Do you struggle with your memory? Always forgetting where you left your things, whether it’s scrambling for keys, misplacing socks, or walking into a room only to forget why you went there in the first place? You are not alone. You may think you are falling behind your memory, but if you rectify some simple, everyday habits, there’s potential for your memory to improve.
Robert WB Love, a neuroscientist who advocates for essential lifestyle habits to reduce Alzheimer’s risk, took to Instagram to share three habits that may be quietly chipping away at your memory.
Here are the three habits the neuroscientist shared:
1. Drinking coffee immediately after waking up
Bedtime coffee is increasingly common, an instant pick-me-up to get through the day. But it turns out it’s more harmful than you think. Even if you love your coffee, there’s a sweet spot for when to drink it to avoid the downsides.
The neuroscientist explained, “Coffee blocks something called adenosine, and if you do that right away, you are likely to get a brain fog or fatigue later in the afternoon. So if you drink coffee first thing in the morning, might probably experience afternoon fatigue. So the way to prevent this is to not drink caffeine until you have been awake for 90 minutes to 120 minutes, your body will naturally wake up. During that time, it takes a little time, if you jump rope or do something to get your heart rate up, or your adrenaline up or cold plunge, that will wake you up faster. But if you delay your coffee at least 90 minutes after you wake up, you have much more energy and your brain works much better throughout the day.”
2. Looking at your phone when you wake up in the middle of the night
Waking up in the middle of the night for a quick washroom trip or to sip water, you might be tempted to check the time or wonder how many hours are left before the alarm rings, but this habit isn’t good for your sleep or memory.
Robert said, “It does two things: the bright light from a phone will actually wake you up a little bit if you look at it longer than 10 seconds. So that’s not good. Number two, looking at the time can be very stressful. If you wake up in the middle of the night, and we learn that we have only been asleep for an hour, it can be really stressful for us. So don’t look at a clock when you wake up in the middle of the night, much better to simply keep your eyes closed. Stay in bed, try to fall back asleep, and it will really improve the quality of sleep, and it will help protect memory.”
3. Watching television before bed
The impulse to start a new series or watch something on TV is almost irresistible. But binge-watching before bed can seriously hurt your sleep, and in turn, your memory in the long run. Moreover, having television in the bedroom is not good for relationship intimacy.
Robert elaborated, “By the way, couple who have television in their bedroom have less sex. So that’s a good reason to get the television out of your bedroom. Number two you don’t want to watch television before bed because it really gets us excited, it increases adrenaline and this wakes us up and so you don’t wanna do that before bed. Number three, television screens, phones, or computers emit blue light which can be very stimulating, reduce our melatonin and also wake us up, so you don’t wanna look at screens before bed and you don’t wanna watch movies before bed because of the adrenaline rush.”
Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.