Is your level of stress affecting your memory?

Let’s face it. We all have things that stress us out from time to time. It could be money worries, relationship problems, or even just a particularly stressful day at work. Whatever it is, we all have times where we feel more anxious and stressed than we really need to be. But actually, this isn’t always as obvious as you might think. One of the key areas under attack may be a more serious problem than we at first imagine; our ability to process, retain and recall information.

Stress and anxiety can have a huge effect on memory, both short-term and long-term.

Anxiety and stress affect the function of your hippocampus, which is the part of the brain that converts short-term memories into long-term ones. Stress and anxiety are natural human emotions, but they can sometimes work against you. The hippocampus is the region of your brain responsible for helping you regulate memory function, which means your ability to process and store those emotions can help create a positive or negative experience. When stress or anxiety is high, the hippocampus takes a back seat and creates a less-than-ideal situation for learning, remembering, and dealing with problems.

The brain is not made for multitasking. It is not built to deal with more information than is necessary. When you tackle a new problem or task, the hippocampus works overtime to create a diagram or visual representation of the problem so it can be remembered. But if you are stressed out because you have too much on your plate so the function of thinking suffers exponentially.

You can help reverse memory loss with just a few simple health and lifestyle changes.

Cognitive decline is natural and inevitable, but if you act before it impairs your daily life, memory loss can be reversed and even prevented. To regain your memory and stay sharp, focus on these four areas.

Healthier Eating

What we don’t realize is how our diet affects the brain. Our diet affects our mood, our ability to concentrate, and even our overall health. Memory loss is one of the most common conditions today and a lot of people are not aware of how their diets can affect their memory. Studies show that eating a balanced diet with plenty of nutrients can improve overall memory retention. What's more, studies show that simply increasing your consumption of fruits and vegetables can increase your overall level of brain tissue. And the healthier you are, the better your memory will be. Drinking lots of water is a great way to improve your memory as is exercising.

Physical Activity

There is growing evidence that physical activity can have a positive effect on memory and focus. It can also help to prevent the onset of depression and improve mood. Exercise can help improve focus, the ability to retain information, problem-solving skills, and the ability to learn. It can also relieve stress and make us more resilient in the face of obstacles. The World Health Organization reports that nearly 60 million people worldwide have some form of depression and anxiety disorder. Physical exercises improve memory, focus, reaction time, and overall health. But what kind of physical exercise can have such a great impact on cognition? Believe it or not but the answer lies in the type of exercise itself. You see doing the same exercise routine over and over again isn’t really the way to improve cognitive abilities. Instead, you need new types of movement to truly challenge your brain and turn it into a memory machine. Some of the best exercises to do to ensure you’re building the healthiest brain possible are aerobic activities, which get the blood pumping and improve blood flow throughout your body. New research finds that a few minutes of exercise in the morning (or anytime), as little as ten total minutes, can significantly improve memory. This is great news for anyone who has been lacking the motivation to start exercising or who hasn’t had time.

Vitamins and Supplements

Vitamins are known to improve memory. There are over 500 known vitamins and nutrients which can improve memory in some way. While some seem to do it as a result of stimulating the brain's memory stem cells, others work directly on the brain's neurons. Regardless of the way they do it, any improvement in your memory is due to the nutrients themselves - not the other ingredients - so taking these supplements doesn't guarantee improvement. Vitamins are essential in maintaining and improving memory. Vitamin C can help stimulate nerve cells in the brain. Beta carotene is beneficial for the retina and eye disease, and vitamin E improves blood flow to the brain. Foods that contain flavonoids also provide brain benefits. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables can provide these nutrients in edible portions, along with other antioxidants and other compounds.

Stress Management

Learning how to manage stress can significantly reduce the likelihood of developing dementia or suffering from early memory loss. This is according to new studies which show that it is vital that people take steps to concentrate on living in the moment. Many people find it hard to cope with everyday life, and some even turn to alcohol or drugs for temporary relief. These are unhealthy habits, though, and can only lead to more issues in the future. Mindfulness is a buzzword that has been having its way in the world of psychology as of late. From stress therapy to sports coaching, mindfulness can be used to better our overall mental health and focus.

Stress hormones cortisol and adrenalin are responsible for memory loss and poor focus. We focus on reducing the stress hormones. By controlling the stress hormones you control your thoughts and emotions, you can learn to live in the NOW and not be a slave to your past or future. Also, Mindfulness can help you relax your thoughts, distracts from worries, helps to keep off the weight, and increases energy levels.

How can hypnotherapy and mindfulness aid memory loss?

Would you like to have a healthier memory? Do you suffer from poor memory or have problems remembering names and events that happened recently? If so, hypnosis and mindfulness are for you. Hypnotherapy and mindfulness are both powerful tools, which can be used as two separate therapies or in conjunction with one another to provide powerful results. Whilst hypnotherapy is unlikely to be a viable option for the management of a long-term condition such as dementia, the tools for helping to reduce the stress hormones can be extremely effective at alleviating some of the worse symptoms associated with memory loss, including focus, short term memory, and functioning and information processing. Indeed many of the techniques taught can help accelerate learning for better retention of information read and learned, especially useful for anyone studying or learning for an exam.

To find out more call now on 0797 4319510 or click the link below.

About the author

---

David Faratian is the principal hypnotherapist at The Cumbria Hypnosis Mindfulness Clinic. He founded Cumbria Hypnosis in 2006 and since then it has consistently been one of the highest-rated and reputable hypnotherapy clinics across Cumbria, South Lakes, and The Northwest. David specializes in a full range of psychological issues and has a dedicated site devoted to each issue. Visit www.cumbria-hypnosis.com

Contact Us