- 1. Practice physical exercise 3 times a week
- 2. Reading and making thinking games
- 3. Adopt a Mediterranean diet
- 4. Treat anxiety and depression
- 5. Sleep 6 to 8 hours a day
- 6. Avoid sleeping pills
- 7. Avoid alcoholic beverages
- 8. Do annual check-ups
Memory loss can have several causes, the most common of which occur in people who are stressed, anxious or who do not rest with a good night's sleep, and also in people over 60, when neurons are more deteriorated and can retain less information, leading to forgetfulness of recent situations, such as where you kept an object, giving a message or remembering a name.
These situations can be prevented with attitudes that stimulate and balance brain functioning, such as having healthy eating habits, rich in anti-oxidants, avoiding stress, practicing physical exercises, in addition to taking readings and concentration activities.
However, if memory loss starts to disrupt daily activities or is constant, it is important to consult with a neurologist or geriatrician, so that possible diseases that lead to memory loss, such as Alzheimer's, depression, are investigated. or hypothyroidism, for example. To better understand the diseases and situations that lead to memory loss, check out what causes and how to treat memory loss.
Thus, the attitudes that must be taken to avoid memory problems or diseases, especially Alzheimer's dementia, are:
1. Practice physical exercise 3 times a week
Physical exercise improves circulation and blood flow to the brain, protecting your cells. Activities should be practiced at least 3 times a week, but ideally 5 times a week.
In addition, exercising protects the body against other diseases that are harmful to brain health, such as high blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol.
2. Reading and making thinking games
Staying mentally active is essential to stimulate brain cells and prevent them from deteriorating, which leads to difficulties in reasoning and information retention.
So, always reading a book, playing games that use reasoning like crosswords, word searches, sudoku or even taking a language course, music or any subject that interests you is challenging to the brain, which makes make him strive to stay active.
3. Adopt a Mediterranean diet
A diet that avoids the consumption of industrialized products, but is rich in fruits, vegetables, fish and whole foods, contains essential antioxidant and anti-inflammatory elements for the brain, being very important for the prevention of memory loss and the development of Alzheimer's.
Some essential elements of any diet for brain health are omega 3 and vitamin E, present in olive oil, fish, nuts and almonds, antioxidants such as vitamin C, zinc, magnesium and potassium, present in fruits, vegetables and vegetables, besides fibers, present in whole grains. In addition, it is important to avoid foods rich in sugar, saturated fats and salt, as they impede circulation and hinder brain function.
Check out tips from our nutritionist on what to eat:
4. Treat anxiety and depression
Anxiety and stress are important causes of sudden forgetfulness and memory lapses, as they make it difficult to retain information, leave the brain confused to be able to access memories, in addition to producing hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline, which are harmful to this organ. Therefore, these situations should be treated with relaxation activities, such as meditation, yoga and physical exercises, and psychotherapy.
However, when anxiety is severe or when depression is present, it may also be necessary to consult with a psychiatrist to start treatment using anxiolytic or antidepressant drugs, which are important for improving mental health and preventing damage to the brain. Learn more tips to fight stress and anxiety.
5. Sleep 6 to 8 hours a day
The habit of sleeping well, between 6 and 8 hours a day, is essential for the brain to be able to fix the memories and consolidate everything that has been learned throughout the day. A tired brain also increases stress levels and makes it difficult to retain information and reasoning over time, which causes both forgetfulness and confusion.
Check out what are the 10 tips to follow to get a good sleep.
6. Avoid sleeping pills
Some sleeping pills, such as Diazepam, Clonazepam (Rivotril) or Lorazepam, for example, should only be used in necessary cases, prescribed by the psychiatrist or neurologist, because if used excessively and unnecessarily, they increase the risk of Alzheimer's.
Other medications, such as anticonvulsants and anti-vertigo, such as Cinarizine and Flunarizine, for example, can also cause brain confusion and forgetfulness. Thus, it is very important to start using medicines only with medical advice.
7. Avoid alcoholic beverages
Excessive alcohol, in addition to other habits, such as smoking and using drugs, are highly toxic to the brain, accelerating memory loss and hindering reasoning, and should be avoided if you want to have good brain health.
8. Do annual check-ups
It is very important to investigate the presence and make the correct treatment of diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol or hormonal changes, because if they are not controlled, they can impair blood circulation and gradually deteriorate the functioning of various organs, such as brain, heart and kidneys.
