What Things Can Ruin Your Memory?

Memory loss naturally occurs as people age, but everyday decisions can affect your rate and amount of memory loss. To improve memory function, keep your brain active. Do crossword puzzles, take adult education classes or read the news. Meanwhile, write important things down so you don't have to worry about forgetting them. Keep to-do lists and write appointments in a calendar. Sometimes the things you do impact you as much as the things you don't.

Diet

• What you eat can have a profound impact on your memory, according to Forbes magazine. Gorging yourself on carbohydrates can increase memory loss because they spike insulin. When the body's insulin levels rise, the brain emits a chemical to neutralize the insulin instead of working to eradicate beta-amyloid proteins, which are found in Alzheimer's patients. Eating a high-fat and high-cholesterol diet also can speed memory loss, according to a 2008 study from the Medical University of South Carolina and Arizona State University. High-fat foods lead to inflammation throughout the body, including the brain. The researchers found that inflammation in the brain can lead to memory loss.

Smoking

• Smoking can increase your risk for both hypertension and stroke, which can lead to memory loss, according to Harvard Health Publications. Smoking in itself can impact your memory, although the exact mechanism remains unknown. People who stop smoking can repair their levels of cognition, according to a 2008 U.S. News report. Smoking also damages your lungs, and people whose memories are good well into their old age generally have healthy lungs. Inhaling cigarette smoke reduces the amount of oxygen your brain receives, which may affect memory loss.

Sleep

• Sleeping less than six hours per night can lead to memory loss. Not seeking treatment for medical problems that impact your sleep, such as sleep apnea, also can affect your memory. Continually missing one or two hours per night of sleep accumulates into a so-called sleep debt. Eventually, you get so tired that you don't realize how tired you are, reports WebMD. Researchers are working to understand why the proper amount of sleep is so important.

Stress

• Too much stress in your life can ruin your memory. Stress leads to excess cortisol, a stress hormone, which detrimentally impacts brain function. Cortisol prevents the brain from creating new memories and hinders its ability to recall existing ones. Chronic stress also damages the part of the brain that controls memory --- the hippocampus. When the body produces too much cortisol, the brain uses blood glucose to feed muscles so they're ready to respond to a threat instead of feeding the hippocampus.