Having strong memory power largely depends on the vitality and health condition of your brain. You may be a student who has to study or a professional whose brain needs to be sharp enough for better ideas. On the other hand, some older adults are now trying to preserve and enhance their grey matter as much as possible. So, every requirement is different, and there are so many answers if you want to know how to increase memory power.
Now, all of us tend to forget things once in a while, which is normal. However, forgetting things often is something frustrating and can also be the beginning of more severe issues. Yes, you are guessing it is correct. The more severe issues include diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Dementia. According to experts, people develop such diseases as a result of severe neurological problems. Besides, your genes, lifestyle, and diet play a major role in such cases. So, to understand how to increase memory power, you should first do a check on these factors.
In this article, we will try to find the answer to the question of how to increase memory power and concentration. The major areas you will get to focus on our lifestyle changes, and power foods that can help you overcome such issues.
Table of Contents
How to increase memory power naturally?
Here we have made a list of a few ways that are strictly based on research and expert suggestions. All of these can help you to enhance your brain health.
Reduce sources of added sugar
You may already know that consuming too many sugars, especially artificial sweeteners have been associated with several health issues. Cognitive decline forms a part of all the bad effects that may take place due to excessive sugar consumption. According to several pieces of research, experts have discovered that if you intake a regular sugar-laden diet, then it may lead to poor memory.
Such a diet may affect healthy brain volume, and especially affect the area that holds short-term memories. According to a recent study done on about 4000 people, scientists found out the proof of the theory. According to the reports, the ones who consumed more sugar including sweet soda and beverages had less brain volume. One the other hand, the ones whose diets consisted of less sugar intake had a stronger memory.
Fish oil
How to increase memory power with natural supplements? We are here with the best answer, and it is a fish oil of course. Consumption of fatty fish or simply fish oil supplements is highly beneficial if your goal is to enhance your memory power. Fish oil is a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids that include docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA).
Such fats are highly beneficial for several health disorders including problems related to the heart, and inflammation. Fish oil also helps in reducing anxiety and stress, resulting in slower declination of memory power. Consuming fish oil supplements is especially beneficial for aging people.
Meditation works wonders
One of the best answers to the question of how to increase memory power and concentration is meditation. It is a magical way to recover from several mental and physical issues and there is strong evidence to back this up. Meditation soothes and relaxes the mind and body. Besides, it also works great if you are suffering from pain, stress, blood pressure problems, or loss of memory, and concentration.
As people start aging, there is a decline of gray matter that ultimately affects cognition and memory negatively. Meditation, on the other hand, has become so popular that people of all ages find it as the best way of relaxing. There was a study conducted on a group of Taiwanese college-goers who regularly practiced sleep and mindfulness meditation.
According to the reports, their spatial memory was much better in comparison to students who do not practice meditation. Now, spatial memory means the power to process and retain any information that you gather from what is happening around.
Maintain balance in body weight
Bodyweight regulation is one of the most common ways to lead a healthy lifestyle free of several health problems. At the same time, it also helps to keep your brain healthy in the best condition. Obesity has been stated as one of the major reasons that can lead to cognitive decline.
The most interesting fact is that as you start gaining more weight, the memory-oriented genes in your brain start getting affected adversely. Moreover, insulin resistance and inflammation are two other effects of obesity that in turn also have negative effects on the brain.
A small study recently conducted on a group of 50 people, all between 18-35 years proved the same. According to the reports, the ones who had an abnormal BMI balance performed worse in the memory tests. Obesity may also lead to Alzheimer’s disease. As a result, the cognitive function of the brain gets damaged eventually.
Enough sleep
A lot of you may already know that sleeping well is a major answer to the question of how to increase memory power. Yes, sleeplessness leads to poor memory and negative impacts on your overall health. Sleep is a major factor that decides your strength of memory consolidation. It is the pattern in which short-term memories convert into long-term ones.
A very simple test conducted on a group of 40 children proves the point here. The group was divided into half. While one half got to sleep at night, and a memory test was conducted the next morning.
The other group had to take the tests on the same day, keeping no interval. According to the reports, the group of children that go to sleep achieved higher scores in comparison to the other group. An average child should sleep for 9-11 hours every day, while 7-9 hours should be enough for an adult.
Practicing mindfulness
While most of the other ways mentioned on how to increase memory power list may sound familiar, this is not for a lot of you. Well, mindfulness is often confused with meditation in which you try to calm yourself and just focus on the present state. However, you should also be completely aware of everything that is happening around you as well.
While mindfulness is surely something like meditation, but they both are not at all the same. While meditation takes extra effort and is kind of formal, mindfulness is nothing but a natural habit that you can adopt. According to several studies, practicing mindfulness can enhance memory and concentration by reducing anxiety and stress.
