No matter what age you are, it's normal to forget things occasionally. Yet when tearing around the house looking for your reading glasses becomes a frequent occurrence, you might wonder about ways to sharpen your recall and potentially prevent more serious memory loss. While there's no magic pill to keep your memory strong, there are things that may help stave off memory loss. Incorporate these mind-boosting habits into your daily life to grow your mental acuity and boost your mood.

People make decisions every single day to improve the health of their bodies—eat fewer calories, lose weight, exercise more—however, even though statistics show it's more important than ever to consider cognitive health, considerably fewer people make resolutions to improve the health of their brains. Everywhere we turn, an unlimited supply of unhealthy foods, legal drugs and electronics are at your disposal, all of which can have a negative impact on your brain health.

So, what can you do to fight back? What everyday activities and habits can improve your cognitive health?

Challenge Your Brain

Maybe you've heard that brain games can help you stay sharp by keeping neural pathways active. While this is true, it's variety that counts over frequency. If you play sudoku every day, for instance, you won't see the same benefits as if you add in other activities. Challenge your brain through word searches, crossword puzzles, reading, board games, bridge and other card games, learning a new skill, or even trying a new route while driving.

When discussing brain health, the first thing that generally comes to mind is cognitive stimulation or brain training through sites like Lumosity or Brain Metrix. Undeniably, brain training is important, but there are many other surprising things you can do to improve your cognitive health on a daily basis.

Get Your Sleep

Sleep is critical for brain health. Sleep acts as the brain's "self-cleaning" cycle, getting rid of Alzheimer's-causing plaques and preventing brain fog. Sleep boosts creativity and learning. Just one or two sleepless nights can have a major impact on the brain.

Findings show that poor sleep puts you at risk for cognitive decline and the development of Alzheimer's. It's important to get roughly eight hours of sleep each night. Although many people believe they can function on six hours a night, studies show that individuals who get approximately six hours of sleep multiple nights in a row share the same performance deficits as individuals who are totally deprived of two nights of sleep.

Even too much sleep can be bad. A review published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine reported that older adults who sleep less than six hours and more than nine exhibited lower cognitive functioning. Another study using PET scans showed that individuals who didn't have sufficient slow-wave deep sleep (the kind that is believed to clear out amyloid protein associated with Alzheimer's) experienced problems with cognition.

Follow these tips to get a good night's sleep:

The National Sleep Foundation recommends that adults aged 26-64 should receive seven to nine hours of sleep and those aged 65 and older should get between seven and eight hours of sleep.

Manage Chronic Health Conditions

If you have a chronic health condition, it can complicate your ability to remember things. Conditions renowned for their negative effects on memory include diabetes, sleep apnea, hypothyroidism, high blood pressure, and depression. Speak with your doctor about ways to manage your health better, so you can enjoy stronger memory.

If you've noticed recent memory decline, you may have an undiagnosed health condition. If it's been a while since you have had your health checked, go to the doctor.

Feed Your Brain: Nutrition and Blood Sugar

What you eat plays a critical role in brain performance and memory. Your food choices affect the way you feel, both physically and mentally, for the short- and long-term.

Maintain Blood Sugar Levels

Maintaining proper blood sugar levels is important for brain health. Additionally, type 2 diabetes can result from higher blood sugar levels which may lead to Alzheimer's disease. Healthy foods produce steady, sustained blood sugar levels. Poor food choices cause sugar rushes followed by crashes, leaving you feeling depressed, anxious, listless and foggy. To stabilize blood sugar levels and minimize spikes, avoid foods with high glycemic index. High glycemic index foods, including carbohydrates such as pasta, white rice, white bread, cookies and cakes, trigger spikes in blood sugar levels.

Some foods that help control blood sugar levels include raw, cooked or roasted vegetables, greens, melons or berries, whole-grain high-fiber foods, healthy fats, and lean protein. The Mayo Clinic offers examples of low, medium and high glycemic foods.

