Emily Beers

Fitness Writer

12 Activities, Foods and Supplements to Keep Your Memory Sharp

When it comes to our memory—and specifically to combating memory loss due to dementia and Alzheimer’s—there are still more questions than answers.

If you have ever had someone in your family experience severe memory loss, it’s hard not to become concerned about your fate. And this fear is only enhanced when you find yourself enter a room to get something and promptly forget why you’re there.

Bottom line: Our brains are kind of important, and it’s natural to do all we can to keep them functioning well now and in the future.

And although we’re nowhere near a cure for Alzheimer’s and dementia, we do know this: There are activities you can do, foods you should eat, and in some cases supplements you can take, to ensure your body is functioning optimally, including your memory.

How Memory Works?

Think of your brain like a big storage room filled with post-it notes. Each note contains different information. You hang on to any given post-it note as long as you think you might need the information it contains. This concept is your working memory, and you use it every day. Sometimes, when you don’t think a particular post-it note has information that you need, you discard it.

Other times, you might think the information could be useful again one day, so you store it in a save for later place in your storage unit, so you can pull it up in the future. This concept is your long-term memory.

While our working memory essentially has a limit—a max capacity of all the information it can retain—there are ways to strengthen it, just like building muscle mass at the gym, so it increases its capacity.

4 Activities to Strengthen Your Memory

1. Meditation

There’s some evidence that meditation changes the physicality of our brain in a way that can improve our attention span and memory.

Though more research needs to be done, this 2019 study published in Behavioral Brain Research suggests that meditation improves memory and attention span in inexperienced mediators.

If you’re considering meditation, the meditation app Headspace is a popular one and a useful place to start for those looking to get into meditation, as it eases you in slowly and at your own pace.

2. Sleep

Sleep might be the most important piece of the puzzle to maintaining a functioning brain.

When we’re asleep, the memory consolidation process occurs, helping us organize all the bits of information we took in and learned. So if we’re not getting enough regular sleep, and enough quality sleep, our cognitive function, and memory are likely to take a hit.

For the nappers out there, good news: It is even believed that a short nap can help solidify memories. The thinking is as follows: When you first experience an event, conversation, etc, the memory is recorded by your brain but it’s still weak and can easily be forgotten. Napping then helps move these fresh memories to the neocortex in the brain, which is where we keep our more solidified memories.

Sleep deprivation, on the other hand, has been proven to hinder our ability to commit new experiences to memory, and unfortunately, lack of sleep is a fairly big problem today. It is estimated that between 50 and 70 million Americans suffer from a sleep disorder.

If this is you, check out the article for various natural ways to improve your sleep.

3. Dancing

Dancing has frequently been shown to improve both brain function and memory. Some research even suggests it is linked to a significantly reduced risk of developing dementia.

Intuitively, it makes sense that something like learning a choreographed dance would be good for short-term memory, as it forces you to focus and learn, and more importantly, remember the steps, actively challenging your short-term memory.

4. Exercise

Among its other various benefits, physical fitness via consistent exercise is known to improve memory recall, as well as spatial memory. More generally, physical exercise keeps the brain functioning by ensuring you’re getting enough oxygen to your brain, which reduces the risk of memory loss, among other things. Further, exercise increases various chemicals and hormones associated with happiness and stress, which goes a long way in keeping your cognitive function high.

4 Foods to Strengthen Your Memory

1. Fatty Fish

Fatty fish is often considered a great food source for brain health because of its high levels of Omega-3 fatty acids, which the brain needs to help build brain and nerve cells critical for both learning and memory.

If you’re not eating fish regularly, such as salmon, mackerel, tuna, trout, herring, cod, or eggs fortified with Omega 3s, it might be worth looking into a fish oil supplement.

While different sources provide different dosage recommendations, if you’re looking to improve your cognitive function, it’s recommended you take fish oil that’s higher in EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) than DHA (docosahexaenoic acid).

For a detailed review of fish oil, check out this article.

2. Blueberries

Blueberries are believed to help with long-term memory because they’re high in flavonoids, which strengthen the connections in our brains.

They’re also high in antioxidants and have anti-inflammatory effects, both of which can guard against an aging brain and various neurodegenerative diseases. Further, some of the antioxidants in blueberries are believed to help brain cells communicate more effectively with each other.

3. Broccoli

Among other important nutrients, broccoli is high in Vitamin K, which is associated with improved memory. One cup gives you 100 percent of the recommended daily intake (RDI) of Vitamin K.

Like blueberries, broccoli also has both anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds, important for proper brain function.

4. Pumpkin Seeds

The antioxidants found in pumpkin seeds have been shown to protect the brain from free radicals, which can damage your cells.

Second, pumpkin seeds have high levels of various minerals that are linked with brain health, namely:

Zinc: Zinc is needed for proper nerve function. Meanwhile, zinc deficiency has been associated with various neurological disorders, including Alzheimer’s.
Magnesium: Magnesium has been linked to both learning and memory.
Iron: Iron deficiency is one of the most common nutrient deficiencies, especially in women, and can lead to brain fog and impaired brain function.
Copper: Copper is needed to help control nerve signals in your body. Low levels of copper have been associated with various diseases, including Alzheimer’s.

4 Supplements to Strengthen Your Memory

While more research needs to be done on the potential effects various supplements have on the brain, and more specifically our memory, some supplements are showing some promise, including:

1. Ginkgo Biloba

Gingko Biloba is a tree native to China that has long been used in traditional Chinese medicine. Many of its claims suggest it’s good for brain function and blood circulation, as it is packed with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents.

Ginkgo Biloba is commonly used in Europe to treat one particular kind of dementia that results from poor blood flow. That being said, it doesn’t appear to prevent dementia, but it does seem to improve symptoms in people who already have dementia.

2. Vitamin B12

Much research suggests a link between memory loss and low levels of Vitamin B12.

Though it’s important to get enough, there is little evidence that super high levels of Vitamin B12 improve memory. Regardless, it’s clear that it’s important to ensure you’re getting enough, so as not to experience memory decline.

With that being said, some research does suggest taking Vitamin B12 in conjunction with Omega-3 fatty acids, which might help slow cognitive decline in those with Alzheimer’s.

Foods high in Vitamin B12 include organ meat, such as liver, beef, eggs, as well as various seafood, such as clams, salmon, sardines, trout, and tuna.

If you’re plant-based, two great sources of Vitamin B12 include fortified nutritional yeast and fortified cereal.

If you’re not eating the above foods regularly, it might be worth considering a Vitamin B12 supplement.

3. Vitamin E

Vitamin E is believed to help your brain—specifically memory— in older people.

This 2014 Study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that 2,000 IUs a day of Vitamin K helped adults with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease (however, it’s generally not recommended to take more than 1,000 IUs of Vitamin K per day).

Foods high in Vitamin K include nuts, seeds, blueberries, blackberries, avocados, and especially in various vegetables, including leafy greens like spinach, collard greens, broccoli, parsley, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts.

4. Creatine