Senior Brain Boosters: Tips For Avoiding Age-Related Memory Loss

Written By Holly Klamer / Reviewed By Ray Spotts

Memory loss and memory issues such as Alzheimer's and dementia are quite common during old age. But, they don’t have to be your bitter reality when you grow old. You can ensure that by implementing certain tips and tricks that we mention in this post.

Maintain physical fitness and a healthy diet

Physical activity increases the blood flow to all the body organs including the brain. That's why memory issues like Alzheimer’s and dementia remain at bay. There’s no doubt that a healthy diet and a fitness regimen will help you stay healthy for years to come.

Stay Mentally Active

You need more than just physical activity to stay in good shape. Just the way physical activities help with physical health, mental activities keep you sharp even during later years of life. You can do a ton of things like playing bridge, crossword puzzles, Sudoku, board games like monopoly, etc. You can also learn to play an instrument, learn a new language, or volunteer at a community organization.

Get Moving

People who exercise as frequently as thrice a week for an hour experienced significant improvement in their blood flow towards the brain, according to a study. The participants exhibited significant improvement in their memory and overall brain power.

When you move around, your body releases a lot of endorphins and happiness hormones. Your appetite also improves. Going out for a physical workout is also an opportunity for social interaction.

Seek out social interaction

People who tend to live isolated lives are much more susceptible to stress and depression. Both of these conditions can increase the chances of memory loss and issues like dementia.

Therefore, you should never miss out on the opportunity to be and spend time with your friends and loved ones. This is particularly important if you live by yourself. If you live in senior living communities and homes, socialization should not be an issue for you.

Maintain a Healthy Weight

During old age, it is natural to become less active and lead a sedentary lifestyle. This can often contribute to obesity and weight gain.

Make Time for Meditation

Meditation carries a ton of mental and physical health benefits. It relaxes you, soothes you, and has also been found to bring down blood pressure levels. Meditation is also an excellent stress and pain-management tool.

Studies tell us that medication can actually increase the gray matter inside our brain which is what carries the neuron cell bodies. With age, this gray matter declines which negatively affects cognition and memory. Meditation can improve memory no matter your age.

College students that engaged in meditation practice had substantially better spatial memory than the students who did not meditate, according to another study.

Get Enough Sleep

Seniors should strive for about six to nine hours of sleep. Lack of quality sleep is often the leading reason behind most memory issues like dementia and Alzheimer’s, according to MemoryCareFacilities.net.

Your sleep time must be uninterrupted and without any disturbances. Your memory is greatly affected when you get disturbed sleep. Quality sleep makes it easier to remember things more easily.

Practice Mindfulness

Mindfulness is the practice of being entirely in the present. Your awareness is entirely and utterly based on the feelings and surroundings around you. Mindfulness and meditation are not the same. In the latter, you use it as a practice for everyday life situations. Mindfulness is an excellent tool for managing stress, concentration, and memory.

Two hundred and ninety-three psychology students participated in mindfulness training, according to a study. The participants enjoyed better cognition and memory as well as better ability at recalling things than those who did not go through mindfulness training.

Drink Less Alcohol

Alcoholic beverages are detrimental to health in myriad ways. They can also impact your memory negatively. Drinking too many alcoholic drinks can alter brain chemistry and also cause a lot of memory deficits, according to InpatientAlcoholRehab.org.

The effects of alcohol on brain health are neurotoxic. Binge drinking episodes can affect the hippocampus - a brain region that controls memory. It’s normal to have a few drinks here and there, but, avoid drinking heavily and excessively if you want to safeguard yourself from needing memory care for Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Exercising your cognitive skills by playing brain games

The more you use your muscles, the stronger they get. In the same way, the more you use your memory to put your cognitive skills to use, the better it is for your brain health. When you stop inputting new information into your brain, your health can deteriorate.

By inputting the right kind of stimulus you can counteract the impact of memory loss and degeneration. Try to find stimulating brain games that promote stronger memory and cognitive health. You can find a ton of brain games online such as puzzles and word games. Even newspapers are filled with all kinds of brain games.

Bottom Line

There are a ton of ways in which you can boost your brain health no matter your age. But, it becomes more important when you are entering old age. Hopefully, this post gave you some inspiration on how to do that.

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Written By:

Holly Klamer is a seasoned writer who loves to create content related to aging issues and everything to do with senior living. She is a frequent contributor to many top online publications including Assisted Living Near Me, where she creates content that is specific to assisted living for older adults, as well as SeniorLivingFacilities.net, where she writes about common issues affecting senior citizens and provides senior living advice.

Reviewed By:

Founder Ray Spotts has a passion for all things natural and has made a life study of nature as it relates to health and well-being. Ray became a forerunner bringing products to market that are extraordinarily effective and free from potentially harmful chemicals and additives. For this reason Ray formed Trusted Health Products, a company you can trust for clean, effective, and healthy products. Ray is an organic gardener, likes fishing, hiking, and teaching and mentoring people to start new businesses. You can get his book for free, “How To Succeed In Business Based On God’s Word,” at www.rayspotts.com.