Baby Boomer’s Guide to Memory Improvement Supplements

The Importance of a Healthy Brain

The brain is the most complex and arguably, the most important organ in the human body. It’s responsible for our cognitive function (learning, thinking, reasoning, remembering, problem-solving, decision making, and focus), as well as our memory and feelings.

A healthy brain is, therefore, essential for living a long, and full life.

Unfortunately, just like the rest of our organs, the brain can deteriorate as it ages. We hardly even notice that it’s breaking down until it starts to limit our ability to concentrate, solve problems, and communicate.

Neglecting the health and well-being of your brain can do permanent damage to your body’s control center and increases your likelihood of facing future age and memory-related ailments, like dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease.

Before we examine the topic more deeply, I’d like you to take a look at 5 popular memory improvement products many Baby Boomers and senior adults are using to improve memory, focus, and brain clarity. Here they are…

---

Absolute Focus

Bright Brain offers simple solutions and easy to understand cognitive enhancing supplements that have been developed to help improve your brains’ ability to concentrate and process information.

Absolute Focus is a daily nootropic supplement that supports healthy brain function.

Absolute Focus promotes:

• Focus & Alertness without jitters
• Heightened energy and drive
• Enhanced Cognition and problem-solving skills
• Improved Memory recall

In addition to Absolute Focus, Bright Brain also provides great products aimed specifically at memory and retention, mood and depression, anxiety and nervousness, and sleep.

Bright Brain offers a 30-Day Satisfaction Guarantee
They also have a unique rewards point program designed to save you money on future orders.

---

Nootropics – What Are They?

Nootropics (/noʊ.əˈtrɒpɪks/ noh-ə-TROP-iks) (colloquial: smart drugs and cognitive enhancers) are drugs, supplements, and other substances that may improve cognitive function, particularly executive functions, memory, creativity, or motivation, in healthy individuals. – Wikipedia

The idea of a drug that can supercharge our brains is compelling, isn’t it? Have you ever watched the Bradley Cooper movie, “Limitless?” It’s about what happened to a business consultant with average intelligence when he started taking a fictional drug that gives the user super human intelligence.

In a recent episode of “Billions,” employees at Axe Capital (including Axe himself) start taking “Limitless” smart pills. In both Limitless and Billions, the initial result after taking these fictional nootropics was incredible and beneficial. But after a while, things went south for them. 

The supplements we are discussing in this article are considered Nootropics but you don’t have to worry about experiencing any of the side effects the characters in “Limitless” or “Billions” did. In real life, these supplements simply support our brains’ ability to function normally with some improvements. If you’re like me and you notice that your new “Baby Boomer normal” isn’t what you’d like it to be, the following information on BioHacks may be just what you need.

Biohack Your Brain with Supplements

What is biohacking? Simply put, biohacking can be described as do-it-yourself (DIY) biology. For many “biohackers,” this consists of making small changes to diet or lifestyle to make incremental improvements to your health and well-being.

In the same way, athletes take supplements to enhance their physical performance; some people hope to improve their brains’ performance and well-being with nootropics or brain health supplements.

These supplements can support memory improvement, clarity of thinking, focus, sense of connection, and mood.

Biohacking is becoming more and more popular. However, everybody is different, so what might work for one person won’t necessarily work for another. This means that it is essential to test and try out different products to discover what works for you as an individual.

Fortunately, as you can see in our product reviews above, many companies that sell these supplements offer very low-cost trials allowing you to test them out before making any kind of commitment. We believe that the earlier you start biohacking your brain, the better, as all memory-related ailments tend to worsen over time.

The Foods You Eat Affect Your Brain Health

What you eat affects the risks you have of cognitive decline and the development of ailments such as dementia and Alzheimer’s. One of the best things you can do to support your memory and brain health is to give your brain the nutrients and antioxidants it needs to function properly.

According to nutritionists, the best strategy to follow is a healthy diet that includes lots of fruits and green, leafy vegetables such as kale, spinach, collards, and broccoli. They are rich in brain-healthy nutrients like vitamin K, lutein, folate, and beta-carotene.

It would be best if you tried to get protein from plant sources and choose healthy fats, such as olive oil or coconut, rather than unhealthy saturated fats.

There is a great variety of foods that promote healthy brain function.

Fatty fish, such as salmon, trout, and sardines, are full of omega-3 fatty acids, which play a powerful role in mood and memory improvement.

However, even if you consume loads of such foods and brain-healthy nutrition in your daily diet, it’s still challenging to get the recommended amounts that your brain needs to perform at its highest levels and to preclude age-related brain degenerative conditions.

