How to Improve your Memory

How to improve your memory

The ability for you to have a strong memory depends greatly on the health and strength of your brain. As a student studying for a degree or a person interested in doing all you can to stay mentally sharp, there are a number of actions you can take to improve your mental performance. The human brain has an amazing ability to adapt and change_even in old age. This is known as neuroplasticity. Given the stimulation, your brain can form new pathways, alter existing connections, and adapt and react in ever-changing ways. You can enhance the ability of your brain to learn new information, and improve your memory at any age. The following tips can help you:

1. Brain workout

As an adult, your brain has gotten to a stage where it has developed millions of neural pathways that help you process and remember information quickly, solve problems, and carry out routine tasks with little effort mentally. However, if you always follow one pattern, you won’t give your brain the stimulation it needs to keep developing. The more you work out your brain, the better you’ll be able to process and remember information. The advantages of carrying out a brain boosting activity regularly are numerous. It teaches you something new and it is challenging thereby making you use your brain power.

2. Physical exercises

This helps your brain to stay sharp as it increases oxygen to the brain and reduces the risks for disorders that could lead to memory loss such as diabetes. Exercise also helps in boosting growth factors and stimulating new neuronal connections. Aerobic exercises are particularly good for the brain, so choose to engage in activities that get your blood pumping.

3. Get Adequate Sleep

Do not misunderstand; the amount of sleep you need to exist and the amount of need you need to function at your best are different. As an adult, you need about 7-9hrs of sleep to keep you from being sleep deprived, every minute counts and skipping a few hours makes a lot of difference. The effects of lack of sleep can tell on your memory, creativity, problem solving skills and your ability to think critically. Sleep is very necessary. In fact, the key memory enhancing activities occurs during the deepest stages of sleep, so if you’re thinking to enhance your memory, try getting enough sleep. Reduce the amount of caffeine you take, reduce your amount of screen time at night and discipline yourself to go to bed at a specific time every night.

4. Develop Healthy Relationships

This might seem unrelated to improving your memory but it isn’t. It is actually very important and has a lot of cognitive benefits. Spend time with your friends, man is and will always be a social animal. We cannot thrive in isolation. Relationships and human interaction helps to stimulate the brains. Having meaningful friendships helps to improve your brain health thereby improving memory.

5. Don’t Stress

If you are looking to improve your memory, you have to learn to manage stress as it is the brain’s worst enemy. Chronic stress destroys brain cells and damages the hippocampus (region of the brain responsible for formation of new memories and retrieval of old ones). Life may be very challenging and it may seem like stress is unavoidable but it can be managed. Try to strike a balance between work and play, never bottle your feelings, be expressive. Focus on doing one thing at a time instead of stressing and end up not achieving anything.

6. Laughter is the Best Medicine

Laughter engages multiple regions across the whole brain and improving your memory involves putting your brain to work. This is why you should not hesitate to have a laugh. Listen to jokes, make jokes (even if you’re bad at it, bad jokes end up being the funniest). Spend time with fun and playful people, lighten up!

7. Be Conscious of your Diet

Your brain needs fuel to function properly, eat a diet based on fruits, vegetables, healthy fats and lean proteins if you are looking to improve your memory. Keep your alcohol consumption in check as alcohol kills brain cells. Remember improving your memory depends on what you eat as much as what you don’t eat.

8. Take steps to Support Learning and Improve your Memory

For you to be able to remember a piece of information, you have to learn it first. This is what you need to learn to pay attention and process information. Avoid distractions, try to use things around you to relate the information. Use tastes, smells and textures. Write down the information as many times as possible as it would help you to remember things easily. Use mnemonic devices to enable you remember easily.

There are a lot of ways to help you improve your memory, these are only a few and if you follow through with these tips, you would notice a change in your ability to recollect. Remember to adhere strictly to a healthy diet. Your brain will thank you.