memory loss and tips on how to fight it

I have a confession to make. One of the reasons why I started blogging more than a year ago was for brain stimulation, exercise so to speak. Jobless and idle for most parts of the day, I felt that I needed some brain aerobics. Sure, I read a lot, but I felt that I needed more challenge for fear that my brain cells would deteriorate and lead to memory loss.

I read somewhere that when we're in our 20s, we begin to lose brain cells a few at a time, just like hair. He he. Our body also starts to make less of the chemicals our brain cells need to work. The older we are, the more these changes can affect our memory. I have seen this first hand in my parents, specially in my dad, and I am sure you have experienced this with yours too. They start by misplacing things, forgetting appointments and small details they used to remember easily when they were younger. Just this morning, I woke up to a
commotion in the dining room as everyone was frantically looking for the keys to our main gate. No one was saying a word but everybody was thinking that dad lost them again. He's always the culprit.

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I don't want that to happen to me. However, just like aging, I know that it is unavoidable. My goal right now to to delay it as much as possible. And armed with some online research, I am determined to fight memory loss. Interestingly, I found out that the things we need to do to protect ourselves from mental deterioration are pretty close to the things we need to do to protect ourselves from the heart disease - high cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes and smoking. In other words, a healthy lifestyle is needed to avert, or at least delay, memory loss. Moreover, regular exercise is key, not only physical but mental as well. It looks like I made the right move in going into blogging!

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On the short-term, I also found the following tips to help us remember:

Keep lists. It is easier to remember details this way. I have been doing this for years and can vouch for its effectiveness.
Follow a routine, our brain remembers routines.
Make associations (connect things in your mind), such as using landmarks to help you find places.
Keep a detailed calendar. (If you could only see what I have done with my planner.)
Put important items, such as your keys, in the same place every time. (Dad should read this one)
Repeat names when you meet new people. (Another thing I learned in the corporate world)
Do things that keep your mind and body busy. (Reading, blogging, crossword puzzles, sudoku and, of course, physical exercise)
Run through the ABC's in your head to help you think of words you're having trouble remembering. "Hearing" the first letter of a word may jog your memory. (Never tried this one but we'll see)

It is not too early to start with your mental exercises. Remember, our brains start to deteriorate in our 20s so there's no time to lose. I have also resorted to taking vitamins (B1, B6, B12) plus some other food supplements supposedly beneficial in enhancing our memory. Hope they work too. (Photo credits: http://thirddivision.org/)

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