Reduce the alcohol consumption rate
Excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages can cause major harm to your health as well as to have negative effects on your memory. The habit of binge drinking may lift the alcohol level in your blood to about 0.08 grams every milliliter of blood. As a result, there are negative alterations that take place in the brain and lead to deficits in memory.
According to several types of research, it is proved that alcohol shows a neurotoxic impact on your brain. Therefore, a prolonged habit of binge drinking can eventually damage the hippocampus section of the brain.
This section plays a major role in memory consolidation. On the other hand, it is perfectly alright to consume a drink or two occasionally. However, this should not convert into addiction, as excessive consumption may lead to severe damage in the brain and memory.
Brain training
Challenging cognitive skills with the help of brain games is an effective and interesting way to enhance your memory power. There are enough choices such as crosswords, Tetris, word-recall, and other games for some good brain training. With the evolution of digitization, several mobile apps help you to do the same as well.
When it comes to older adults or mid-age people, such games that help you practice brain training can also help to reduce the risk of diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Dementia. Nowadays, online brain training has become quite prevalent and people are loving it too.
Limit your carbohydrate consumption
If you are consuming excessive carbs in the form of cakes, white bread, cereal, rice, cookies, and more regularly, then it’s time you reconsider your diet. The glycemic levels in these foods are quite high, and the digestion, therefore, happens very quickly. As a result, the levels of blood sugar in the body post-consumption spikes up suddenly leading to massive effects on your brain and body both.
According to experts, the very popular Western diet, which recommends high levels of carbohydrates may lead to weaker cognitive functioning, and dementia too. So, it’s time that you ditch refined carbohydrates, and added sugar to replace them with healthier options.
Vitamin D in your body
It is not a secret that Vitamin D is one of the most important nutrients that your body and brain require for proper functioning. Deficiency of Vitamin D is therefore associated with several health issues, and a negative impact on cognitive strength too. The lack of the same may also lead to severe syndromes such as Alzheimer’s and Dementia.
Also, it is now a fairly common symptom, especially in people who stay in colder regions. So, you can immediately get a blood checking done to assess any problem. If there is even a slight deficiency, consult with your doctor, and consume Vitamin D supplements as per his instructions.
Physical exercise
A sedentary lifestyle leads to an array of physical and mental issues, and exercise is the way to deal with all of them. According to expert suggestions, working out regularly helps a person, irrespective of age to deal with concentration problems. Moreover, memory consolidation power also enhances due to regular workout.
According to more researches, it has been proved that regular physical exercise enhances the release of neuroprotective nutrients. These, in turn, improve the development and growth of neurons. As a result, there is a gradual positive impact on your brain health. If you can adapt yourself to the habit of regular physical exercising from a very early age, you will surely be less prone to Alzheimer’s or Dementia.
Anti-inflammatory foods
In the context of answering how to increase memory power, it is a must that we talk about anti-inflammatory foods. You must include such foods that improve memory in your everyday diet. Anti-inflammatory food ingredients are rich sources of anti-oxidants. As a result, they reduce levels of oxidative stress in the body that develop as a result of free radicals. You can include fruits, green tea, leafy, and green vegetables to your daily diet for the best results. Berries are also rich sources of antioxidants including anthocyanins and flavonoids that help to conserve memory power.
Cocoa power
Cocoa is an ingredient that is both healthy and delicious. Rich in antioxidants such as flavonoids, cocoa is highly beneficial and effective to enhance memory. Consumption of measured amounts of cocoa regularly helps to regulate blood circulation in the brain. As a result, the neurons and vessels are charged up and function more effectively.
The best way to consume cocoa is by including a measured amount of dark chocolate in your daily diet. Also, make sure to choose the variety of dark chocolate that contains at least 70% cocoa or above. Also, stay away from the varieties that contain lots of added sugar.
Major foods that improve memory power
The below-mentioned is a list of food ingredients that can enhance memory power-
- Spinach
- Raisins
- Turkey
- Blueberries
- Almonds
- Fatty fish
- Eggs
- Coffee
- Oatmeal
- Beef
- Walnuts
- Broccoli
- Avocados
- Dark chocolate
- Lentils
- Beets
- Turmeric
- Kale
- Celery
- Chard
- Strawberries
- Kimchi
- Blackberries
- Carrots
- Sunflower seeds
- Peanuts
- Cabbage
- Pickles
- Olive oil
- Asparagus
- Red wine
- Gingko
- Brussel sprouts
- Dandelion greens
- Sage
- Pumpkin seeds
- Acai
- Green tea
- Red grapes
- Peppers
Final thoughts
Now that you are aware of the basic lifestyle changes and foods to enhance memory power, it is time that you think about your wellness.
