Can Memory Be Improved? It Can, and Here’s How

How To Forget Less, Enhance Focus, and Keep Your Mind Sharp As You Age

Memory difficulties are troubling, whether you can’t remember why you went into a room or you struggle to remember a name you just learned. Many people don’t know that you can protect and improve your memory naturally. The key is understanding what the brain needs to stay healthy.

Find out how to improve your brain health and memory with simple daily actions.

What Causes Memory Problems in Adults?

People experience memory difficulties at all ages, but trouble with short-term and long-term memory tends to increase as we grow older (1). While you might expect memory deterioration with time, severe memory troubles are not an inevitable part of aging. Significant memory problems are typically a sign of a brain injury or neurological disorder.

For most adults, forgetting the keys or someone’s name has more to do with lifestyle and how that influences brain health and function. The common culprits of a poor memory include:

– Stress and anxiety
– Depression
– Poor sleep
– Pain
– Menopause
– Inactivity
– An unhealthy diet
– Social isolation

It is helpful to pinpoint what areas in your life may be to blame for any cognitive decline and then find ways to improve in those areas. The following strategies can help the average person improve their memory by enhancing brain health and overall quality of life.

How to Improve Memory Naturally With 4 Easy Changes

There are simple and all-natural tips and tricks to improve memory and keep your brain healthy. By making small changes to your daily life, you can safeguard your memory for years to come.

1. Be Social

One of the best ways to improve your memory is to spend time with people. Whether that’s playing with your children or grandchildren, volunteering at a local homeless shelter, or having a game night with friends, social activity can decrease mood troubles and enhance memory and cognitive function (2).

2. Get Active

Did you know that exercise is good not only for the health of our bodies but for our brain health, too? Both aerobic exercise and resistance training have been shown in human studies to improve memory and even decrease the chances of dementia (3,4,5).

In one long-term study, researchers followed 1,462 women ages 38 to 60 for 44 years (4). They found that higher cardiovascular fitness decreased the risk of dementia, with dementia onset delayed by 9.5 years in the women who regularly did aerobic exercise.

Even if you haven’t been regularly exercising for decades, exercise can still help preserve and improve memory. Researchers found that twice-weekly resistance training improved task performance memory in senior women over 12 months (5).

3. Try Supplements for Brain Health

The best memory supplements for adults help preserve and improve memory by supporting brain health. Multiple supplements may help improve short-term and long-term memory and strengthen focus. Here are a few of the top natural compounds and herbs that support a healthy brain.

Curcumin: Curcumin’s positive effects on cognitive health and memory are well-documented in animal studies and limited human studies (6,7).* For a bioavailable form of curcumin, try Better Memory, a supplement made with Theracurmin Curcumin.
Omega-3 fatty acids: Omega-3s are a type of healthy fat found in high levels in salmon and other fatty fish essential for brain health and function (8). If you don’t eat fatty fish a few times per week, you might want to consider adding a high-quality omega-3 supplement.
Green tea: Green tea’s combination of antioxidants, caffeine, and l-theanine appears to enhance mood, improve memory and attention, and support healthy brain function (9).

4. Learn Something New

Think of your brain like a muscle. For it to continue working well, you need to exercise it. An active, well-used brain tends to perform better in all tasks than one that’s often at rest.

Many studies have found that learning slows cognitive decline (10). Whether you practice a new language for an upcoming trip, learn a new craft or musical instrument, or read non-fiction books on a topic you enjoy, it’s likely to help your brain stay healthy.