Staying Sharp: 10 Tips to Improve Memory and Brain Function

Everybody wants a great memory and a brain that is firing on all cylinders. Whether you’re a student or retiree, a professional or hobbyist, you need to be mentally sharp to be your best self.  

A good memory and well-functioning brain are easy to take for granted—until you find yourself forgetting names, losing your train of thought, or struggling to remember stories. Although occasional memory lapses are no cause for alarm, they are worrisome, especially as we get older. 

The good news is there are  strategies that can improve your memory and mental edge and help stave off a decline in mental sharpness. The bad news is most people don’t take them seriously. 

If you want to optimize your cognitive potential and preserve your memory, it’s time to get serious by embracing these 10 practical tips.

1. Feed Your Brain 

What you eat is a good place to start. Your brain needs carbohydrates to supply a steady source of glucose for energy, and protein for the synthesis of neurotransmitters. It requires fat, which makes up 60% of the brain’s total weight, and essential vitamins and minerals that cannot be produced in the body.

If you’re looking for a specific plan to follow, check out the MIND diet (Mediterranean Diet Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay). Designed to optimize brain function, it has been shown in clinical trials to slow the rate of cognitive decline. 

The MIND diet emphasizes whole plant-based foods such as leafy greens and other vegetables, berries (especially blueberries), nuts, beans, and grains plus olive oil, fish, poultry, coffee, and tea. Sugars and sweets, red meat, and saturated/trans fats are to be avoided or eaten in moderation.

If this diet sounds familiar, it’s because these same nutrient-dense, high-fiber, minimally processed natural foods support your heart, weight, blood sugar, digestion, and overall health as well as your brain. 

2. Exercise Regularly

Physical fitness promotes mental fitness. Exercise strengthens the heart and improves its ability to pump a constant influx of oxygen- and glucose-rich blood to the brain. It increases levels of BDNF, which promotes the growth and survival of brain cells, and plays a critical role in neuroplasticity, the ability of the brain to adapt and reorganize. 

You have probably experienced a boost in mood and mental clarity immediately after a hard workout, but exercise has long-term benefits as well.

In addition to incorporating movement into your daily activities, aim for 150 minutes of brisk walking, jogging, biking, or other vigorous exercise weekly, plus muscle-building strength training exercises two or three times a week. 

3. Give Your Brain a Workout 

You also need to exercise your brain by keeping it challenged and engaged. Exposure to new information and novel experiences stimulates and strengthens neural connections, which is critical for learning and maintaining cognitive function.

Seek out activities that require critical thinking, problem solving, and creativity. You could learn to play a musical instrument or speak a foreign language, take art or cooking lessons, or sign up for classes on any topic that interests you. Challenging books, crosswords, puzzles, Wordle and other online word games, brain teasers, trivia quizzes, sudoku, video games: There are endless possibilities for stimulating your mental faculties. 

Brain training programs that involve memory games and exercises for adults are also available. These computer programs, which are most often used for people who have some degree of cognitive deficits, may improve attention and reaction time, but long-term benefits are uncertain. 

4. Manage Stress

The stress response is a survival mechanism for keeping us out of harm’s way by triggering the release of cortisol and other hormones to prepare us to fight or flee. Once the perceived danger passes, hormone levels return to baseline.

If you’re under chronic stress, however, stress hormones remain high, and this can have negative repercussions on mental and physical health. Prolonged elevations in cortisol interfere with brain function, causing you to feel unfocused, foggy, and irritable. Unrelenting stress is closely associated with anxiety and depression and contributes to cognitive decline.  

Managing stress is essential for brain health. Yoga, relaxation and deep breathing exercises, prayer, meditation, group support, and counseling are proven techniques for stress reduction. Adaptogens, which are natural compounds that help the body adapt to stress, are also helpful. 

One of the most effective adaptogens is ashwagandha, an herb used in Ayurvedic medicine since ancient times. Standardized extracts of ashwagandha have been shown in clinical trials to reduce stress-related complaints and enhance focus, mental clarity, mood, and sleep in those experiencing stress. That’s why we included 125 mg of a patented form of ashwagandha, called Sensoril®, in Mindful Advantage. It’s a game-changer for stress relief and accompanying feelings of fatigue, fogginess, and lack of clarity.

5. Connect with Other People

Social interaction is great for your brain. Conversing, laughing, playing, and sharing experiences with others requires cognitive engagement and exercises your mental muscles. It also triggers the release of dopamine and oxytocin, neurotransmitters that enhance mood and reduce stress. 

If you don’t have an established group of friends or family, you will have to make the effort to find social connections. This can be challenging, especially if you live alone, don’t get out much, or are introverted. Making new friends can be hard for adults, but there are many ways to meet and interact with people. 

