6 Science-Backed Ways to Boost Your Memory

It’s perfectly normal to experience brief memory loss now and then. We’ve all forgotten where we’ve put something or not immediately remembered somebody’s name, right?

But, with age and certain medical conditions, memory loss might become more of an issue, says Vernon Williams, M.D., a sports neurologist, pain management specialist, and the founding director of the Center for Sports Neurology and Pain Medicine at the Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute in Los Angeles.

“Alzheimer’s disease and dementia are among the age-related memory disorders that can have a debilitating effect on a person’s quality of life,” Williams says. On the other hand, some health conditions, such as diabetes, thyroid disease, depression, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, and autoimmune disorders like psoriatic arthritis, may lead to a lack of mental clarity (often described by people as brain fog), which can affect memory.