Your memory is a valuable tool you shouldn’t take for granted. Factors that impact your memory are important to be aware of, It helps you know how to respond to various situations, connect with friends and family and persevere. Age and disease can take a toll on your recollection, but many other factors affect your mind. Here are six surprising factors that impact your memory.
1. Walking Through a Door
You might metaphorically think of the phrase “walking through a door” as starting a new opportunity, but literally doing so can make your brain forget things and move on. However, this can be more frustrating than inspiring.
Studies show that going through a doorway is an event boundary to your mind, separating previous activities and filing them away. Researchers found that people were twice as likely to forget what they’re supposed to do after walking through a door. It’s not like walking through a door transforms you, but a change of scenery can overwhelm your mind enough to cause your short-term memory to waiver.
2. Lack of Sleep
Factors That Impact Your Memory involve sleep. Many people take a good night’s sleep for granted, but it’s a vital part of remembering important things. According to research, adequate sleep significantly impacts learning and memory. When you’re tired, the right amounts of attention and focus go by the wayside, making it difficult to process and retain information.
Fatigue also makes it much harder to retrieve the information you already know, making you less likely to complete what you need throughout the day. This all has to do with neurons.
Throughout the day, your neurons respond to and pass on signals in your brain, which helps you interact with the world using old and new information. These neurons don’t have enough recovery time to do their job correctly without enough rest.
Getting little sleep doesn’t just affect your ability to remember things — it also affects how you remember them. You can interpret events differently than they are, impairing your judgment and response. This makes you much more susceptible to physical and emotional harm.
3. Hormonal Imbalance
If you struggle to remember the small stuff, it could be your hormones. Hormonal imbalances — particularly in cortisol, thyroid hormones and testosterone — can block or slow down your mental capabilities, including how you retire previously-processed information.
These symptoms could be indicative of a physical problem that needs to be addressed. An underactive thyroid can lead to life-altering symptoms like lethargy, depression, unexplained weight gain, slow heart rate and sensitivity to cold. High cortisol levels lead to states of fight or flight, impairing the ability to think logically. Poor testosterone levels can leave you with impaired cognition and sexual dysfunction.
Struggling with memory could be a sign that you need to speak to your doctor about testing and treating your hormone levels.
4. Your Diet
How you eat can affect how well you retain things. When researchers studied mice, they found that animals on a high-fat diet were less likely to remember their way through obstacles than their counterparts who ate healthily.
On the other hand, eating fruits and vegetables can help you remember things more easily. The complex nutritional profiles of these foods enable them to support brain function and health. Folic acid stands out as one of the best nutrients for memory. Research shows that omega-3 fatty acids also play a part in memory retention as you age, showing a slower cognitive decline in older people.
5. Mindfulness and Meditation
Mindfulness is a learned practice that can improve your mental and physical health. It involves focusing on the present moment instead of stressing over past or future events.
Being mindful can help relax and center you, allowing you to make better judgments and feel more gratitude in your life. It can also help your brain access information and remember it accurately.
One of the best ways to become and stay mindful is to meditate. The practice helps you remove yourself from distracting thoughts and feel more grounded. Factors That Impact Your Memory belong to the self-care category. It’s common sense in many ways.
6. Your Exercise Routine
Factors That Impact Your Memory include exercise. Many researchers believe exercise preserves memory, while those who were less mobile scored worse on recall tests. The increase in circulation nourishes your brain and can lower stress, which helps improve your focus and ability to live in the moment.
Working out at least three times a week can lead to lower levels of inflammation, better sleep, higher immunity and improved mental health. When your body functions at its best, your brain can also improve your ability to retrieve and interpret information.
Introducing Memory-Supporting Habits into Your Life
Your memory is vital to living life to its fullest, so it’s important to nurture it. You can make life-altering mistakes and misjudgments without the ability to remember things correctly.
Thankfully, with proper attention to memory issues, you can improve Factors That Impact Your Memory and preserve through them. Implementing healthy habits, being mindful and speaking to a doctor about concerns can help you utilize your memory to live your best life.
