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Dr. Afef Hammami, a specialist in geriatrics (with a focus on Alzheimer's disease), called on Sunday to avoid anything that could destroy memory and, consequently, concentration, including prolonged and continuous sitting for 7 hours, excessive coffee consumption, and prolonged smartphone use. Hammami added, in a statement to the Tunis Afrique Presse (TAP) agency, that several studies have proven the negative impact of certain daily habits on the quality of memory and concentration, including sitting for more than 7 hours, which leads to a 12% reduction in memory activity, according to a global scientific study. She indicated that another study showed that the rate of distraction among young people increased by 30% over the past five years due to smartphone use, while another study revealed that more than 50% of adults suffer from concentration difficulties in professional and academic environments. The speaker emphasized that memory is the ability to store and retrieve information, while concentration is the ability to direct attention to a specific activity without distraction, and that there is a strong and complementary relationship between the two components. She insisted, in this regard, on the need to practice physical activity to improve and maintain memory activity, as a global study has proven that exercising for 30 minutes improves memory by 15% the next day. Additionally, recent studies have shown that the brain remains capable of learning and remodeling nerve cells throughout life. In a similar context, Hammami called for avoiding multiple activities and multitasking at the same time, adopting smart sleep (sleeping 6-8 hours while turning off phones), avoiding coffee consumption after 4 pm, and taking intermittent breaks after each activity. She also urged adopting a healthy diet by prioritizing "Omega 3", various vegetables, and dark chocolate, and training the brain daily to improve memory activity through reflection games and reading for at least 10 minutes a day.
