Brew Up Better Memory with this Morning Hack

If you’re a regular coffee drinker, no one needs to tell you about the brain boost it can give you.

In fact, you might even depend on it for that daily boost in your mood and alertness.

So, it should come as no surprise that a key component of coffee could also be great for your long-term memory.

Coffee has a not-so-secret ingredient that science has shown can…

• boost alertness,
• decrease fatigue,
• improve exercise performance,
• reduce headache risk,
• improve liver health,
• and even reduce the risk of early death.

If you haven’t already guessed, it’s caffeine.

However, researchers from Johns Hopkins University added another big benefit to the list.

For this double-blind, placebo-controlled study, people took 200 mg capsules of caffeine five minutes after studying some detailed images.

The following day, those who took the caffeine were better at recalling specific details of the images they had seen on the previous day.

This indicates that caffeine can boost long-term memory.

Participants who had taken the caffeine pill were better at identifying new similar but not identical images to those they’d seen the day before. This might sound simple, but it’s a sign of a deeper, more complex form of memory called “pattern separation.”

Pattern separation refers to your brain’s ability to see the variations in images, like in one of those “spot the difference” puzzles. It’s a crucial skill that we use daily, allowing us to distinguish between similar experiences or objects.

The study was groundbreaking for a couple of reasons:

1. Timing is everything: Unlike in other studies, caffeine was given after participants viewed the images. This means the memory boost was due to more than just increased attention or focus during learning.
2. Long-lasting effects: The memory enhancement was still noticeable 24 hours later, suggesting that caffeine can have a lasting impact on how we form and retain memories.

Now, before you start chugging coffee, remember this study used about 200 milligrams of caffeine. That’s roughly equivalent to one strong cup of coffee or two regular cups.

So, your regular morning “dose” of Joe might be doing more than just helping you wake up. It could also be giving your memory a boost.

Just skip the sugar to get the most brain-boosting bang for your buck.

Plus, keep in mind everyone reacts differently to caffeine. Some folks are more sensitive to it than others, which can lead to anxiety or sleep problems. So, as usual, moderation is key.

P.S. Eat this FAT for a bigger brain, better memory… and longer life.

SOURCE:

Borota, D., Murray, E., Keceli, G., Chang, A., Watabe, J. M., Ly, M., Toscano, J. P., & Yassa, M. A. (14). Post-study caffeine administration enhances memory consolidation in humans. Nature Neuroscience, 17(2), 201-203.