I had to dig into my notes to refresh my memory about the powers of the mind.

Fact: Brain power can be improved at any age. The human brain has an astonishing ability called neuroplasticity. It enables the brain to adapt and change even into old age. The brain has that uncanny ability to reshape itself in order to increase your cognitive abilities, enhance your ability to learn new information, and improve your memory at any age.
Here are some tips on how to improve your memory:

• Give your brain a workout. You have to challenge yourself to learn something new. Learn a new language, a new skill like dancing or a sport, playing a musical instrument or a new piano piece. In short, anything that requires mental effort. Keep pushing the envelope; if a new skill becomes too easy, go to the next level. Choose activities that are challenging but at the same time, enjoyable and satisfying.

• Don’t skip the physical exercise. Physical exercise helps the brain stay sharp as it increases oxygen to the brain and reduces the risk of disorders that lead to memory loss such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. It also reduces stress hormones and plays an important role in neuroplasticity by boosting growth factors and stimulating new neuronal connections.

Aerobic exercise is good for the brain, so choose the activities that keep your blood pumping. In general, what is good for the heart is great for the brain.

• Get your ZZZZs. Sleep is critical to learning and memory as it is necessary for memory consolidation with the key memory-enhancing activity occurring during the deepest stages of sleep. 95% of adults need between 7.5 and nine hours of sleep.

Sleep experts advise that we should go to bed at the same time every night and get up at the same time each morning. We should avoid all screens for at least an hour before bed. The blue light emitted by TVs, tablets, phones, and computers triggers wakefulness and suppresses sleep hormones, such as melatonin, that make you sleepy. And most of all, cut back on caffeine as it may interfere with sleep at night.

• Make time for friends and have healthy relationships. Research shows that having meaningful friendships and a strong support system is vital not only to emotional health but also to brain health. In a recent Harvard study, researchers found that people with the most active social lives had the slowest rate of memory decline.

• Keep stress in check. Stress is one of the brain’s worst enemies. Chronic stress destroys brain cells and is linked to memory loss.

 • Have a good laugh. Laughter is the best medicine and that holds true for the brain and memory. Listening to jokes and working out punch lines activate areas of the brain vital to learning and creativity.

• Eat a brain-boosting diet. Get your Omega 3 fatty acids that are so beneficial for brain health. Like cold water fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, halibut, trout, mackerel, sardines. Non-seafood items include walnuts, ground flaxseed, flaxseed oil, winter squash, kidney and pinto beans, spinach broccoli, and soybeans.
Diets high in saturated fats, such as red meat, whole milk, butter, cheese, cream, and ice cream, increase your risk of dementia.
Eat more fruits and vegetables as they are packed with antioxidants that protect the brain cells from damage.

• Identify and treat health problems. There are many diseases, mental health disorders, and medications that interfere with memory. Cardiovascular disease and its risk factors, such as cholesterol and high blood pressure, diabetes, hormonal imbalance, thyroid imbalances, depression, and some medications, can cause cognitive impairment, forgetfulness, sluggish thinking, and confusion, and memory loss. 

— Source: Harvard Health Publications