Of course, it’s all a function of modern life, but it’s incredibly annoying, to say the least. It’s one thing when you can’t remember to buy oat milk but another when you’re trying to recall the specifics of that magical second date with your now-spouse. Neuroscientist Wendy Suzuki, Ph.D., shares that we have more control over our memories and ability to remember than we realize. She points to memory athletes, who train for the national and world memory championships, to identify the potential power of our brains and memory. If you’re interested in learning more about the processes and training of memory athletes, she recommends the book Moonwalking With Einstein, by Joshua Foer, about a journalist’s yearlong journey in prepping for a memory competition and engaging in the mental exercises of the world’s top memory athletes. (Plus, reading is a great mental exercise in itself.) Also backed by clinical trials, the polyphenolic phytonutrient resveratrol has been shown to support word recall. At 150 milligrams taken daily, resveratrol has been demonstrated in clinical research to improve cerebrovascular responsiveness to cognitive stimuli, verbal memory, and overall cognitive performance.* In addition, a systematic review notes that resveratrol improves spatial memory and memory acquisition and has a significant effect on delayed recognition, a type of memory.* The Indigenous South African botanical kanna (Sceletium tortuosum), known for its mood-balancing impact and impressive ability to promote cognitive flexibility, is also known for its memory boost.* A clinical trial of 50 milligrams of Zembrin® kanna found that during memory tests, participants experienced statistically significant increases in alpha2 waves, which research has established are involved in memory function.* When you’re sleeping, the brain goes to work to clear out those less important details to make space for more valuable information. If you think your sleep has been subpar lately, check out these things that might be messing with it.