Whether your interest is reading, cooking, parenting, supporting a particular sports team or political cause, biking, or other athletic activities, there are groups or clubs you can join. Another way to get involved is volunteering. Volunteer opportunities are available through churches, hospitals, nursing homes, preschools, scout troops, homeless shelters, soup kitchens, and other outlets that would welcome your help. 

Studies have found that people with strong social ties are less likely to experience cognitive decline, while loneliness has been linked with an increased risk. In short, we are social creatures, and connections with others nurture us, body, mind, and soul. 

6. Prioritize Restorative Sleep 

Your brain depends on ample restorative sleep. Sleep is a crucial time for memory consolidation, the process of converting newly encoded information into long-term memories. 

Sleep deprivation worsens concentration and hampers memory and effective learning. Even one night of disrupted sleep can leave you feeling groggy and unfocused, and chronic insomnia may increase the risk of reduced mental sharpness.

More than a third of US adults are sleep deprived. Getting 7–9 hours of restorative sleep a night could be as easy as instituting a regular bedtime, shutting off your phone, and taking melatonin, or it may require treatment of sleep apnea or other medical issues. A key ingredient in Mindful Advantage has also been shown to promote better sleep when stressed, making it extra helpful.

7. Address All Health Problems

A healthy brain depends on a healthy body. Unfortunately, many common chronic conditions can have detrimental effects on brain function.  

Hypertension damages the small blood vessels in the brain, which reduces cerebral blood flow. Controlling blood pressure has been shown to reduce the risk of cognitive issues. 

Blood sugar is another major concern. Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) can cause brain fog, poor concentration, and fatigue. Chronically high blood sugar damages the blood vessels and promotes brain atrophy and shrinkage.

Heart issues, thyroid and other hormone imbalances, mood issues, hearing loss, even excess weight can contribute to cognitive problems. If you want to stay sharp, talk to your doctor about getting a handle on these common conditions. 

8. Avoid Brain Toxins 

Neurotoxicity is damage to the brain or nervous system caused by exposure to toxic substances. You can’t avoid all the potentially harmful chemicals and pollutants in our air, water, and food, so it is important to minimize them when you can. 

If you smoke, stop. A 2023 study reveals that smoking shrinks the brain and causes premature brain aging. Go easy on alcohol. Heavy drinking damages areas of the brain involved in memory, attention, decision-making, impulse control, and sleep. Consider replacing amalgam dental fillings, which contain mercury, a well-known neurotoxin, with safer composites.    

Drink filtered water and eat pesticide-free organic foods whenever possible. Avoid highly processed foods and drinks that are often laden with artificial sweeteners and other chemical additives. 

Take a hard look at your medications. Drugs for depression, anxiety, ADHD, sleep, and mental illness are designed to alter brain function and have a strong potential for adverse effects. Other popular drugs that can interfere with memory and alertness include painkillers, beta-blockers, statins, incontinence drugs, and some antihistamines such as Benadryl. Older people and anyone taking multiple medications are especially vulnerable to drug side effects.

9. Get Organized

If you find yourself misplacing items, forgetting appointments, and the like, getting organized can help. 

Have a designated place for your keys, wallet, purse, and glasses.  Declutter your home, workspace, and computer. Keep a calendar and check it every morning. Write notes and reminders and make to-do lists, checking items off as you finish them. Features on smartphones and tablets, such as calendars, notes, timers, and reminders, are tremendously helpful for keeping you organized.

Cut back on multitasking. Contrary to popular belief, multitasking does not make you more productive. Trying to perform two or more tasks at the same time forces your brain to rapidly switch back and forth, which reduces focus and makes you less efficient and more prone to errors. Research indicates that multitasking adversely affects both short-term and long-term memory. 

When you’re juggling work, family, and other responsibilities, multitasking may be inescapable, but try to minimize it. 

10. Take the Brain-Boosting Ingredients in Mindful Advantage

Mindful Advantage delivers the key ingredients you need for better brain health and in just one capsule daily. It includes extracts of blueberries, grapes, Aronia melanocarpa (Brainberry), 5-HTP, and zinc, and you get all these together in clinically validated doses. Backed by 5 clinical studies, the key ingredients in Mindful Advantage work together to target all 5 key areas of cognitive function—attention, learning & memory, language, motor control, and mood. It works like nothing else to help you think faster, improve focus and clarity, and improve memory and recall.

Recap 

A keen mind and acute memory are important to everyone, regardless of age. Supporting brain health with Mindful Advantage, along with proper nutrition, physical and mental exercise, restorative sleep, stress management, and other proven strategies can help hone your mental edge today and preserve your memory and cognitive abilities in the future.