Chapter 9

Auditing Your Memory

Just as you audit your finance for errors, you need to audit your memory to know where you are.

This guide will not be complete without you knowing how to review your memory on your own. Memory is such a crucial aspect of ones living that we need to know how well it is performing every now and then.

On a monthly or even weekly basis, we need to audit our memory and know how well it is. Prevention is better than cure, and the earlier we discover an anomaly in the working of our memory, the better.

The fact that we are enjoying a sound memory health today does not mean the table cannot turn against us tomorrow. Many of us are currently living lifestyles that predispose us to have memory – and even brain – problems sooner or later!

For those who are aware of the risks their lifestyle already poses on their memory and mental health, we have little to say. But, to be fair, many others are living lifestyles; or making some real-time life decisions while being totally ignorant of the consequences it will bring on their memory and mental health. To these sets of people, we have a lot to say.

Just like every other organ in the body, the brain requires a good care if it is to serve us well as our memory and cognition center.

But for most healthy people, there aren’t too many reasons to fear presently since our memory and cognition power are not likely to fail instantly. Instead, they are processes that usually deteriorate over a period of time. (But its deterioration can be accelerated if we engage in some lifestyle and practices)

Fortunately, this particular nature of our brain makes it possible for its deterioration to be slowed or prevented – if certain actions are taken, and certain actions are avoided. Most of these actions involve our lifestyle.

So, this Chapter is written is to enlighten us about life actions/choices (and health conditions) that can either benefits or harm our memory.

It will be in the form of a checklist – you will be able to read through a list of actions you may be taking that can either have a positive or negative impact on your memory and mental health.

The rationale behind each action would be fully explained.

We believe that by the time you finish reading this Chapter, you should be able to do an objective assessment of yourself and know whether you have been treating your brain and memory health well or not.

In other words, you will be able to know if you are maintaining the health of your memory or not. You will be able to audit your memory like a pro.

While reading it, you can get a piece of paper and tick each entry a “YES” or “NO” as it applies in your case. For all entries, we have already indicated a “YES” or “NO” as a verdict derived from evidence clear to us. Our “YES” means we encourage you to take that action, and a “NO” means we strongly discourage you from it.

Let’s start.

1. Alcohol – NO

Ignore people and publications that claim alcohol is beneficial for your brain. Alcohol is generally bad for your health^[1]. Even worse, taking everything into account, it does your mental health no good^[2].

Most objective studies that have monitored the effects of alcohol on the brain have proven it is harmful to the brain not only in the long-term but in the short term as well.

According to a publication by Aaron M. White (2003) in the journal from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, alcohol can lead to disruption of activity in the hippocampus and thus impair the formation of new autobiographical memories.^[3]

Alcohol consumption has also been found to be toxic to brain neurons, damaging them.^[4]

To be really safe from the ill-effects of alcohol on the memory, and in extension, the brain and body health, it is just best to stay away from consuming it. Even if you believe your brain can get some benefits if you consume a small quantity of alcohol, there are better and safer ways to get the same benefit elsewhere.

Alcohol should belong to the “NO” group in your memory maintenance checklist.

2. Exercise – YES

Physical exercise has a lot of positive benefits on various aspects of mental health. At the most basic level, a session of vigorous exercise can instill a sense of reinvigoration and alertness in people. In addition, regular exercise, even if it is a light one, has a long term benefit on the brain.

In one article published on Harvard.edu in 2014, it was said that “exercise helps memory and thinking through both direct and indirect means” ^[5]

Indeed, there are several reasons you should take up regular exercise (if you have not) to enjoy optimal brain health.We have already discussed the positive benefits of exercise on mental health extensively in Chapter five of this guide. You can read it here.

Exercise should get a resounding “YES” in your memory maintenance checklist.

3. Eating Healthy Plant-based Foods and Animal-based Foods – YES

Many plant-based food and animal-sourced foods have been proven to be good for brain health, a popular one being berries, walnuts, leafy vegetables, olive oil, milk, egg, among others. We extensively discussed those foods you should consider including in your diet if you want a better brain in Chapter four of this guide, please refer to it for details.

If you truly want a superb memory, then you should start with what you eat. Your stomach is never a dustbin, rather it is a golden box that should only be used to store golden foods.

Healthy plant-based food and animal-based food should be in your diet if you want to supercharge your brain.

