Justin Hartley realised at a young age that his memory was unique.

"I knew the power of the brain and what memory can do for people, so I thought 'why not try to explore what my memory capabilities are', and that's what I decided to do," Hartley said.

Now he'll be straining his brain with the nation's best at the Australian Memory Championships in Brisbane this weekend.

• Australia's memory champion
• Left brain versus right brain
• Alzheimer's treatment trial

But whether your memory is good or bad, there are ways to improve it.

Victoria Beadle from the Alzheimer's Association of Australia recommends we all make more of an effort to train our brains.

"There is some research evidence that shows that keeping the brain active does help with brain healing cognition and memory," Beadle said.

More stories from reporter Damien Hansen

There are over 300,000 Australians living with dementia, of which Alzheimer's is a form. Without a medical breakthrough the number of people with dementia is expected to be almost 900,000 by 2050.

Each week 1600 new cases are diagnosed - that's one person every six minutes, that that's expected to grow to 7,400 new cases each week by 2050.

An estimated 1.2 million Australians are caring for someone with dementia, including Hartley, whose mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's three years ago.

• R - Relax and make sure you get eight hours sleep a night.
• E - Exercise both mind and body.
• A - A positive attitude and a strong focus on what you want to achieve.
• D - Taking a DHA Omega 3 supplement is good at enhancing memory, and can be taken at all ages.
• I - Interaction and good contact with family and friends.

• Fight Dementia - www.fightdementia.org.au

This reporter is on Twitter at @DamienHansen7