Is there anyway we can stop having senior moments, forgetting names, and losing memory as we age? I’ve always had great recall but lately I have what I call “brain farts,” just a total blank for a few seconds or more. Is it even possible to rescue your memory?
Here’s a book where we can find some answers and inspiration to boost our memory. I just discovered the term “brain warrior” by Daniel Amen M.D., author of Memory Rescue: Supercharge Your Brain, Reverse Memory Loss, and Remember What Matters Most. Dr. Amen suggests that to rescue your memory, you must counteract the dangers to your health and become a brain warrior.
Brain warriors are people—at any age—who notice a difference in their mental processes and decide to do something about it. These people aren’t necessarily seniors, they may be middle-aged or younger. They recognize that we aren’t stuck with the brain we have.
Rescue Your Memory at Any Age
Science is now proving that you can make your brain better, even if you’ve treated it poorly, or have had problems. I believe this because I’ve experienced it as I’ve aged. There are days when I’ve had brain fog, and other days of mental clarity. I’ve noticed a big positive difference with diet, exercise and sleep. And I notice it immediately the next day.
Don’t Eat 2-3 Hours Before Bed
I struggle with sugar, especially after dinner before falling asleep. But because the experts say that for better metabolism, gut health, and brain protection, the new rule is don’t eat anything two to three hours before sleep. So I tried it. The fact that this was hard for me to do is an indication of how addicted I’ve become to having “little treat(s)”!
But I have also been feeling really foggy in the morning, with headaches, sinus issues, and indigestion. So I’m happy to announce I’ve now gotten through two evenings of not eating after dinner and no sugar at all. Guess what? I feel better upon waking, not much brain fog, and my skin is much clearer.
What Causes Memory Problems?
One of the most important symptoms of an unhealthy brain is memory problems. According to Dr. Amen, to rescue your memory, you must recognize the daily assaults to your health that contribute to disease and decay.
For example, everywhere we go we are offered toxic food that leads to early death and diseases. If it’s not offered by someone else, we “treat” ourselves.
The real “weapons of mass destruction” are highly processed, pesticide-sprayed, high-glycemic, low-fiber food-like substances in plastic containers. Daniel Amen, M. D.
- Two-thirds of us are overweight or obese.
- 50 percent are diabetic or prediabetic (“diabesity”)
- 60 percent are hypertensive
These are all conditions that damage the brain (not to mention the heart and other systems.) Seventy-five percent of seniors complain about memory loss. While memory issues are common with age, they are not inevitable. You can do something about it. You can fight back. You can become a brain warrior.
The War on Aging Is a Fight for Your Brain
The more I study aging, intellectually through reading, talking with others, and observing my own personal experiences, the more I realize the full value of life and health. Physical health is great, and we can do a lot of things to preserve it. Mental health and emotional satisfaction is right up there at the top as well, as the things that make life worth living.
Everything depends on the health of our brains. Yet, we take it for granted. We may talk about the need to lose weight and discuss the best diets, but no one talks about how to rescue memory or increase mental clarity and processing speed.
Successful aging is a fight to keep our brains functioning like they were when we were younger. We need to become more conscientious in how we treat our brains. What we do, how we eat, all of our lifestyle health habits end up having a huge impact on brain health.
Three Steps to Rescue Your Memory
- Exercise: To improve your memory, there has to be adequate blood flow to the brain. Exercise stimulates the heart to pump blood, therefore, it should be obvious that your brain loves it when you exercise. I’ve written a lot about how exercise is the #1 anti-aging and longevity strategy for many seniors. I keep reading about how even a moderate aerobic routine generates BDNF (brain derived neurotropic factor); that is like Miracle Gro for brain cells. Without BDNF, it will be difficult for your brain to grow new neurons.
- Diet: Just as important, however, is to be sure that your blood delivers all the nutrients needed. This means eating plenty of leafy greens, veggies, and some fruit, to supply the required vitamins and anti-oxidants.
- We must eat a nutrient-rich diet of colorful vegetables, fruits, and plant sources of proteins. It’s up to you if you want to eat animal protein, but if you do, limit to wild-caught fish, and organic grass-fed beef and chicken.
- To keep your brain cells supplied with healthy fats for cell membranes, avoid all processed vegetable oils (except extra virgin olive and coconut oils) which are highly toxic in omega-6 fatty acids. While science knows how much the American diet supplies way too much omega-6 compared to omega-3, restaurants and packaged foods ignore the facts.
- If you want a healthy brain that lasts well into your later years, you will have to avoid packaged food, snacks, and eating out too often. Cooking at home will ensure you avoid the toxins included in packages.
- Sleep: There are a number of studies that link sleep problems to a higher risk of memory problems and dementia so it’s worth treating sleep disorders like apnea and insomnia. We now know that your brain washes itself during sleep, getting rid of toxins that build up during the day. Brain fog and memory problems are because the cleaning crew doesn’t have enough time to clear out the garbage.
- There are many common lifestyle habits that contribute to poor sleep (caffeine, alcohol, medications, depression, etc.) and an internet search also reveals many common sense solutions without medications (that have a three-fold increased risk of death—Ambien, Lunesta, Restoril and others).
- Try to get 7 – 8 hours of sleep. Any less is associated with lower blood flow and a higher risk of dementia.
- Many people diagnosed with sleep apnea never use their CPAP mask. This is unfortunate because the brain is sensitive to lack of oxygen and responds by killing cells.
- Improve your sleep environment so that it is calm and conducive to relaxation.
These are only three steps you can easily take starting today and reap benefits all along the longevity road. Some steps will give you immediate results, like my noticing clearer skin and less brain fog after only two days off sugar and not eating for three hours before bed.
Other steps take a longer time to show results. But if you take an 80-year-old who has been exercising and eating well for the last ten years, you will notice they are younger-looking, healthier, and most likely sharp and witty because they’ve preserved their brains.
I haven’t mentioned brain exercises and games that are also beneficial to rescue your memory, I’m saving that for another post coming up soon. Sign up for our emailing list and we’ll keep you updated!
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