Welcome to the 13th in our 17-part series on dementia. About 50 million people suffer from dementia worldwide. It is a debilitating disease, but it may be preventable. So I’ve set out to learn as much as I can and bring you along with me.
This episode is about improving your memory. When it comes to brain function, there’s nothing more important than memory. Memory loss is a symptom of dementia and an effect of the disease. And while improving it may not prevent dementia, it certainly gives you more to work with, so you can have a fighting chance at reducing the overall effects. So here are some tips that can help us sharpen this valuable tool.
Remembering names is something I’ve often struggled with. Even if I remember a face or a voice, I sometimes have trouble putting a name to it. This is because recognition and recall are two different brain functions.
One way to speed up the recall process is to attach additional clues. You know how when you call the doctor’s office, they ask you not just your name, but your birthdate? That’s because it’s less likely that more than one person of the same name was born on the same date. Both my first name and my last name are in the top 10 most popular in the U.S., so I often run into this problem. But once I add my birthdate, my records can usually be uniquely identified. If there is still more than one record, I have to provide additional information.
Our brains work the same way. The more information we have about a person, the easier it is to find their name. So one way to make it easier to remember a person’s name is to intentionally add something additional to the name. If the person’s name is Smith, picture him as a blacksmith and remember that picture along with the name.
Another method of remembering names is the verbal method, which consists of the following steps:
1. Pay close attention to the name as you hear it for the first time.
2. Repeat it to yourself, perhaps more than once.
3. Say something about it. (“Hey that rhymes with ‘sith’, you know, like in Star Wars?”)
4. Use that person’s name out loud as soon as you can. (“Nice to meet you, John Smith.”)
I mentioned before the idea of picturing Mr. Smith as a blacksmith. This is called the visual method:
1. Create an association. Now sometimes you might have a name that doesn’t mean anything, as far as you know. In that case, make something up that might remind you of the name. For example, if the person’s name is Leticia, you might think “Let it shine” and form an image of rays of sunshine in your mind.
2. Pay close attention to the person’s appearance, note details.
3. Associate those details with the name visually.
Alcohol intake can have a detrimental effect on memory. In fact, memory loss is one of the first signs of brain damage due to alcohol, and a sign of alcoholism as well. Alcohol abuse can prevent information from being entered into long-term memory. Chronic abusers of alcohol often develop a form of dementia whose symptoms include disorientation, confusion, and severe memory loss. Drinking to excess is very dangerous, as it can affect the underlying chemistry of the brain. If you have trouble moderating your alcohol intake, get medical attention as soon as possible.
Another vice that can affect memory is smoking. It can decrease the oxygen available for brain functions, and that includes memory and other activities. Believe it or not, smokers in general score lower on memory tests than non-smokers! Smoking exposes the smoker to many toxic substances. One of these is toluene, which causes all kinds of damage, including memory loss and confusion. I’ve talked about smoking in previous episodes. Personally, I think if you smoke regularly, you may not even live long enough to develop dementia. Quit smoking now.
Marijuana… I didn’t mean for this to be a drug show, but when it comes to the brain, these things are often part of the problem. Marijuana can actually be part of the solution for a particular type of dementia, Alzheimer’s Disease. The active ingredient THC can mediate protein buildup and decrease inflammation in the amyloid plaques associated with AD. But marijuana also has detrimental effects, including impacts on memory, focus, recall, reflexes, concentration, and hand-eye coordination. So my recommendation is if you haven’t been prescribed it for Alzheimer’s or something else, use it in moderation if at all. And as with any prescribed drug, be aware of these side effects and weigh them against the benefits.
Did you know that obesity can affect your memory? I had no idea. But it turns out, there was a study that found this to be true. It can be caused by higher levels of inflammation and the presence of what is called CRP, c-reactive protein, in the bloodstream. This is another one of those things, like smoking, that it just pays to take care of for many many reasons. But the fact that being overweight can affect my brain function is really going to light a fire for me to reduce my body fat.
A lot of the things that are just part of overall good health have a specific application for maintaining a healthy memory. The mayo clinic also cites the following tips:
1. Include physical activity in your daily routine.
2. Stay mentally active.
3. Socialize regularly.
4. Get organized.
5. Sleep Well.
6. Eat a healthy diet (more on this in the next episode).
7. Manage Chronic Conditions.
So remember (see what I did there?), there is a lot you can do to improve your memory, and most of these things can help you in other ways too. We’ll continue to talk about preventing dementia in the next episode, A Diet for the Mind.
References:
Outsmart Dementia. (2020). The latest tools for controlling cognitive health — preventing dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Morton Grove, IL: Publications International, Ltd.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/healthy-aging/in-depth/memory-loss/art-20046518