Boost Memory Power - NATURALLY!

Are you doing more and remembering less? Here are 10 natural ways studies show you can boost your brain power and remember more - at any age!

by Colette Bouchez

· You come out of the mall and not only don’t remember where you parked
the car, you don’t even remember parking the car.

· You need sticky notes to remember the names of your kids.

· You not only forgot your anniversary, you momentarily forgot…your spouses name.

Sound familiar? If you’re over 45 I can almost guarantee at least one of these things happened to you this month. If you’re over 50, at least one happened today!

The problem is memory loss, and researchers say that, to some degree, it’s a natural part of the aging process. For women, remembering also seems rooted to our hormones – with swings both up and down having an effect.

Indeed, during pregnancy, when hormone levels are soaring, many women become forgetful. In menopause, when these same hormones are plummeting, absentmindedness prevails yet again.

And while some memory loss is clearly age and hormone related, you may be surprised to discover that there are many outside factors that can also impact how well, and how much, we remember.

To help put you on the road to making memories that last, here are 10 ways to boost your brainpower and remember more.

1. Watch Soy Intake – Eating a lot of tofu lately? Or maybe you don’t remember just how much! New research out of Oxford University revealed that eating tofu at least once a day increased the risk of memory loss – particularly in folks over age 60.

2. Eat Less White Bread – While the effect isn’t immediate, Dr. Vincent Fortanasce, author of “The Anti-Alzheimer’s Prescription says that carb-heavy diets – like those containing a lot of white bread and cake - cause insulin to spike, prompting the release of an enzyme necessary to neutralize the effects. The problem: It’s the same enzyme that’s used to clear memory-robbing proteins from the brain. If it’s working on your insulin levels 24/7, it won’t be doing its job for your brain – and over time, memory will suffer.

3. Eat More Fish - According to research published earlier this year in the journal Neurology, eating 3 fishmeals each week significantly reduces your risk of stroke – a major cause of memory loss.

4. Drink Alcohol in Moderation - As the holiday season approaches many of us can look forward to a night of champagne dreams being followed by a morning of no recall. While that once a year hangover isn’t going to have any lasting effect on your memory, drink too much alcohol all year long and studies show your memory will begin to suffer.

5. Sip Some Green Tea – A team of British researchers from Newcastle University found that green tea was able to reduce the activity of brain chemicals associated with memory loss. Reporting in the journal Phytotherapy Research, the researchers suggest that green tea has both long term and immediate effects on memory.

6. Take A Nap - Start logging in a few extra hours of sleep each week and watch your memory improve. Researchers from Boston’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center found that the area of the brain that controls how quickly we access information works more efficiently after a good night’s rest.

7. Quit Smoking – According to a study published earlier this year in the Archives of Internal Medicine, smoking increases the risk of memory loss. The good news: If you quit, there’s a good chance you’ll sharpen back up to speed.

8. Get Your Thyroid Checked – For many women the perimenopause years can bring on more than just hot flashes – it can also cause a decline in thyroid function. Among the most commonly missed symptoms that your thyroid has gone awry: Memory loss. For some gals, this may be the only symptom.

9. Relax More - Stress is a leading memory-thief, and along with depression can make us much more forgetful on a day-to-day basis. Get stress under control via meditation, deep breathing or even yoga, and experts say your memory will benefit.

10. Stop and Smell The Roses – Literally! A group of German researchers found that the scent of roses increased the ability to recall recent events. Spray it your bed sheets and pillow cases so you sniff all night long!

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Copyright ElleMedia Network and Colette Bouchez 2010 - All Rights Reserved.In addition to US Copyright, the text of this RedDressDiary article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License. All formatting and style elements of this page are not available under this license, and Colette Bouchez retains all rights in those elements.