Forgetting is not just like that. Beware of stress and information overload<

The fact that our memory fails us can have various reasons: an unhealthy lifestyle, frequent stress, mental strain, lack of sleep, fatigue and discomfort, lack of stimuli, or, on the contrary, information overload (when a memory lapse represents in essentially a kind of protective reaction).

The most common cause of forgetting in old age is the overlapping of older information with newer ones, when a person forgets "one thing for the other", or extinction caused by time. Some diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease or fatigue syndrome, as well as excessive alcohol consumption, smoking and the use of addictive substances, damage the brain (and with it also memory).

Modern technologies also contribute to the "stunting" of memory. Today, people rely too much on their smartphones, without which they are sometimes not even able to call their loved ones.

The brain behaves like a muscle

The truth is that the activity of the human brain reaches its peak around the age of 25 and starts to deteriorate from then on. At first, you hardly notice it, but between the ages of 50 and 60, memory lapses become more and more frequent.

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The older we are, the more difficult it is for us to learn something new. Experts estimate that half of people over sixty suffer from so-called age-related memory impairment, after seventy this number rises to over 70 percent. Most of us accept this as a fact that nothing can be done about it. However, this is not true. Our memory and how it will or will not work is largely in our hands.

The brain behaves like a muscle, which loses its function when we stop using it (or use it only occasionally).

Have you ever had a broken arm or leg? Then you surely remember that after the cast was removed you had to go to rehab to regain the lost strength and mobility. It is very similar with memory, if you train it regularly, it will serve you for a long time and reliably.

A good memory needs training

In order to get the memory back in shape, in most cases it is enough to change the regime, eliminate some harmful habits, or include "brain training".

According to experts, we should start with targeted memory training between the ages of 20 and 45, we will create thereby a reserve for the next period. There are countless ways to train your memory, and it depends on what you need. Someone has trouble remembering names, others numbers, others have difficulty orienting themselves in space.

Those who want to improve their memory are generally advised to start learning something new, such as a foreign language, solving crosswords, eight-way puzzles or Sudoku, playing various strategic games that require close concentration (chess, cards, pexe, mahjong), possibly engage in creative activities. And try to get new information daily, from magazines, the Internet, educational programs on TV and the like.

Want to know how you're doing?

Grab a stopwatch, pen and paper and try to remember as many of the 15 words listed in the exact order as you can within one minute. Then cover the list and write it on paper, it should only take you two minutes: dog - castle - cigar - hockey - pencil - fairy - rose - hot tub - lawn - mountains - scissors - kohlrabi - lamp - steamboat - motorbike.

Did you write 12 to 15 words in the correct order? Congratulations on an excellent result. 7 to 11 words is still a good score, but 6 words or less indicates that you have some catching up to do. You can find many exercises and fun memory games that will improve not only your memory, but also attention and spatial orientation on the Internet.

Give the body the right fuel

The diet also determines the condition of our brain. The brain is practically constantly hungry, it needs a regular supply of nutrients, fluids, vitamins and above all glucose (dementia is manifested, among other things, by a reduced ability of the brain to process glucose effectively, some neurologists even refer to Alzheimer's disease as type 3 diabetes).

Sufficient sleep, regular exercise, a Mediterranean diet (fatty fish, fresh vegetables and fruits, olive oil, nuts) and good red wine also contribute to a better memory, but a maximum of "two" a day.

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