The #1 Habit to Start to Improve Your Memory

Perhaps you see a familiar face and cannot, for the life of you, remember the name. Or maybe you’re forever misplacing your keys. Or you forget to reply to a critical email after a notification pulls your attention elsewhere.

These lapses happen to everyone and they’ll keep happening because they’re part of being human. Still, one habit consistently stands out for supporting sharper recall, steadier focus and better long-term memory: getting more high-quality sleep.

How Sleep Improve Can Improve Your Memory

Recent research shows that poor sleep disrupts the brain processes responsible for both forming new memories and strengthening the ones you already have. When sleep quality falls, the ability to learn, store and recall information takes a measurable hit.

Turns out getting solid snooze time does far more than give you a lift the next day. Sleep specialists note that sleep supports several critical brain functions all at once. According to Chris W. Winter, M.D.sleep plays key roles that include:

• Enhancing the processes that pump out waste products from the brain via the glymphatic system
• Helping regulate our circadian rhythm (our internal clock) and the timing of many of our body’s processes
• Playing a role in the balance of hormones and chemicals in our body, including testosterone, cortisol and dopamine
• Affecting our immune system and inflammatory conditions
• Influencing how we experience pain
• Improving cognition, decision-making, emotional interpretation, concentration and focus

In addition, “sleep helps to improve and consolidate memory,” Meredith Broderick, M.D. says. “Many studies have shown negative consequences to both short- and long-term memory when individuals are getting inadequate or dysfunctional sleep.”

Think of our brain cells like the staff at a library. At night, they’re sorting and filing details from the day to chronicle them as official members of the “memory” section of the brain. If this “staff” doesn’t have enough time to sort, their environment will remain a mess.

“There is a large body of evidence showing memory consolidation is higher after a night of sleep, with more improvement the longer we sleep,” Broderick says. “But even short naps make a difference.”

That’s because we’re learning that you need not shift into the deepest, dream-filled kind of sleep—REM sleep—for all memory support to occur. Historically, brain experts believed that REM sleep is the stage where all memory consolidation happens. New research is increasingly showing stage 2 and stage 3 are also important, Broderick adds.

“In general, the more sleep, the better for memory consolidation and improvement in memory,” Broderick says, assuming that sleep is healthy sleep and not something like insomnia, rest that’s interrupted by sleep apnea or extended sleep that’s a symptom of depression.

“Neuroscientists think stages 2, 3 and REM all play a role in sleep-dependent memory consolidation, and the stage of sleep seems to depend on the type of memory, whether it’s visual, motor or procedural,” Broderick adds.

Beyond that filing and sorting process that takes place as we slumber, another vital cognition-supporting task does, too. This is where that deep REM sleep comes in.

“One of the most important functions of sleep is ‘brainwashing.’ Our brain cells form metabolic waste, or ‘trash, ‘ during the day, and it has to be cleared to maintain optimal brain health,” Broderick says. “This function occurs during deep sleep. When we look under the microscope at brains of people with neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s disease, we see evidence they have more of these waste products in their brains.”

How to Sleep Better

Many of the strategies Winter and Broderick swear by for better sleep also just happen to be wise overall strategies to promote brain, heart, metabolic and overall health.

“Sleep is complex, and there’s no panacea for a good night’s rest, but one thing I recommend is that individuals experiencing sleep issues take a critical look at their diet,” Winter says. “People underestimate how truly interconnected sleep and nutrition are; what we put in our bodies in the hours leading up to bedtime can truly make or break how well we sleep.”

Winter promotes foods rich in protein and healthy fats, like salmon and nuts, which he deems “‘brain foods,’ since they help support memory, stress management and sleep.”

Broderick says that leading an overall healthy lifestyle, including the following strategies, can help you sleep better and, in turn, support memory, brain health and overall well-being.

• Try to exercise most days for 30 or more minutes; these best exercises for your brain are ideal!
• Incorporate brain-supporting foods.
• Focus on a plant-based diet and limit inflammatory foods like added sugar.
• If you think you could use some “insurance” regarding your diet, ask a health care professional if you should take a multivitamin supplement.
• Carve out time to socialize with loved ones.
• Up the ante by keeping your brain active with games and puzzles.
• Avoid caffeine and alcohol in the hours leading up to bed.
• Aim to get sunlight during the day and pop a vitamin D supplement during the winter.
• Turn to your preferred forms of self-care when stressed.
• Ban electronics when you’re in bed.

And prioritize yearly physicals with a primary care provider—or catch up at whatever cadence they recommend. Many of the age-related changes that occur in the brain are actually closely linked with our heart.

“It’s important to have a health care provider who knows you and your health history in detail. They should be coordinating preventative screening, in particular, for cardiovascular health risk reduction,” Broderick says. “As a neurologist, when I think of brain health, I immediately jump to vascular health, which is one and the same with cardiovascular health. Brain health and heart health go hand in hand.”

Understanding Memory and When to Be Concerned

“Memory is many different things. It can be knowing facts like a state capital, remembering how to play a piece of music or how to ride a bike,” Broderick explains. “Preserving what we have is an important strategy.” Winter agrees and adds that memory isn’t fixed—“memory can be improved.”

Brief lapses in memory happen at any age. However, frequently forgetting entire words, facts, conversations or events on your calendar could be a red flag that your brain is struggling with something more severe. When memory loss becomes increasingly common or impactful, it’s nothing to shrug off. This is one of many symptoms of possible cognitive decline.

Researchers believe that signs of cognitive aging that affect memory can start as early as age 45. Genetics certainly set the stage, but lifestyle habits play a significant role in preserving—and possibly even improving—memory.

Our Expert Take

If you want better memory, start with sleep. It’s the foundation that makes everything else you do for your brain more effective. Eating well, staying active, managing stress and keeping your mind engaged all matter, but they land much harder when you’re well-rested. Think of sleep as the support system your brain uses to stay sharp. Prioritize it, and the rest of your healthy habits will have a lot more power behind them.