4. Air Pollution – NO

According to the World Health Organization, air pollution from outdoor and household sources causes about seven million deaths every year.^[6] According to the same source, about 4.2 million deaths occur every year as a result of exposure to outdoor air pollution.

These data make air pollution a serious health issue in today’s world. But unfortunately, it’s impact on brain health specifically are not well-known, and thus, it is not usually given the seriousness it deserves.

But there’s no gainsaying the fact that air pollution is bad for mental health. Several research works have linked air pollution to many mental health problems.

For example, an article published by Ali et al. (2019) in the Ochsner Journal mentioned that there is a growing evidence to suggest air pollution has a significant contribution to depression.^[7]

Furthermore, according to a publication from Front Public Health, it was said that “urban outdoor air pollution is a serious threat to healthy brain development which may set the condition for neurodegenerative diseases” in children. ^[8]

Polluted air should be a “NO” in your memory maintenance checklist. You should avoid it as much as possible.

5. Sleep – YES

Please make sure you are getting adequate sleep. What is adequate varies across age groups, but generally, you should target seven hours of sleep. Some individuals may need more.

Eating a balanced diet, exercising, avoiding alcohol, and avoiding air pollution are not enough to maintain our mental health. A dose of adequate sleep must also be included.

Getting adequate sleep at all/most times has especially been proven to be beneficial to the memory.

The positive benefits sleep can have on our mental health are numerous, and several research works are still discovering more.

The simple but complicated relationship between sleep and our brain can’t be explained to any reasonable length here. So, we recommend you read Chapter five of this guide (if you have not done so before) to learn how sleep affects human memory.

For “sleep,” “YES” should be your mark in your memory review checklist!

6. Stress – NO

Stress is a no-no if you are looking to take care of your brain and memory health.

You might have observed that it is easy to forget things when we are stressed? This is because stress acts by interfering in the process of memory formation and retrieval.

But the effect of stress on our brain health is not limited to temporary forgetfulness. Long-term or chronic stress can have many detrimental effects on brain health.

Chronic stress can subject the brain to sustained exposure to cortisol, a stress hormone. When this happens, the hippocampus is seriously affected, and this impedes its ability to form new memories.

We are quite certain that these are not  conditions you wish for!

To know more about why stress should get a “NO” in your memory maintenance checklist, read our full article about the relationship between stress and memory here.

7. Demonizing ALL Animal-Based Foods – NO

We understand a lot of people have recently embraced vegetarianism as an alternative lifestyle.

But we also understand vegetarianism comes in levels, with veganism being the most extreme of them.

A vegan diet excludes all animal flesh for consumption. It also excludes poultry and poultry derivatives, fish and fish derivatives, and crustacean.

It’s a strict diet/lifestyle that hopes to derive every nutrient from plants and plant-based products alone.

But is this a good diet for an optimum brain and memory health? Science says no!

By going completely vegan, you are eliminating or not getting enough of certain important nutrients in your body. Many of these nutrients play an important role in your cognitive and memory performance. And some can only be found (in sufficient quantities) in animal products.

The absence of these nutrients in the diet over a period of time can have consequences on your cognition strength and memory durability.

Some good examples of these nutrients are choline, creatine, and (heme) iron, which are all easily found in animal-based foods like fish and poultry.

According to a research work published in the Journal of American College of Nutrition, choline is critical for normal brain development.^[9] The article suggests that choline-rich foods should be included as part of a healthy diet, especially during pregnancy.

We have discussed the role of creatine and iron on brain health in Chapter four of this guide. You can read it for more information.

At InfovoreSecrets, we believe that a healthy diet should include a moderate amount of healthy plant-based food and animal-based food.

Science has taught us that getting a food from plants does not make it healthy for you, just as getting a food from animals does not make it unhealthy. Each individual should go for what is scientifically proven to help human health be it plant-based or animal-based. Just be moderate and make sure it is a balanced diet.

You should not avoid a food just because it originates from an animal source. Remember that your body will also be consumed by some organism when you die. That appears to be the way this world is designed. Getting healthy food should be your goal, whether it comes from animal source or not.

In addition, just like animal-based food, plant-based food may also directly or indirectly contribute to climate and health issues (when poor farming methods are followed as we have it in many places in the world).

