Aging Well Without Losing Your Memory
Slow Recall Isn’t Memory Loss
As we age, it’s normal for us to take longer to recall certain things such as names, locations, or facts. And when we are stressed, multitasking, or overwhelmed it’s normal for this recall to become more complex and take longer. This isn’t dementia, it’s not mild cognitive impairment (MCI), it’s a distracted, overworked brain.
Memory loss, however, isn’t part of normal aging and you can age well without experiencing any memory loss. We know from solid, repeatable research that certain lifestyle factors are protective against dementia, even if you have a family
history of it.
The study concludes that memory loss is not an inevitable part of aging and that lifestyle factors are protective against memory deterioration and dementia (Jia et al., 2023)
Preventing Wear & Tear of the Central Nervous System
The brain will undergo changes such as volume loss as we age, especially in our older years. That finding can be scary but unless there are other neurodegenerative issues going on, there is little reason to worry.
Stress Management
There are important habits that help keep the brain young and functional. Stress management is important. It’s not possible to avoid stress but learning to cope with it is important by practicing meditation and being aware of what’s going up in our heads.
A 2023 study found that higher psychological resilience (better stress coping) was associated with better cognitive performance and a lower burden of modifiable dementia risk factors (Franks et al., 2023)
Rest & Recovery
Adequate, restful sleep is not only necessary for a healthy brain but for the rest of the body to recover and age well. It’s less about the hours, it’s more about the restfulness and quality of sleep.
Some of my patients will get up several times per night but they feel rested the next morning. Others will sleep through the night but may wake up not feeling rested. Troubleshooting sleep takes a bit of trial and error but is quite worthwhile.
Movement & Activity
Finally, I always mention exercise because it helps clear inflammatory cells and improves circulation. Without movement it’s tough to get good circulation, without good circulation you can’t get proper cell repair.
While some health experts say that you need a certain amount of cardio (aerobic exercise) or a certain amount of resistance training (weight lifting), it seems that while they are good options, they aren’t the only options.
Some of the healthiest patients I coach in my practice, whether in their 30s or 80s, have never done anything more impressive than long nature walks.
Improving Memory Recall
If you want to have a sharp mind it’s best to have a balance of giving your brain downtime while also pushing it to its limits. Just like exercise, you need plenty of downtime (meditation) after intense information processing.
Sports, puzzles, leadership roles, coding, or woodworking are all great ways for you to flex the processing muscles of the brain which help improve recall speed and processing power.
Of course, as with any aging process, a time will come when the processing speed will slow down quite a bit. In your head it will feel no different: information comes in and you know exactly what to do with it but by the time it comes out of your lips, the other person may have moved on. This happens much later in our later decades and there are ways to welcome this, too.