Memory Boosting Supplements; How Safe are they?

For all those of us who are suffering the effects of aging and finding a lessening in the acuity of our brains, the thought of supplements to boost brain power and memory has to have crossed our minds. Of course what also crosses our mind is are these supplements safe to take? Will they have any harmful side effects and are they really as effective as they say they are?

Take Gingko Biloba for instance. By all accounts this is an effective memory boosting supplement that many recommend. This herbal supplement is extracted from one of the oldest known trees to man, which is also known as the Maidenhair tree. The use of Gingko to cure several ills, for general good health and well being has been practiced in places like China literally for thousands of years. So this is really something that is ‘tried and tested’ so to speak. Also the fact that this is a herbal remedy makes it safe. As long as the supplement you use is not spurious, is of a good quality, and free from any adulteration, Gingko is excellent for you and will cause you no side effects.

A word of caution while using any kind of memory boosting supplements though.

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Alzheimer's and Diabetes: The connection

For the past some years now, the link between diabetes or blood sugar and Alzheimer’s has been studied. In 2004, the BBC reported news of a study that demonstrated how having diabetes can increase a person's risk of developing Alzheimer's disease by up to 65%. According to the article, tests showed that speed of perception - being able to tell whether two things are the same or different - declined faster in diabetics than in healthy patients, by around 44%.

Recently as well, there has been much in the news to substantiate the premise that diabetes and dementia are linked. This CBS news article talks about how diabetes increases the risk of getting Alzheimer's disease and may speed dementia once it strikes. The article talks about how the damage may start before someone is diagnosed with full-blown diabetes, back when the body is gradually losing its ability to regulate blood sugar.

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Memory Tests for the Brain: See how you Score

It is well documented that in order to keep your brain agile and able, you need to challenge and stretch it; with the brain it is definitely a case of “if you don’t use it you lose it”. We have earlier looked at the kind of mental exercises each one of us needs to do if we are keep good mental health for a longer time. Similarly memory tests and memory exercises help us understand our mental abilities and help keep then in good working order.

This BBC memory test is actually part of a study where the result of your test is collated to a data base that the answers you give will help University of Edinburgh experimental psychologists with their research. I did part of the test; it was not difficult and I enjoyed doing it.

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Sleep and Memory: the Correlation

Did you ever give a thought to the phrase, ‘Let me sleep on it’? Have you noticed how things seem so much clearer and decisions so much easier to make when you have had a good, refreshing night’s sleep?

I recall how during examination days, I would study for a few hours and then take an hour’s nap. That seemed to give my brain the time to consolidate and retain that which I had learnt and studied. If I had a sleep break, I was better able to retain what I had studied, and the material was clearer inside my head somehow.

This is just my personal practical experience of how sleep and memory are linked, there is also a wealth of scientific data now to prove that an optimum amount of sleep is required not just for memory retention but also for good health and well being.

It has been shown that...

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How Memory is Created!

What is so scary about memory is how it is inexplicably lost. For the longest time memory and the functioning of the brain used to be an incomprehensible puzzle for mankind but now as psychological research progresses, we are understanding more and more how the brain works; how memory is created, how it is stored and how it may be retrieved.

I read an interesting explanation about how memory is created here: creating our brain memories is a bit like creating say a word document which will be lost after creating, unless you hit ‘Save’ and it is similar in the case of our brains as well. Our brain also enables us to first create the memories and then to stabilize and 'save' the memories we've created, which can also then be edited.

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Vitamins to Help Your Memory Loss

Can vitamins help with slowing or reversing memory loss? Well research and studies have shown that vitamins could be very helpful delay the onset or the severity of memory loss because they supply essential nutrients to the brain and prevent several problems related to memory loss. It is possible to provide the brain with specific memory vitamins for memory loss nutrients that help improve mental abilities and speed of recall, no matter what one’s age! Along with glucose, certain memory vitamins and minerals supply the raw materials needed for neurotransmitter production in the body.

Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant found in all tissues, including the brain. A study found that the lowest blood levels of vitamin E had the highest incidence of senile dementia and "cognitive impairment" compared to those who had the highest vitamin E levels. Another study also found

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Alcohol Related Memory Loss

I have experienced close at hand the negative effects that alcohol abuse can have on an individual, which I have talked about before. Alcohol related memory loss is not just about getting tanked in the bar tonight and not remembering a thing the next morning. Long term use of alcohol in larger quantities can have several undesirable repercussions such as damage to the liver etc. but also among them, memory loss. The effects that alcohol intoxication can have on cognitive function are not so well known. In short big drinkers are at increased risk of for memory loss and dementia.

As reported here, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. When the researchers compared data from 373 people with dementia (age 65 and older) and

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