So you forgot what you went rushing to the market for, where you parked your car on the street and what time that afternoon meeting was.Don't fret. As recent research has proved, there are many ways you can give your brain a boost, says Kareena N Gianani
Chomp on some mind food
Yes, your doctor was right and so was your mother. Have a good breakfast loaded with nutrients and chances are that you will never forget where you left those glasses. Research by the Public Information Committee of the American Society for Nutritional Sciences (ASNS) and the American Society for Clinical Nutrition (ASCN) says that eating breakfast greatly imroves memory in the elderly. Some suggestions: go for green veggies rich in folic acid and eggs that’ll give you just the dose of vitamin B12 you need.
A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition says so. Other wonder foods are spinach, turmeric, omega-3 fats (found in fatty fish, or take fish oil supplements) and strawberries. A study published in the Journal of Neuroscience recommends strawberries for excellent short term memory and faster learning ability and good motor skills. And turmeric has been proven to stave off Alzheimer’s. Spinach is loaded with an array of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds that research has shown to slow brain ageing and preserve memory.
Play it up
Ever thought of joining the neighbourhood rifle-shooting class but put it off because you thought you are too old to start something new? Go ahead, do it. The more you exercise your brain this way, the better your memory will be. So join up any of those array of classes in your neighbourhood.
Dabble in some Chinese or an obscure language you never thought you’d learn. Bookstores have audio CDs and books on different languages. Studies have proved that learning to play an instrument or picking up the steps to a dance form or learning to sing is just as helpful as playing mah-jong, scrabble and solving crossword puzzles for the brain. Belly-dancing, violin or flamenco, anyone?
If your brain plays tricks with you, play mind games. Literally. Try mnemonics — a memory aid. It is similar to acronyms — you use the first letter of each word that you want to remember and form a whole new sentence.
For example, let’s say you are having trouble remembering the list of things you must check on before leaving your apartment (lights, locks, windows, gas, geyser), concoct a sentence like ‘Little Lenny Will Get Groceries’. Or, say, you want to remember to buy a hat and go to your tailor. Picture your tailor with your hat on. It may sound hokey but who’ll forget that?
This is the way we brush our teeth
Try to deviate from your routine whenever you can. Stretch your mind, and you can create new pathways in the brain says Margie Lachman, Ph D, professor and chair of psychology at Brandeis University, and director of the Lifespan Developmental Psychology Laboratory. Even little things help.
Start with your morning ritual — brush your teeth with your left hand (if you use your right), and brush in an anti-clockwise movement if you always go clockwise. It may take a few extra minutes but studies prove that challenging your brain even in the simplest of ways is a winner when it comes to sharpening your memory.Here are more suggestions: Ditch the same, old route you stick to in order to get to work or the local market or the bank.
Stay in and snooze
Another good reason to hit the snooze button. A study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal proves that sleep deprivation affects attention and visual short-term memory. Lack of sleep also threatens competent decision making, according to a recent research in the journal Sleep.
So staying in and sleeping is a better way to get your failing memory on track instead of exposing yourself to the pollution outside (the high amounts of lead out there, by the way, cause brain damage similar to Alzheimer’s disease and heart problems, says research presented at the Experimental Biology 2003 Conference, an annual scientific meeting-cum-exhibition attended by award-winning lecturers.
Dr Lilian Calderon-Garciduenas, University of North Carolina, says exposure to air pollution causes inflammation in the respiratory tract, which lets tiny airborne particles and metals enter the central nervous system and brain. This, in turn, causes oxidative damage and DNA changes in brain cells.
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