We believe for a better world; we need to embrace and preach safe farming practices and safer animal rearing. More importantly, we need to eat only healthy food and also make sure we get our food from safe agricultural practices (i.e., farming practices that are good for humans and the planet).

Veganism should belong to the group of “NO” for proper memory.

8. Excess Sugar – NO

Consuming sugar itself (if the form of fruit and other healthy foods) is not bad. Consuming excess sugar (especially in the form of processed food) is what is bad. We all love sugar, but it’s easy to love sugar while downplaying its effect on our health.

Among the more well-known of these effects are obesity and diabetes (sugar is indirectly linked to type 2 diabetes). Both obesity and diabetes can negatively affect our mental health.

According to experts, there are several interfaces between diabetes and psychiatric disorders. ^[10] Even more, as observed in rats, a diet high in sugar has also been suspected of having a negative impact on the hippocampal region of the brain.^[11]

While sugar and sugary foods are easy to love and consume, their effects on our mental health are not palatable in the long term. Therefore, sugar should earn a “no” on your memory review checklist.

To know more about how excess sugar can work to negatively affect your memory, read our more comprehensive article on it here.

9. Spending Time in Nature – YES

If you have always spent time in nature, even for other beneficial reasons rather than health, please keep it up.

A lot of research works have proven positive relationships between spending time in nature and our mental health.

Time spent in nature can help you improve your memory, manage stress, boost your mood, and help you think creatively.

Experts have also posited that interaction with natural environments is beneficial to cognitive performance. ^[12]

Perhaps, one of the greatest benefits of spending time in nature is that it can be a gateway to doing other activities that are beneficial to our memory and mental health.

Activities like physical exercises, social gatherings, sleeping, and avoiding polluted air have all been proven to be good for human memory. Fortunately, they are also activities that are easily conducted in a natural environment.

Hope you have already given “time in nature” a “YES” in your memory review/maintenance checklist?

10. Smoking – NO

In this 21st century, it’s almost unnecessary to still tell anyone that smoking is bad for their health.

But unfortunately, many people are still hooked to smoking even despite glaring pieces of evidence that it is bad for them.

Among the many well-known health hazards posed by smoking (e.g., lung cancer), little regard is often paid to its effects on mental health. Smoking is inherently bad for anyone looking to improve their memory.

We believe that anecdotes and statistics are enough to convince present smokers that smoking can ultimately ruin their mental health. In addition, there are quite a number of scientific research works that have documented the process through which smoking can affect mental health.

Based on science, the unpleasant effects of smoking will show up on one’s health if smoking is not quitted. This is a matter of “when” and not “if”.

In fact, according to Minichino et al. (2013), smokers are “more likely to meet current diagnostic criteria for mental health condition.” ^[13]

To enjoy your memory powers and mental health for long, “smoking” must be a “NO” on your memory maintenance checklist.

11. High Blood Pressure — No

Blood pressure can simply be defined as the pressure (force) by which the heart propels oxygen-rich blood to all parts of the body.

This pressure must not be too high or low. It must be normal for the body to function well.

When the pressure is too high, the force of the blood passing through the body can damage organs, and when the force is too low, it means some part of the body will not be getting enough oxygen-rich blood.

Research has shown that high blood pressure in midlife is associated with a later decline in memory.^[14]

Another research showed that hypertension and obesity escalate memory loss in people at risk for Alzheimer’s disease.^[15]

To reduce your risks of having high blood pressure, embrace a lifestyle that is anti-hypertensive. For example, exercise well, have an adequate sleep, don’t drink alcohol or smoke, reduce your salt intake, and eat only healthy foods.

In addition, we will advise you to see your doctor if your blood pressure is not around 120/80.

High blood pressure should belong to the group of “NO” for proper memory.

Conclusion

The care for your memory cannot be an effort that will yield results in a single day. It will require a fairly long period of dedication and discipline in its care before you can start seeing results.

However, we believe the checklist we have provided above should be able to tell you what you are currently doing well and where you need to improve in your memory maintenance.

Disclaimer: This article and the recommendations therein should not be used as a substitute for advice from a qualified doctor or clinician.

