Natural ways to improve your memory

7. Drink alcohol in moderation

Consuming too many alcoholic beverages can be detrimental to your health in many ways and can negatively impact your memory.
Binge drinking is a pattern of drinking that raises your blood alcohol levels to 0.08 grams per ml or above. Studies have shown it alters the brain and results in memory deficits.
A study of 155 college freshmen found that students who consumed six or more drinks within a short period of time, either weekly or monthly, had difficulties in immediate and delayed memory-recall tests compared with students who never binge drank (21Trusted Source).
Alcohol exhibits neurotoxic effects on the brain. Repeated episodes of binge drinking can damage the hippocampus, a part of the brain that plays a vital role in memory (22Trusted Source).
While having a drink or two now and then is likely OK, avoiding excessive alcohol intake is a smart way to protect your memory.
Summary Alcohol has neurotoxic effects on the brain,
including reducing memory performance. Occasional moderate drinking is typically not an
issue, but binge drinking can damage your hippocampus, a key area of your brain
associated with memory.

8. Train your brain

Exercising your cognitive skills by playing brain games is a fun and effective way to boost your memory.
Crosswords, word-recall games, Tetris, and even mobile apps dedicated to memory training are excellent ways to strengthen memory.
A study that included 42 adults with mild cognitive impairment found that playing games on a brain-training app for 8 hours over a 4-week period improved performance in memory tests (23Trusted Source).
Another study of 4,715 people showed that when they did 15 minutes of an online brain-training program at least 5 days a week, their short-term memory, working memory, concentration, and problem-solving improved significantly compared to a control group (24Trusted Source).
Plus, brain-training games have been shown to help reduce the risk of dementia in older adults (25Trusted Source).
Summary Games that challenge your brain may help you
strengthen your memory and may even reduce the risk of dementia.