Balance Omega-3s and Omega-6s

According to Dr. Andrew Weil, M.D. and most other healthcare providers, most North Americans and Europeans consume a diet too high in omega-6s and too low in omega-3s. Not only is the correct balance of fats important for the health of your brain, the imbalance between the two may explain the rise of many forms of cancer, autoimmunity, coronary heart disease, asthma and many neurodegenerative diseases. An improper balance is also believed to be a contributing factor to depression, obesity, hyperactivity and even a tendency towards violence.

Essential fatty acids can only be obtained through your diet. The goal should be to consume at least twice as many omega-3s as omega-6s. In fact, 20 percent of the calories in the American diet is believed to come from soybean oil, which is high in omega-6s. This means that more foods need to be prepared from scratch to avoid too much omega-6s.

Foods high in omega-3s include:

If you want to know more, watch this video of Dr. Joseph Hibbeln, M.D., a psychiatrist at the National Institutes of Health and possibly the world's leading authority on the relationship between fat consumption and mental health, as he discusses the important role of omega-3 fatty acids in mental health and overall well-being.

Take Supplements

You might know that supplements play a role in keeping your brain healthy, but figuring out which supplements to take can be tricky. A good multivitamin covers your bases; however, if you'd prefer to take individual pills, consider taking vitamin C, vitamin E, folate, and a good B-complex.

Avoid Nonessential Medications

Don't feel like you must reach into the medicine cabinet for every single little ache and pain. Many people are overmedicated with over-the-counter and prescription drugs, including ibuprofen, acetaminophen, aspirin, steroids, antibiotics and asthma medications. All of these deplete B vitamins in the body, vitamins essential for boosting energy and mood.

Of course, if you need medicine, by all means, take it. And, never stop taking a prescription medicine without talking to your doctor first. But, taking unnecessary medications can increase the risk of inflammation in your brain, causing you to think less clearly and causing your brain to age more rapidly. Take time to find more natural ways to treat what ails you. For example, a diet high in omega-3s may reduce anxiety levels by as much as 20 percent.

Destress

Stress floods your body with cortisol, which affects your memory, sleep, mood, and quality of life. Find healthy ways to manage your stress, such as tai chi, meditation, yoga, massage, walking, reading, baths, and other pleasurable activities. Reducing stress can curb stress-related memory troubles and boost your overall health.

Stay Active

By staying physically active, you can boost the flow of blood to your brain, which could help your memory stay sharp. Strive for 150 minutes of moderate activity every week; break the activity up into small increments if you lack the time or energy for sustained activity. Keep it simple with walks, or add in challenging activities from dance to skiing.

Take a Class

Learning something new can help you socialize, while challenging your neural pathways. As you learn a new language, new instrument, or new hobby, you will engage different pathways in the brain. This can directly affect your memory and recall; now, your brain has a new set of active pathways it can use to recall information.

It doesn't matter what you learn so much as that it's brand new to you. Choose from arts, sports, games, language, music, history, and more. Lifelong learning institutes offer classes tailored to older adults, as well as the chance to socialize with new people.

Organize Your Home

If you're always misplacing things around the home, getting organized can help you find things and alleviate stress associated with searching for misplaced items. Clear out the clutter and give important things—for instance, glasses and keys—a place they always go. Place a notepad or dry erase board near the phone, so you can write down reminders of important things.

Place Houseplants in Every Room

Houseplants are a great addition to any décor. Not only do they look good, but they also purify the air. Pollutants in the air can have a detrimental impact on brain health. Here's a list of easy to care for houseplants studied by NASA and found to be great at purifying the air:

Move to a Retirement Community

In recent years, research has shown that loneliness negatively impacts quality of life for older Americans and causes adverse health effects. One of these is memory loss. If you really want to stay sharp, move to a retirement community that offers activities you enjoy. You'll naturally socialize as you take part in your favorite hobbies, and the socialization can do wonders for your memory.

At Havenwood Heritage Heights, we offer continuing care in a community setting. Every level of care is available, and there's even a memory care option. With games, gardening, a ski club, and a dance club, there's so much to do.

We here at Havenwood Heritage Heights understand the importance of cognitive health and memory preservation. Want to know more?

Contact us today to learn how our community can support your cognitive health and overall well-being.