References:

1. Griswold, Max G et al. “Alcohol Use And Burden For 195 Countries And Territories, 1990–2016: A Systematic Analysis For The Global Burden Of Disease Study 2016”. The Lancet, vol 392, no. 10152, 2018, pp. 1015-1035. Elsevier BV, doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(18)31310-2. Accessed 24 Oct 2020.
2. Topiwala, Anya et al. “Moderate Alcohol Consumption As Risk Factor For Adverse Brain Outcomes And Cognitive Decline: Longitudinal Cohort Study”. BMJ, 2017, p. j2353. BMJ, doi:10.1136/bmj.j2353. Accessed 24 Oct 2020.
3. “What Happened? Alcohol, Memory Blackouts, And The Brain”. Pubs.Niaaa.Nih.Gov, 2020, https://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh27-2/186-196.htm. Accessed 24 Oct 2020.
4. Tateno, Masaru, and Toshikazu Saito. “Biological Studies On Alcohol-Induced Neuronal Damage”. Psychiatry Investigation, vol 5, no. 1, 2008, p. 21. Korean Neuropsychiatric Association, doi:10.4306/pi.2008.5.1.21. Accessed 24 Oct 2020.
5. Godman, Heidi. “Regular Exercise Changes The Brain To Improve Memory, Thinking Skills – Harvard Health Blog”. Harvard Health Blog, 2014, https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/regular-exercise-changes-brain-improve-memory-thinking-skills-201404097110. Accessed 27 Oct 2020.
6. “Air Pollution”. Who.Int, 2020, https://www.who.int/health-topics/air-pollution#tab=tab_1. Accessed 27 Oct 2020.
7. Ali, Naureen A., and Adeel Khoja. “Growing Evidence For The Impact Of Air Pollution On Depression”. Ochsner Journal, vol 19, no. 1, 2019, pp. 4-4. Ochsner Journal, doi:10.31486/toj.19.0011. Accessed 27 Oct 2020.
8. D’Angiulli, Amedeo. “Severe Urban Outdoor Air Pollution And Children’S Structural And Functional Brain Development, From Evidence To Precautionary Strategic Action”. Frontiers In Public Health, vol 6, 2018. Frontiers Media SA, doi:10.3389/fpubh.2018.00095. Accessed 27 Oct 2020.
9. Zeisel, Steven H. “Nutritional Importance Of Choline For Brain Development”. Journal Of The American College Of Nutrition, vol 23, no. sup6, 2004, pp. 621S-626S. Informa UK Limited, doi:10.1080/07315724.2004.10719433. Accessed 27 Oct 2020.
10. Balhara, Yatan PalSingh. “Diabetes And Psychiatric Disorders”. Indian Journal Of Endocrinology And Metabolism, vol 15, no. 4, 2011, p. 274. Medknow, doi:10.4103/2230-8210.85579. Accessed 27 Oct 2020.
11. Molteni, R et al. “A High-Fat, Refined Sugar Diet Reduces Hippocampal Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor, Neuronal Plasticity, And Learning”. Neuroscience, vol 112, no. 4, 2002, pp. 803-814. Elsevier BV, doi:10.1016/s0306-4522(02)00123-9. Accessed 27 Oct 2020.
12. Stenfors, Cecilia U. D. et al. “Positive Effects Of Nature On Cognitive Performance Across Multiple Experiments: Test Order But Not Affect Modulates The Cognitive Effects”. Frontiers In Psychology, vol 10, 2019. Frontiers Media SA, doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01413. Accessed 27 Oct 2020.
13. Minichino, Amedeo et al. “Smoking Behaviour And Mental Health Disorders—Mutual Influences And Implications For Therapy”. International Journal Of Environmental Research And Public Health, vol 10, no. 10, 2013, pp. 4790-4811. MDPI AG, doi:10.3390/ijerph10104790. Accessed 27 Oct 2020.
14. Merz, Beverly. “High Blood Pressure In Midlife Linked To Later Decline In Memory, Thinking Skills – Harvard Health Blog”. Harvard Health Blog, 2014, https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/high-blood-pressure-midlife-linked-later-declines-memory-thinking-skills-201408077320. Accessed 29 Oct 2020.
15. Clark, L., Koscik, R., Allison, S., Berman, S., Norton, D., Carlsson, C., Betthauser, T., Bendlin, B., Christian, B., Chin, N., Asthana, S. and Johnson, S. (2019). Hypertension and obesity moderate the relationship between β-amyloid and cognitive decline in midlife. Alzheimer’s & Dementia, 15(3), pp.418-428