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To support memory as you age, focus on the basics: stay physically active, get enough sleep, manage health conditions, review medicines with a clinician, address hearing or vision problems, and keep learning and connecting with others. Calendars, notes, and task lists can make everyday tasks easier. None of these steps guarantees that you will prevent dementia or stop memory changes. If forgetfulness is persistent, worsening, or interfering with daily life, talk with a health-care professional.
What memory changes are normal—and what deserves attention?
Occasionally forgetting a name or where you put something can happen with normal aging. More concerning changes interfere with familiar routines or safety. The National Institute on Aging (NIA) advises seeking an assessment for signs such as:
- Asking the same questions repeatedly.
- Getting lost in familiar places or having trouble following familiar directions.
- Struggling to follow a familiar recipe or complete everyday tasks.
- Increasing confusion about time or place.
- Difficulty managing personal care or staying safe.
These signs do not identify a cause by themselves. A clinician can assess memory changes and consider whether health conditions, medicines, sleep problems, or other factors may be contributing. NIA’s guidance on memory problems, forgetfulness, and aging explains when changes may warrant attention.
Build habits that support overall brain and physical health
Move regularly, at a suitable pace
Federal physical-activity guidelines cited by NIA recommend at least 150 minutes (2.5 hours) of activity per week for adults. Choose activity that fits your abilities and health, and build a routine you can sustain. NIA notes that research links physical activity with brain-health outcomes, but more evidence is needed to establish its role in preventing cognitive decline. If you are inactive and considering vigorous exercise, ask a clinician what is appropriate for you.
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Protect sleep
NIA generally recommends seven to nine hours of sleep each night for older adults. Sleep supports learning and storing memories, and poor-quality sleep can contribute to memory problems. If sleep is regularly disrupted or unrefreshing, raise it with a health-care professional rather than assuming it is simply part of aging. See NIA’s guidance on sleep and older adults.
Manage health conditions with your clinician
Conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes matter to overall health, including brain health. NIA summarizes the SPRINT MIND study, in which participants age 50 and older assigned intensive systolic blood-pressure control below 120 mmHg had a reduced risk of mild cognitive impairment over five years of treatment. That is a study finding, not a blood-pressure target to pursue on your own: treatment goals and risks need to be individualized with a clinician.
Review medicines and sensory health
Some medicines may affect memory, sleep, or brain function. Ask a clinician or pharmacist to review possible side effects and interactions, and do not stop prescribed medicine without medical advice. Treating hearing or vision problems can also make communication and daily activities easier; an evaluation can help determine what care is appropriate.
Hearing care should not be presented as a guaranteed way to prevent cognitive decline. In its 2024 progress report, NIA summarized an NIH-funded hearing intervention that found a cognitive-decline benefit over three years among participants with specified risk factors, but not among those without them. That result does not establish the same benefit for every person.
Avoid smoking and limit alcohol
NIA includes avoiding smoking and limiting alcohol among measures that support cognitive health. If you smoke or have questions about alcohol and your health or medicines, a clinician can help you identify practical next steps.
Eat nutritiously; be cautious about supplement claims
A nutritious diet supports general health, but no particular diet or supplement is established here as a way to prevent dementia. NIA’s 2024 report describes a modest memory improvement in older adults taking a daily broad-spectrum multivitamin compared with placebo, and a meta-analysis of three trial substudies found better global cognition after two years among participants taking a daily multivitamin. These findings do not amount to a universal recommendation: health conditions, diet, and medicines vary, so discuss supplements with a clinician.
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Keep your mind and social life engaged
Meaningful activities—such as learning a skill, pursuing an interest, or spending time with other people—can provide mental and social engagement. Pick activities that are enjoyable and realistic for you rather than treating any one game or app as a medical intervention.
Specific cognitive training has been studied in structured trials, but NIA says lasting benefits are not definitive for many activities. Commercial brain-training apps have not been shown to match the results of the ACTIVE cognitive-training trial. An app may be entertaining or convenient, but claims that it will prevent dementia or reverse memory loss go beyond this evidence. NIA discusses these factors in Cognitive Health and Older Adults, reviewed June 11, 2024.
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Organization aids do not treat a medical cause, but they can reduce the effort of keeping track of plans and tasks. NIA suggests using calendars, notes, and to-do lists. Choose the format you will actually use:
- Calendar: Record appointments and recurring commitments in one place.
- Task list: Write down errands or steps to complete, then check them off.
- Notes: Keep important information somewhere easy to find, such as a notebook or a digital notes app.
A paper planner is optional; a basic calendar or list on a phone can serve the same organizational purpose. These tools help manage tasks, not sharpen memory or prevent dementia.
When to talk with a health-care professional
Make an appointment if memory changes persist, get worse, or disrupt everyday activities. Bring specific examples: what changed, when it began, how often it happens, and whether it affects work, home routines, medication use, or safety. Mention sleep difficulties, health conditions, hearing or vision concerns, and medicines or supplements you take. A clinician can evaluate the change and discuss next steps; avoid self-diagnosing or relying on products that promise to restore memory.
For more on risk factors and the limits of prevention claims, NIA’s five questions about Alzheimer’s risk provide additional context.
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