By Betty Fielding, M.A.

Have you ever noticed how memory lapses seem to be more of a problem when you're overtired or feeling under the weather?

Your brain and your nervous system rely on the health of the rest of your body. Thus, your memory profits when you maintain a healthy lifestyle, which includes diet, exercise, regular medical checkups, avoiding exposure to toxic substances, dealing positively with depression and coping with the stress and changes in your life.

Memory relies on nerve cells which are fed and maintained by nutrients and oxygen supplied by your circulatory system. A primary factor in maintaining and improving your memory is a well-rounded diet, which should be low in fat and cholesterol to help keep blood vessels open. A well-rounded diet includes the following daily regimen:

2-3 servings of meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs or nuts

2-3 servings of dairy products

6 or more servings of bread, cereals, or pasta

2-4 servings of fruit

3-5 servings of vegetables

Sugars and fats should be limited. Research has revealed the value of monounsaturated fats for a good memory. These are fats found in vegetable oils and particularly in extra-virgin olive oil. "Eat green" is a constant  and valid recommendation. Among the valuable food elements in fruits and vegetables are antioxidants which collect the waste products of metabolism to prevent their damage to nerve cells.

Research has shown that physical exercise increases the nerve cell growth factors which maintain healthy cells. This finding supports research done with a group of seniors in similar health who were separated into "couch potatoes" and "exercisers." When their performance on memory tests was compared, the exercisers did significantly better on memory tests than the couch potatoes. We don't have to be athletes to benefit from exercise: even a daily 20-minute walk will support your memory.

Mental exercise also strengthens your memory skills. Crossword puzzles and other games like Scrabble challenge and improve word-sorting skills. Bridge and chess exercise your memory because you have to make decisions based on new information and relate it to what you already know. As practice increases your ability in these games, your memory skills are honed for use in other areas of daily living.

Reading provides opportunities for a variety of mental exercises using different brain cells. Fiction creates images of people and places, dramatic action, or melodrama. A story may evoke laughter or tears, memories of similar settings, etc. Nonfiction, in contrast, may challenge you to problem-solve and master unfamiliar ideas. These kinds of activity are the mental exercises which can actually grow new branches onto brain cells, increasing memory power.

Another element in a healthy lifestyle is to protect yourself from toxins in your environment. Some chemicals, like gasoline, household cleaners, and sprays used on produce, are dangerous to the brain. Tobacco constricts the blood vessels to the brain and is widely recognized as hazardous to your health in general. Alcohol damages brain tissue. If used, alcohol intake should be limited to one drink a day, particularly red wine, which has been shown to positively affect general health.

Prescription medications may also affect memory. Antidepressants, antihistamines, and blood pressure medications affect individuals differently, so paying attention to your response to medications is essential to protect your memory. Some over-the-counter drugs, either alone, in combination, or used together with prescription drugs, can also be detrimental to the memory process. In addition, as people grow older, their bodies may not be able to tolerate drugs in the same dosage that they used in earlier years. Your doctor or pharmacist should be consulted about all of your medications.

Keeping in Touch with Your Doctor.

Some illnesses—diabetes, thyroid problems, and brain tumors—may affect memory directly. These are handled best and, in some cases, may be reversed, by prompt early treatment. However, any illness or infection—even a cold or the flu—can cause memory problems.

Alzheimer's disease is a progressive, irreversible condition which, in time, causes major memory loss as well as causing an inability to perform routine skills—such as managing a checkbook. Diagnosis of this disease in its early stages may permit the use of medications which prolong the quality of everyday living. However, most problems with memory are not a result of Alzheimer's.

Depression is the most common cause of problems with memory. A sudden attack of forgetfulness may, in fact, be caused by depression. Depression saps energy and makes concentration difficult or impossible. Depressed people feel helpless and hopeless and unable to enjoy anything at all. These feelings may be constant or periodic.

Depression may be life-threatening, but, with professional treatment, it is reversible. When there is a revival of the urge to live and enjoy, memory skills rejuvenate. With increasing motivation, memory skills may even improve.

Stress and Your Memory.

Chronic stress has been shown to damage areas of the brain which govern with short-term memory.

Coping well with stress may involve:

* keeping a positive attitude

* meditation, progressive relaxation, or other centering activities

* prayer and religious activity

* recognizing and controlling stressors

* confronting the probable causes of stress

* finding an outlet for negative effects of stress

* seeking social supports.

An example of successfully coping with stress was demonstrated by a woman whose husband developed a debilitating disease. She decided to concentrate on only the positive aspects of their life together. She learned transcendental meditation and practiced it twice a day. She simplified their life and, and, as her husband's disease progressed, researched nursing homes which would best meet his needs. She wrote poetry about the joys of their life together and about her feelings of their current situation. She welcomed the support of friends, and she joined a group for caregivers at a local church.

This was a case of coping with extreme and deepening stress. However, the small stresses most people suffer can also take a toll. Even worry about forgetfulness itself can create stress and be harmful to the memory. Adopting the methods of coping with stress listed above will improve the quality of daily living and increase memory power, allowing more attention to be focused on where the car was parked or whether the insurance premium was paid.

Three personal changes people experience as they grow older have a direct effect on their memory:

* gradual slowing of the central nervous system

* increase in distractibility

* less in-depth thinking ability

However, people who remain relatively healthy can compensate for all of these changes. Learning may take slightly longer, but the ability to learn remains. Today, many people over the age of 75 are taking college classes and mastering computer skills and the intricacies of the Internet.

Developing habits of attention and concentration will decrease the effects of distractibility. Paying attention is a habit that anyone can develop. Anyone can develop the habit of concentrating on an opinion expressed by a friend and refuse to be distracted by thinking about stating his own opinion.

And, people of any age can decide to explore new ideas using in-depth thinking, which means to really grapple with new ideas and issues and refuse to settle for a superficial view of the world. For instance, even an in-depth reading of the morning newspaper means refusing to merely scan the headlines but rather to digest the content of the articles and perhaps explore an encyclopedia for related information.

Lack of in-depth thinking often reflects a lack of interest and motivation rather than an inability to assimilate new information. One man in a memory class advised, "The way to develop a good memory is to get a passion. You will prove to yourself how well you REALLY CAN remember whatever you want to remember."

By "passion," he meant an engrossing enthusiasm which gives meaning to your life. This might be tracing your family roots or enrolling in art school and becoming a portrait painter after a career in social work. It might be committing yourself to a cause or to an charitable organization. Such a passion motivates concentration and fosters the healthy mind-set required for a good memory in the retirement years or at any time of life.

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