If you are concerned about your memory, several methods and techniques help you remember. Here are some practical tips to keep your memory working well to put your mind at ease.
A great way to improve your memory is physical exercise. While you typically think physical exercise is good for the body, it’s also an excellent way to increase your memory. By increasing the supply of oxygen to your brain, exercise helps reduce your risk for diseases and disorders that eventually lead to memory loss.
When a person is a night of sleep deprived, his brain struggles to function fully. Simple things like problem-solving, creative thinking, and remembering suddenly become difficult. Getting a whole night’s rest will maintain your brain’s ability to function at capacity. Enough sleep also increases your memory since the most significant memory-enhancing activities occur while you are in your deepest sleep.
Protecting your cells is vital to keeping your brain healthy and active. Eating foods rich in antioxidants like blueberries, strawberries, and other fruits and veggies will give you a leg up in taking care of your brain. These antioxidants keep your brain working in optimum condition, but they also may help slow the aging process.
If you notice that you are having trouble with your memory, you may want to regularly try running or riding a bicycle. Medical research has shown that running and bicycle riding stimulates the growth of new brain cells, which in turn, helps to improve a person’s memory.
If you’re studying, one of the things that you could do to improve memory is switching to a different area as you study. A change in scenery refreshes your mind, making memory storage and retention far more effective. It does this by waking up your brain. When there are any changes to your routine, it makes your brain more alert. When your brain is more alert, it can absorb, retain, and recall more information.
When committing information into your long-term memory, make sure you are in a location with zero distractions. It takes real attention to move information from short-term to long-term memory, and a distracting environment can make the task nearly impossible. Steer clear of areas where there are televisions, radios, crowds, or lots of visual stimuli.
If you have a hard time memorizing things, it is wise to try not to learn too many new things simultaneously. Wait until you have fully memorized a piece of information before moving on to the other. Learning many things simultaneously will just make everything scramble in your brain.
Improving your memory may be as simple as going out for a jog or a bike ride. Recent studies have shown that aerobic exercises can cause the development of new neurons in the brain’s hippocampus, which is considered to be the memory store center of the brain.
Aid your memory by organizing facts into topic sets. Create outlines of study materials based on similar topics rather than when you initially learned that fact. Your brain remembers things better if they go together. By grouping similar concepts and topics, you increase your chances of remembering those items later.
Don’t overload yourself with too much information at one time. Spread your time studying over several sessions when you need to learn something new. It’s best not to try and learn everything at once. Your mind gets overwhelmed with too much information, and the next thing you know, you will forget it quite quickly. Use a spaced study schedule to maximize your brain’s ability to remember the material.
Do not expect your memory to fail you. Many people believe that as someone gets older, their memory starts to wane. This is often a self-fulfilling prophecy. Anticipating further memory loss can hurt your memory more. Don’t let others begin to question your memory because it will only lead to you beginning to doubt yourself. Having an unshakable belief that you have a great memory can have a self-reinforcing effect, too, so take advantage of it.
If you feel that your memory is suffering, try to reduce stress, anger, and especially depression in your life. One of the primary symptoms of depression is an inability to concentrate, which makes it extremely difficult to acquire and retain memories. See a professional if you think this could apply to you.
Reduce stress in your life to improve your memory. Unrelieved stress can cause your body to produce so much cortisol that it permanently damages your hippocampus, which is the brain’s memory center. Other stress chemicals can interfere with your ability to store information, concentrate, or recall memories from earlier.
If you have a hard time remembering things, you may want to put information with a picture. For instance, say you want to remember where a specific store is, and there is a big oak tree in front of me. Tell your mind to think of the oak tree.
A way to improve your brain’s ability to handle tough challenges and remember things better is to spend fifteen minutes to half an hour each day playing brain teaser games like sudoku, crosswords, or electronic brain teasers. These games challenge and stimulate your brain in ways you often wouldn’t get otherwise.
Consider taking a Fish Oil or Omega-3 vitamin supplement to increase memory and concentration. Unfortunately, our everyday diets do not provide enough Omega-3. However, eating more fish or taking an Omega-3 supplement can help with that deficiency. Studies have shown that school children experiencing difficulty concentrating were given an Omega-3 supplement, which resulted in a significantly increased ability to concentrate.
Use these tips to help you improve your memory! Memory is one of the most precious things to have, so make sure you protect it and keep it in good working condition.
