Methods to improve memory and self-adjustment during midlife crisis
Sleep is for memory; remember that active and well-rested people remember more than those who are mentally scattered and tired.
Dreaming can also be helpful.
In a test conducted by the Weisman Academy of Sciences in Israel, some people were woken up while they were sound asleep, while others slept undisturbed until dawn.
The next morning, the second group learned new things faster and better than the first group.
Furthermore, the tests also showed that if you fall asleep quickly after learning something, you are more likely to remember it.
Drinking alcohol before bed will only make things worse.
And please say "no." Alcohol, as well as marijuana and cocaine used as drugs, can damage the brain in more than one way.
Experts say there is substantial evidence that these drugs can cause memory confusion.
Chronic alcoholism can lead to Korsakoff syndrome, one of the most serious memory disorders.
It can cause brain shrinkage.
However, in another interesting case, alcohol can help with memory.
According to Dr. Presley, if you've ever had an experience while drunk and then forgotten about it after sobering up...
So when you get drunk again, you're likely to recall that experience.
This emphasizes the importance of the memory environment: recreating the initial mental state when a certain experience first occurred.
In this situation, intoxication plays the role of a psychological cue.
If you want to keep your mind sharp, you should also avoid caffeine and nicotine.
Both of these are stimulants, and once you're intoxicated, you'll eventually sober up. The extreme excitement from coffee and cigarettes inevitably leads to a loss of concentration, which in turn affects memory.
Be careful of the effects of medication; your attention can be affected by any medication in your pillbox.
For example, antihistamines can cause dizziness.
For some people, ibuprofen can also cause dizziness.
Various medications for treating hypertension and cough medicines containing codeine, alcohol, or dextromethorphan have also been added to the list of prohibited drugs.
All of these drugs are troublemakers and memory destroyers.
**Fitness Exercises and Deception**
If your memory is fading, memory experts can offer many exercises to help improve it.
They can also recommend techniques to help relieve some of the pressure of memorization by learning how to deceive yourself.
Frost Skokin, a psychology professor and PhD at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, readily admits that these suggestions are not surprisingly unique.
"When I told my colleagues they could improve their memory by writing things down on paper, they all laughed at me," he said. "They said, 'You must have spent years coming up with this terrible idea.'"
But in fact, this method worked.
Below are some of the most popular methods used by experts to improve memory.
**Writing on paper** Writing down what you want to remember on paper isn't always an affordable method.
Here's a free bonus: wearing a ring on your finger can also remind you of things.
**Build a file system** One way to help you organize the information you receive is to give yourself some labels that allow you to place the information in a certain environment.
"Anything we do that helps us organize information better allows us to recall it more effectively," Dr. Skokin said.
**Latest Information**
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· Commonality: The fact that memory declines to some extent with age is actually quite common.
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Risk factors: Aging is inevitable, but a healthy body, an active lifestyle, and brain stimulation can compensate for most age-related memory decline.
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> • Affected age groups: The formation of certain memories, such as the ability to remember names and the ability to memorize new information, begins to decline as early as our 20s and will continue to decline over time.
Other forms of memory show no signs of decline and may even strengthen with age.
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> Gender differences: Researchers found no difference between the sexes in the rate and type of normal age-related memory decline.
Some evidence suggests that slightly fewer men than women develop Alzheimer's disease.
This may be because testosterone has a certain protective effect on the male brain.
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· Target audience: neurologists and mental health experts.
Some hospitals also have memory assessment clinics.
People with good memory skills add many images, details, and organizational markers to information.
Useful markers can be comparisons ("This is about the same amount I spent on the Nickelodeon last month") or actual landmarks, such as taking a moment to remember which tree you parked your bike under.
Storing things (like keys) in a specific place can save you the pain of having to remember where you put them before leaving the house.
Dr. Scowkins says that playing bridge and gold rommé cards are excellent exercises for memory.
According to Douglas Herman, author of "Super Memory" and a PhD in philosophy, one should practice memorizing names and faces while watching televised games, and try to remember the names of the guests as well.
**Relax** If you still don't understand the meaning of the word "relax," don't let it go.
Dr. Presley says that anxiety can hinder memory activity.
The words you're painstakingly searching for may automatically pop into your mind the moment you stop searching.
**Free Association** Dr. Skokin suggests creating rhyming words or images for the information you want to remember.
For example, "I think her name is Jenny."
If you want to remember the name Frank Taylor, imagine him as someone dressed differently from Frank Sinatra.
**Forced Indoctrination** If all other methods fail, repeatedly memorizing something can also work, although it can be tedious.
Is this early-onset Alzheimer's disease?
The memory loss you are experiencing now is very unlikely to be early-stage Alzheimer's disease.
Alzheimer's disease is characterized by the progressive decline of brain tissue, which leads to diminishing and often bizarre memory loss.
As described in a report from the Mayo Clinic, if someone forgets where they put their glasses, it's because of forgetfulness; while patients with Alzheimer's disease may simply forget that they wear glasses.
The chance of anyone under 65 developing Alzheimer's disease is as low as one in 100,000 or two in 100,000, but this chance only increases dramatically later in life, in the 70s and 80s, says Dr. Zaven Khazarturen.
He is the head of the National Gerontological Society's Office of Research on Alzheimer's Disease.
"You don't need to worry too much when your father or mother, or grandparents, are diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease," Dr. Khazarturen added.
He said that genetic predisposition is indeed a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease, but it only increases your chances of developing the disease by 5% to 10%.
Other risk factors have not been conclusively confirmed. Head trauma and exposure to aluminum are suspected factors, but have not been confirmed. However, the presence of some of these risk factors is considered necessary for the development of Alzheimer's disease.
"What can you do now to reduce your chances of developing Alzheimer's disease in the future?" Dr. Khachathuren said.
That's all we know right now.
**Quick Facts**
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**Regarding Potions and Pills**
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Are there any "smart drugs" that can improve memory?
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Although some products claim to have this effect, experts say the answer is a simple "no."
Thomas Krucker, PhD, director of the Memory Assessment Clinic in Bethesda, Maryland, and a clinical psychologist, analyzed many of these products and found "absolutely no evidence" that they have any direct effect on memory.
Some supplements may actually disrupt the brain's neural balance and impair memory.
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Drugs that improve memory may be developed in the future.
Pharmaceutical companies have spent millions of dollars trying to develop such a drug, but Dr. Crook and his colleagues have once again expressed their skepticism.
He said, "We've all had the experience of developing drugs that seemed exciting but ultimately proved to be disappointing."
Some drugs offer only a "slight hope" of treating memory disorders such as age-related memory loss or Alzheimer's disease, and one of these drugs has already been approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
However, there is no evidence that these drugs improve normal memory in healthy individuals.