“I suffer from short-term memory loss. It runs in my family. At least I think it does…where are they?” ~ (Disney’s Finding Dory)
The Big Question
The question posed above is one of the most critical ones for our society to continue to ask and problem-solve because an estimated 6.5 million Americans age 65 and older will be living with Alzheimer’s in 2022.
Can it be cured?
As of now, when someone has received a full-blown Alzheimer’s diagnosis, the ability to “cure” it is not high. However, there is reason to support that Alzheimer’s can be prevented.
The Big Basics
There is so much competing information in the world today. The hope is that this serves as a brief guide to begin your journey of discovery for better brain health for life and well-being.
The big basics that factor into one’s brain health and memory are simple, yet some of the most challenging to regulate in one’s life. They are:
- Daily Movement
- Intelligent Nutrition
- Sleep
1. Daily Movement
Movement stimulates the brain and is vital for our quality of life, stress management, sleep, etc.
Daily movement is the kindling needed to start the fire.
The hippocampus is a complex brain structure embedded deep into the temporal lobe. It has a significant role in learning and memory. This part of the brain can shrink with age, and exercise could help grow this part of your brain.
Another great thing that movement does for your brain is promote an increase in BDNF, a trophic factor associated with cognitive improvement and alleviating depression and anxiety.
In summary… Exercise, GOOD. Sedentary lifestyle BAD.
2. Intelligent Nutrition
We are all aware of the phrase; “you are what you eat” and how “healthier” eating is generally good for you.
The distinction is made for intelligent nutrition because when it comes to a diet that can help your brain the most, it may be beneficial to seek out a functional medicine practitioner and precisely one trained in the Apollo Health/Dr. Dale Bredesen protocols (Tiger Medical has both)!
Going this route helps provide great insight into the question this article is asking and specific nutrition items to help the brain prevent cognitive decline.
3. Quality Sleep
Several studies show similarities between fatigue-related impairment in cognitive and physiological functioning and impairments due to alcohol intoxication.
As a general note: the better you sleep, the better you function.
Now for memory specifically…
Scientists hypothesize that sleep also plays a significant role in forming long-term memories.
According to Matthew Walker, professor of neuroscience and psychology at UC Berkeley, MRI scans indicate that the slow brain waves of stage 3 sleep (deep NREM sleep) “serve as a courier service”, transporting memories from the hippocampus to other more permanent storage sites.
Next Steps to Preventing Alzheimers
If you’re reading this article or watching the accompanying video, you care about your health and memory.
This article proposes that daily movement, intelligent nutrition, and quality sleep are great places to start and self-check to see if there are opportunities to improve.
Check out some of the following article links below to dive deeper into your journey of discovering what can help you best.
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