There is a great Elvis song called, "I Forgot to Remember to Forget". The song talks about how he can't forget this girl, even though he has told himself over and over not to think about her. I seem to have the opposite problem lately because there are many things I find myself forgetting about, even though I keep telling myself to remember them. In fact, I don't know many people who don't have the same problem I do. When I was younger I remembered everything! I could memorize facts for tests, remember what my homework assignment was and recall the time and date of all my appointments and meetings. I NEVER wrote anything down and amazingly all deadlines and appointments were met.
As I have gotten older, I find that if I don't write something down, fahget about it! Is memory loss something that has to happen as you age? Fortunately there are some steps that you can take to help improve your memory and give your memory a boost! The facts below are courtesy of Eric Plasker, the author of "The 100 Year Lifestyle," (Adams Media, 2007).
- Be Social: Stimulating conversations and interactions with others helps to lower the risk of dementia. So....get off the couch, turn off the TV and find a person to talk to!
- Supplements: It has been shown that people who don't get enough vitamin B12 or Folate in their diet have a higher risk of developing dementia. Spinach, romaine lettuce, lentils, black beans, broccoli and beats are foods that will help with that deficiency. Mediterranean diets rich in fish, vegetables and olive oil help to protect against Alzheimer's. Green tea can help protect against memory loss.
- Exercise Your Mind: Learning new things, working on the crossword puzzle and other brain teasers and reading a book can help keep your mind sharp.
- Nap Time!: Getting 8 hours of sleep and taking a 6 to a 90 minute nap everyday helps your brain sort, consolidate and store memories.
- I'll Have an O'Doul's: Alcohol is especially toxic in terms of memory loss and will directly affect the functions of the brain that preserve memory.
Make yourself a promise, and don't forget to remember the above tips to help keep your memory sharp!
If there are any chiropractic or health related topics you would like to see a post written about, be sure to drop me a line in the comments section.
