If you’re having trouble remembering what day it is or whether you’ve showered today, you might easily chalk it up to the blur that defines many of our lives right now. Especially if you’re home all the time and not interacting much with others, it’s likely that your brain is turning your ability to discern details and make memories into “an amorphous mush.” Apparently its the presence of visual cues and physical transitions that help us make and retain memories. So experts suggest walking around during the next phone call you take or using a notepad or diary to help complement and document the memories you’re making during the pandemic.

But there’s also the risk that the coronavirus itself may be dangerous to your brain health and memory-making capabilities. Physicians are already seeing such effects as chronic fatigue syndrome and loss of smell, along with delirium and strokes as a result of COVID, all signaling neurologic impact of the virus. As with evidence of cardiac damage, it seems that COVID is causing concern that memory deficits, cognitive decline, and even dementia will all increase as the result of the pandemic. The question is whether these will be short-term or long-term consequences. It’s thought that the immune response to COVID may be destroying neural connections in the brain that are necessary for memory storage. While we won’t know for certain the impact of the virus on long term cognitive health for many years, it’s all the more reason to make COVID prevention and treatment a top priority.

And if this talk of memory deficits is making you anxious to do whatever you can to shore up your own memory muscles, then take note. A new TED presentation by Professor Matt Walker, a noted sleep expert, underscores the critical role played by sleep in allowing us to absorb new information, lay down new memories, and store these memories in our brains. So slide under the blanket and watch and listen here. And in this summer season of fresh berries, it’s good to remember the nutrient-rich value of blueberries not only for heart health but also as a way of improving long term memory and recall. For an array of recipes to get blueberries into your daily diet, turn on the oven and click here.