50+: Live Better, Longer

7 Brain Boosters to Prevent Memory Loss

Brain Booster No. 3: Mental Workouts

To keep your brain sharp, many experts say, you need to challenge it regularly.

"It's just like it is with muscles," says Randolph Schiffer, MD, director of the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health.

There is some evidence that mental gymnastics can help preserve memory, but some of the promises of computer games outstrip the reality of the benefits, researchers say.

"Nothing has met the gold standard," explains Doraiswamy. "If they had, they'd all be sold as prescription drugs."

Still, the games can't hurt, says Brenda Plassman, PhD, a professor in the department of psychiatry at Duke University Medical Center and the principal investigator of the Aging, Demographics and Memory Study. Plassman says she would simply caution older people not to spend money on something that hasn't been proved to work to help age-related memory loss.

"I would encourage people to look at various options for free," says Plassman.

Brain Booster No. 4: Sleep

Healthy sleep patterns are crucial for cognitive performance, especially memory, the experts say. That means at least seven hours of sleep each night.

Sleep is essential to lower levels of stress hormones, to relax and refresh your entire body, and to literally turn off your brain. "There are parts of sleep where memory gets archived," says Doraiswamy.

While it may be tempting to take over-the-counter -- or even prescription -- sleeping medications, be aware that many may impair memory. Check with your doctor about side effects of sleep medications, as well as all drugs.

Also, limit your intake of alcohol if you experience sleeping problems, as it can disrupt sleeping patterns.

Brain Booster No. 5: Red Wine

Some studies indicate that red wine is good for the heart and thus the brain, the experts say. Not all the reasons are understood, but many researchers believe red wine may be good for you because it contains the antioxidant resveratrol.

There is a possibility, however, that the benefits associated with red wine could come from other factors, such as the social aspect of wine drinking or income level associated with those who drink wine.

A 2007 study of elderly Italians showed that drinking alcohol in moderation may slow the progression to dementia in elderly people who already have mild mental declines. Defined in the study as less than one drink a day, low to moderate drinking was associated with a significantly slower progression to dementia among people with mild age-related cognitive declines, compared with nondrinkers.

Brain Booster No. 6: No More Multitasking

One of the biggest causes of failing to remember something, explains Small, is that "people aren't paying attention."

"As our brain ages, it's more difficult to do several things at once," says Plassman.

Multitasking thus becomes an impediment to remembering names, a recipe, or something you just read. That's because the brain first has to encode information before it can retrieve the information as memory. Unless the brain is paying attention and taking in the information it will later need, the brain cannot encode the information.