As we age, one of our main health concerns is often protecting our memory and ensuring our brain continues to function effectively. There are three daily habits that are paleo-friendly and easy to incorporate into a daily routine, which can help improve brain function and memory retention.
Exercise for Brain Health
A daily exercise routine, like a 20-minute jog or brisk walk before lunch, has been widely reported to be beneficial for overall brain health. Over time, your brain will shrink to some extent with age, but by including regular physical activity in your daily life, you can help delay this shrinkage.
A healthy amount of physical activity can lower your risk of Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia. Researchers from the University of British Columbia, Canada, discovered that by engaging in aerobic exercise like walking or running, you can slow down the reduction in size of your hippocampus. The hippocampus, which is crucial for learning and memory, is typically vulnerable to deterioration and the loss of neurons as we age.
According to the Canadian study, women in their 70s who prioritized brisk walks for two hours a week for six months managed to preserve the size of their hippocampus, in comparison to those who remained inactive.
Caffeine as a Memory Booster
Including caffeine in your daily diet can also help improve memory function. Research conducted at Johns Hopkins University reported that caffeine enhances brain activity linked to recalling things from memory.
Caffeine’s specific effects on strengthening memories and making them more resistant to forgetting is particularly noteworthy. Although the researchers were unable to pinpoint exactly how caffeine enhances memory, they found that memory improvement goes along with brain changes that enable more information to be stored and accessed more easily in brain cells.
Around 200 milligrams of caffeine, which is equivalent to a strong cup of coffee, is the average daily consumption for an adult. In fact, four out of five adults use caffeine every day, according to a report by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Adequate Sleep for a Healthy Memory
Getting at least eight hours of sleep a night can be a powerful tool for memory retention. A number of studies have shown that sleep is essential for maintaining healthy memory function, and researchers are now identifying the key brain regions that play a key role in sleep.
In a study at New York University’s Langone Medical Center, researchers found that after learning something and then sleeping, our brain develops dendritic spines. These tiny tentacle-like tendrils, which connect brain cells, help transmit nerve signals and information effectively across synapses that connect brain cells. Without sufficient sleep, their growth might be stunted, and learning could be hindered.
Researcher Wen-Biao Gan, who teaches neuroscience and physiology, said, “We’ve known for a long time that sleep plays an important role in learning and memory. If you don’t sleep well, you won’t learn well. But what’s the underlying physical mechanism responsible for this phenomenon? Here we’ve shown how sleep helps neurons form very specific connections on dendritic branches that may facilitate long-term memory.”
All three of these lifestyle habits can reinforce and complement each other. The caffeine in a cup of coffee can get you ready for a daily exercise routine, and that exercise, in turn, can help you fall asleep more easily at night. However, it’s important to avoid excess caffeine or exercising too close to bedtime, as this could lead to sleep disturbances.
