Perhaps you see a face and cannot, for the life of you, remember the name.
Or maybe you regularly lose track of your car keys.
No matter how it manifests, weve all had brief lapses in memory and will continue to do so.
Its part of being human!
When memory loss becomes increasingly common or impactful, its nothing to shrug off.
This is one of manysymptoms of possible cognitive decline.
Memory is many different things.
Preserving what we have is an important strategy.
What Is the #1 Habit to Start to Improve Your Memory?
As is true with nearly every health-related topic, enhancing memory requires a multi-pronged approach.
Turns out that getting solid snooze time is about so much more thanboosting energythe next day.
Think of our brain cells like the staff at a library.
If this staff doesnt have enough time to sort, their environment will remain a mess.
But even short naps make a difference.
Historically, brain experts believed that REM sleep is the stage where all memory consolidation happens.
New research is increasingly showing stage 2 and stage 3 are also important, Broderick adds.
This is where that deep REM sleep comes in.
One of the most important functions of sleep is brainwashing.
This function occurs during deep sleep.
And prioritize yearly physicals with your primary care doctoror catch up at whatever cadence they recommend.
Many of the age-related changes that occur in the brain are actually closely linked with our heart.
Its important to have a health care provider who knows you and your health history in detail.
They should be coordinating preventative screening, in particular, for cardiovascular health risk reduction, Broderick says.
Brain health and heart health go hand in hand.
The Bottom Line
Genetics is certainly a factor in brain health.
However, our daily habits can definitely help preserve and possibly improve cognition and memory.
