Memory lapses: you remember what you truly hear.

Memory lapses always seem to happen in front of someone. You're at a business dinner, about to introduce a supplier you've known for three years, and the name has gone.

Then it's the keys, and the sentence lost mid-meeting. I hear it often from the business owners and managers I work with, usually in a lowered voice. Divided attention, short sleep and long-running stress tend to be behind it. Some signs, though, are for your doctor.

How they show up

• The name you've just heard. Ten seconds later it's gone.
• Keys, glasses, phone. Put down while your mind was elsewhere.
• The room. You walk into the kitchen and wonder what you came for.

What causes memory lapses?

Usually the information went in badly, or your brain had too little time to store it. What counts is your attention at the time, and your sleep and stress in recent weeks.

Only what you listen to goes in. Put your keys down while answering a message and that action never gets filed. Later you hunt for a memory never recorded. Names are the same: as you're told one, you're already planning your reply.

Memory is locked in overnight. In the second, dreaming half of the night, your brain sorts the day and files it. A 5.30am alarm cuts exactly that part, and evening alcohol tends to break it up. After a few short nights, small lapses soon follow.

Memory lapses and stress. A short burst of tension sharpens you. When pressure drags on, your stress hormones lose their rhythm and your memory can suffer. In tense spells it's easy to forget more.

Sugar and the chair. Years of blood sugar spikes can take a toll on the brain. And the chair takes away a valuable stimulus: movement.

How to improve your memory, starting tonight

Protect the end of the night. Seven to eight hours, same alarm every day. Early start? Go to bed earlier, so the end of the night stays whole. Wine: one glass with dinner, on evenings you choose.

Move: strength and steps. With regular exercise, the part of the brain that stores memories can grow new cells. Strength and stamina both count: two strength sessions a week and seven to eight thousand steps a day, some brisk. In studies of stamina work, the effect showed after about three months.

The name, twice. As soon as you hear it, say it back: 'Good to meet you, Mark.' That way you hear it twice. Use it again as you leave.

One place, and say it aloud. Keys, glasses and wallet, always by the door. If you put them elsewhere, say so: 'keys on the table'. Saying it makes you notice.

Write, by hand. In meetings, take your notes on paper. Writing slowly makes you pick the essentials, and they usually stick better.

Water and plate. About 30 millilitres of water per kilo a day. Run short and your head works less well. At lunch, vegetables and protein before carbs, so blood sugar rises more slowly.

Start with tonight's sleep and the next name you hear. Memory responds to habits, well past fifty. And if a sign worries you, your doctor comes first.