Neuroscientist Rachelle Summers offers practical advice on TikTok for improving memory, including tips such as ensuring adequate sleep and practicing mindfulness. These simple daily habits not only enhance brain function but also contribute to overall health and well-being, potentially reducing the risk of conditions like Alzheimer's disease and dementia.
With Alzheimer's cases rising, particularly among older adults, adopting healthy habits early on is crucial for maintaining cognitive health. Last year, Summers shared her recommended habits in a TikTok video, which has recently gained renewed attention.
Five Tips To Boost Memory
In her TikTok video, Summers enumerated five daily habits that people should practice to improve their brain health. Here are her five tips to boost memory:
Sleep 8-10 Hours Per Night
Summers recommends ensuring adequate sleep, emphasizing that it's during sleep that long-term memories are consolidated. She suggests aiming for eight to 10 hours of sleep per night, aligning with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recommendation of at least seven hours for adults. Despite challenges in meeting this goal, some individuals from Generation Z are prioritizing their sleep schedules.
Aerobic Exercise
Summers underscores the importance of regular aerobic exercise for memory enhancement, noting its benefits across all age groups. Aerobic activities like walking, running, or swimming boost blood flow to the brain, aiding its function.
Practice Mindfulness
Mindfulness is an effective method for enhancing brain health. It involves directing attention to the present moment, which has been found to thicken the prefrontal cortex, a brain region linked to attention and memory. She suggests meditation or journaling as practical ways to cultivate mindfulness.
Challenge Your Brain
Summers further suggested engaging in activities that boost brain function. These activities, such as acquiring a new language or mastering a musical instrument, can improve memory by stimulating the brain and fostering the development of new neural pathways.
Practice Recalling Things
Finally, Summers advised practicing memory retrieval without relying on the internet. She recommended engaging in activities that involve recalling information from memory, such as trivia nights with friends, to strengthen memory skills.
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How Sleep Shape Cognitive Function
Quality sleep is fundamental not only for bolstering the body's defenses against diseases and bolstering immunity but also for significantly enhancing overall brain function. Sleep plays a pivotal role in memory consolidation, encompassing processes such as memory organization, hormonal regulation, and memory replay.
Sleep deprivation detrimentally impacts memory processing, leading to challenges in learning, concentration, decision-making, and emotional regulation. Thus, prioritizing sufficient and uninterrupted sleep is crucial for optimizing cognitive performance and memory retention.
Furthermore, as individuals age, changes in sleep patterns occur, potentially affecting memory consolidation. These alterations include decreases in total sleep duration, modifications in sleep architecture, and increased nocturnal awakenings. Additionally, shifts in circadian rhythms may result in earlier bedtimes and wake times for older adults, influencing the timing and quality of sleep.
Despite the potential benefits of technological interventions such as sleep-tracking apps in improving sleep quality and memory, establishing and adhering to healthy sleep habits remains paramount.
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