Age-Proof Your Memory

There is a lot of research and new discoveries about how you can keep your gray matter from declining and prevent age-related memory loss from getting worse.

Recent studies show that midlife memory fading is really not about memory at all. It is more about your ability to retrieve information and filter out unnecessary, irrelevant material. Because there’s so much information bogging you down, it becomes difficult to shut off the noise long enough to remember what you want to remember. That makes you feel forgetful and susceptible to those numerous senior moments.

There is hope, though, and here’s what you can do:

Try associating what you want to remember with a particular piece of instrumental music that you enjoy. It seems that music triggers the feel good chemical, dopamine, which promotes a positive frame of mind for storing memories.

Another thing to do is have an active lifestyle. Apparently, sedentary lifestyles reduce your cognitive abilities and put you at a higher risk for depression, Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. A lifestyle that includes aerobic exercise boosts brainpower, including your ability to pay attention to things and to process information. Regular exercise, however, needs to be done for three years for your memory to reap the benefits. So, start now making your lifestyle changes.

Finally, search the web. Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, found that the key centers in the brain involved in decision-making and complex reasoning light up, even more so, than when you read a book. So, keep your mind alert and active by exploring the Internet and challenging your thinking skills.

No one wants to feel out of control or helpless to the aging process. Therefore, you can control the spiral of brain decline by taking command of your life. The brain wants to learn new things, so flex your brain neurons, avoid boredom and a sedentary lifestyle and strengthen your mind with exercise.