Fortunately, brain health supplements can bridge the gap between what we’re consuming and what we need for ultimate brain functioning and protection.

What are Brain Health Supplements?

Brain supplements, often referred to as nootropics, can improve your brain power, memory, thinking ability, and reduce the risk of developing memory-related ailments in the latter years of your life.

Given the multitude of essential health benefits they offer, it should be no surprise that the consumption of nootropics is on the rise, particularly in the US.

The term “nootropics” first referred to chemicals that met very specific criteria. But now it’s used to refer to any natural or synthetic substance that may have a positive impact on brainpower and cognitive function.
In general, nootropics fall into three broad categories: dietary supplements, synthetic compounds, and prescription drugs.

Are Brain Health Supplements Effective?

Many such supplements have shown promising results for improving and protecting brain health, and most of them are proven to help improve memory and brain function. However, keep in mind that not all brain-boosting supplements have the same effects on everyone. So, a supplement that works for one person might not work for another – and not all studies have found subjects to benefit from consuming brain health supplements.

We recommend you research each supplement you’re thinking about taking beforehand, especially if you’re currently on any other medication, and you should always consult a doctor or pharmacist.

Common Ingredients Used in Memory Improvement Supplements

Fish oil – Fish oil is a rich source of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosatetraenoic acid (EPA), which are both types of omega-3 fatty acids. These fatty acids have been linked to health benefits, including improved brain health and the protection of the brain against damage and the adverse effects of aging.

DHA, in particular, plays a vital role in improving thinking skills, memory, and reflexes.

Resveratrol – Resveratrol is an antioxidant that occurs naturally in the skin of purple and red fruits like grapes, raspberries, and blueberries. It’s also found in red wine, chocolate, and peanuts. It’s been suggested that taking resveratrol supplements could prevent memory loss and potentially slow down the decline in brain function you experience as you get older.

Caffeine – Caffeine is a natural stimulant most commonly found in tea, coffee, and dark chocolate. It works by stimulating the brain and the central nervous system, making you feel less tired and more alert. Studies have shown that caffeine can make you feel more energized, improve your memory, reaction time and general brain function

Phosphatidylserine – Phosphatidylserine is a type of fat compound called a phospholipid, which can be found in your brain.

It’s been suggested that taking phosphatidylserine supplements could help preserve brain health, and you can easily order these supplements online. Studies suggest that taking 100 mg of phosphatidylserine three times a day could help reduce age-related decline in brain function.

Acetyl-L-carnitine – Acetyl-L-carnitine, an amino acid produced naturally in your body, plays an essential role in your metabolism, particularly in energy production. Taking acetyl-L-carnitine supplements has been found to make you feel more alert, improve memory and information retention, learning capacity, and slow down age-related memory loss.

Creatine – Creatine is a natural substance that plays a vital role in energy metabolism. It’s found naturally in the body, mostly in muscles and in smaller amounts in the brain. It’s a popular workout supplement, and you can find it in some foods, particularly animal products like meat, fish, and eggs. Creatine supplements can improve memory and thinking skills for people who don’t eat meat, so they are especially well suited to Baby Boomers who are vegan or vegetarian.

Bacopa Monnieri – Bacopa Monnieri is an herb used in alternative medicine practices, like Ayurveda, and can be taken to improve brain function. It’s been proven to improve thinking skills and memory, both in healthy people and in older adults suffering from a decline in brain function.

Ginkgo Biloba – Ginkgo Biloba is an herbal supplement derived from the Ginkgo Biloba tree. It’s an incredibly popular supplement that many people take to boost their brainpower, and it’s available in stores and online. It’s thought to work by increasing blood flow to the brain, and it is claimed to improve various brain functions, like focus and memory.

Vitamin E – Vitamin E, also known as D-Alpha Tocopherol, is an essential nutrient for brain health and an important antioxidant that primarily protects cells from damage. It is often taken by seniors to improve their cognitive function and memory. A 2014 study published in the American Medical Association Journal found that high amounts of vitamin E can help Boomers suffering from mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease.

Zeaxanthin and Meso-Zeaxanthin – Zeaxanthin is an antioxidant carotenoid found in leafy green vegetables like kale, spinach, and broccoli, while Meso-Zeaxanthin is present in fish such as trout. Unfortunately, it’s almost impossible to eat enough of these nutrients in our diets to improve our brain health, so taking them in supplements is recommended.

Brain Health Assessments

How can a brain health assessment help you? It can allow you to discover your brain type, your brain’s risk factors, and develop a personalized supplement, nutrition, and fitness plan.

