Smoking

There have been numerous studies comparing the memory performance of smokers to nonsmokers, and smokers always come out behind. Several studies show a direct correlation between smoking and decreased performance in memory for names and faces, as well as a decline in verbal memory. Another recent study included nearly ten thousand people and tracked their memory decline with age. People who smoked had five times the amount of decline that nonsmokers had.

There are two possible reasons for the memory decline experienced by smokers. The first is that smoking damages the lungs and constricts the blood vessels. This decreases the amount of oxygen that can get to the brain, which causes the brain to function at decreased efficiency and can cause some damage. The second reason is that smoking can cause hypertension which can damage the tiny blood vessels that feed the neurons in the brain. Without proper blood flow, the neurons will become damaged. The good news is that quitting smoking can reverse the decline and improve memory performance.