Can't remember the name of your second grade teacher or what you ate for dinner yesterday? If so, that's okay: both long-term and short-term memory tend to deteriorate with age. However, the more neuroscientists learn about aging, the more tricks they find to slow or even reverse this process. We have selected six ways to maintain a great memory regardless of age.
Gum
Yes, that's not a typo. No one knows why, but research shows that chewing gum can boost memory. In 2002, an experiment was conducted in Cambridge, the results of which showed that subjects who chewed gum had significantly better results on long-term and short-term memory tests than those who had empty mouths.
Over the next decade, scientists have tried to figure out why this is so, and whether it really is. Scientists have several hypotheses. Chewing gum may speed up blood circulation by increasing your heart rate. Another hypothesis explains this phenomenon by influencing the function of an area of the brain called the hippocampus, causing the body to secrete insulin.
Sleep mode
When you fall asleep, your brain continues to work. It reproduces the memories of the day and prepares them for long-term storage. Studies in laboratory rats have shown that while rodents are asleep, two brain regions - the hippocampus and the medial prefrontal cortex, an area involved in retrieving memories from the distant past (in both humans and rats) - go through an accelerated version of the events of the day. …
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This process is believed to be essential for the consolidation and neat storage of newly formed memories. As a consequence, skipping a night's sleep will result in your new memory files being messed up or lost and nearly impossible to recover.
Aromatherapy
Scientists have found that scents can have a profound effect on people's cognitive function. In a 2003 study, psychologists asked 144 volunteers to perform a series of tests on long-term and so-called working memory, attention and response. A third of the volunteers were put in an odorless room, a third in a room filled with rosemary essential oil, and the rest were in rooms with a lavender oil scent.
As it turned out, those who were in rooms filled with the scent of rosemary showed significantly better long-term and working memory than those who were sitting in an odorless room. At the same time, the volunteers in the lavender-scented room performed the worst of all.
Food for brain
Everyone hopes to age gracefully, both internally and externally. Scientists say a good diet is one of the main differences between those who are alert at 70 and those who look emaciated at 40.
To keep memory youthful as the brain ages, scientists recommend eating foods high in antioxidants such as blueberries, apples, bananas, dark green vegetables, garlic, and carrots. Antioxidants are molecules that readily bind and neutralize electrons, called "free radicals." With age, they accumulate in your body, and can injure and kill, including brain cells.
The brain is built primarily from healthy fats, including the most important of these, omega-3 fatty acids. In order for the brain to continue to function normally, you must provide it with the necessary raw materials. Omega-3s are found in many types of fish and nuts. Research shows that eating chocolate can improve memory because it is rich in antioxidants (flavonoids). The main thing is not to overdo it - you don't need an excess of sugar.
Mind games
To keep your brain in shape, make it sweat. No kidding. Constant reflection really sharpens your memory. As evidence for this claim accumulates, a whole line of brain fitness is developing.
A program called Lumosity, developed with the help of neuroscientists and cognitive psychologists at Stanford University and UC San Francisco, is designed specifically for older adults. It helps improve memory, concentration, alertness and even mood. Plus there are always classic puzzles, sudoku, crosswords - free brain trainers.
Yoga - no, cardio - yes
Exercise not only builds muscle but also strengthens the gray matter. Research shows that the memory center in the brain, called the hippocampus, shrinks with age. In 2011, scientists showed that older people with moderate physical activity increase the volume of the hippocampus.
In a study led by Arthur Kramer of the University of Illinois-Urbana, 60 adults, ages 55 to 80, took three 40-minute walks a week and did a range of cardio exercises. Another 60 participants did yoga and stretching during the same time. After a year of research, the anterior hippocampus of the second group lost an average of just over 1% of its volume. A year of active exercise led to an increase in the volume of the anterior hippocampus by about 2%.
Sasha Epstein