How Much Do You Know About Memory?

If you don't challenge your brain with different activities, you end up with the inability to remember certain things. Brain cells that aren't stimulated work less efficiently. The old adage about using it or losing it is true when it comes to memory.

Try balancing your checkbook by hand instead of using a calculator, reading instead of watching television, or assembling a bicycle yourself instead of buying one already assembled.

Anxiety and stress can interfere with your ability to remember information, so slow down and relax. Learning a relaxation technique, such as deep breathing or muscle-relaxing exercises, may help.

That's why it's important to keep chronic conditions like these under control. It is also possible that medications used to treat these conditions may influence your memory. If you are having problems with your memory, talk with your health care provider.

Fruits and vegetables containing the antioxidants beta-carotene and vitamins C and E may improve your memory. Good antioxidant sources include dark green, red, yellow, and orange-hued fruits and vegetables.

Wear eyeglasses and use a hearing aid, if necessary. These aids help you focus on what's being shown or said to you.

You may be taking a medication that dulls your memory. Medications that may cause memory problems include some heart drugs, antidepressants, tranquilizers, sleeping pills, and cold remedies. When you begin taking any new drug or change the dosage, keep an eye on your reactions. Even drugs not known to disrupt memory may affect yours. Drug interactions also may contribute to memory problems.

If regularly consumed in excess, alcohol can affect short- and long-term memory, an impairment that can be irreversible. People who drink moderately, however, may have a smaller risk for memory problems as they age than people who drink heavily or who don't drink at all. Experts recommend that men younger than 65 limit their alcohol consumption to no more than two drinks a day, and men 65 and older and women of any age to no more than one. One drink is about 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof liquor.

Making a daily "to-do" list can help you remember appointments or tasks. If you seem to "lose" items like keys or sunglasses, decide on a specific spot for them and always put them there when you aren't using them.

Cardiovascular health boosts your memory because a healthy heart effectively pumps blood with nutrients and oxygen into the brain. Congestive heart failure and long-term untreated high blood pressure have been shown to hurt memory.

Occasionally forgetting someone's name is normal, but you may have a more serious problem if you can't remember how to do things you normally often do, or can't remember how to get to places you frequently visit. Normal memory loss doesn't get worse over time, but dementia can cause a severe deterioration in memory over months to years.