For the most accurate and comprehensive medical brain health assessment, you should see a doctor (ideally a neurologist.) But still, you can get a limited look at your brain health by completing an online questionnaire. There are many online assessments available for Boomers to complete, and they usually take less than 30 minutes.

Other Things You Can Do to Promote Brain Health and Memory

How a Proper Diet Supports Brain Health

Maintaining a healthy, balanced diet is important for general health and wellbeing. It is also well-established that a good diet can help lower the risk of developing dementia. As with general health, brain health declines with age. So, the protective role of nutrition in slowing down this inevitable neurodegeneration is essential, and it’s undoubtedly something Baby Boomers should keep in mind.

Recently, clinicians have been trying to uncover the specific mechanism by which a proper diet provides this protection. Researchers have linked a better diet to greater brain volume.

Positive diet changes have been found to affect the body’s white matter regions and the hippocampus. The role of white matter is to process and send nerve signals up and down your spinal cord to facilitate movement and sensation, among many other things. On the other hand, the hippocampus is heavily involved in learning and memory.

This shows that adequate nutrition supports brain health in key regions via the protection of structural volume and integrity. This, in turn, lowers the risk of developing dementia and general cognitive decline.

It is important to note that studies have shown both the potential benefits of taking a single food or nutrient and of good dietary patterns.

To reap the benefits of nutrition on brain health, you should optimize your entire diet instead of focusing on only part of it. While it is always advisable to maximize fresh fruit and veg intake, you will not benefit as much from doing so if you continue to engage in damaging eating behaviors such as consuming lots of saturated fats or drinking alcohol excessively. The key is to have healthy dietary patterns across the board.

How Physical Exercise Supports Brain Health

The benefits of physical exercise are extensive but often mistakenly thought of as solely physical. But increasing research has revealed a whole range of mental health benefits associated with exercise. Exercising regularly can increase your daytime energy levels, ability to focus, and quality of sleep.

It is also a highly effective way to keep stress levels at bay. The physical benefits of working out generally mean that Baby Boomers and other adults who exercise often have better self-esteem. And, those who engage in regular exercise often report greater levels of general positivity about themselves and their lives.

In addition to promoting better general wellbeing, exercise has a strong role in managing mental health issues. For example, in depression, exercise helps reduce inflammation in the brain and promotes neural growth. The release of endorphins also helps with general wellbeing in both depression and anxiety.

Furthermore, exercise serves as a good “grounding” technique. This is when the person focuses entirely on being in the present moment and often involves mindfully experiencing physical sensations as a way to manage difficult emotions. In PTSD or anxiety sufferers, shifting their focus onto the feeling of their feet touching the ground or their arm movements can help dissipate challenging emotions, such as uncontrollable panic or frozen feelings.

A common misconception is that you must be a fitness fanatic to reap any of these benefits – and this tends to dissuade Boomers from exercising.

However, countless studies have shown that even modest amounts of exercise make a statistically significant (meaning the difference could not be due to chance alone) difference compared to no exercise.

When exercising, listen to your body. If you feel you need a break after 5-10 minutes, then that is absolutely fine. Everyone starts somewhere, and it is better and safer to go at a pace suitable to your body – especially for Boomers. And with time, you will find that you can exercise for longer.

The key is persistence, and it is recommended that you try to exercise – however little – on most days. Just remember, no amount of exercise is pointless; it all counts.

Brain Exercises That Help Support Brain Health and Memory

There are a number of different, evidence-based brain exercises that can help promote brain health. They have been shown to help improve memory, concentration, and overall focus.

Puzzles – No matter the complexity, jigsaw puzzles are a brilliant way to sharpen your visuospatial cognitive skills. This essentially means that by looking at the puzzle pieces and figuring out how they fit together, you engage and exercise multiple parts of your brain at the same time.

Cards – There are so many different card games, but a unifying factor amongst them is their potential to improve your thinking and executive skills as well as memory.

Dance – Learning new dance moves can help increase the speed of your brain’s processing abilities as well as help memory. It can be any style too – from salsa to Zumba to tap. And there are many ways you can learn: class-based, online video tutorials from the comfort of your home, or as a group activity.

With so many different dance styles to choose from and various settings to try them in, you’re bound to find something that takes your fancy.

Skills (learn or teach) – Learning and/or teaching skills are great ways to have fun, learn, and improve your memory function. It can be any skill, such as learning to use a computer program, changing a flat tire, playing golf, or even learning a new language.

Music – Music has long been associated with its ability to encourage creative thinking. Whether you prefer to simply listen to music or want to learn how to play, there are brain health benefits to be had.