Memory can be a strange thing. You cannot remember last week, but you can remember when you got your first bicycle! If that sounds like your experience then you will appreciate this article. It contains sensible tips that you can immediately put to use in order to enhance your memory power.
Take at least a five minute break for each hour you work or study so that your mind can rejuvenate itself. Your brain will not be overstressed, and it will be able to better absorb the information.
The health of your body has a direct impact on the health of your memory. The brain is an organ just like your heart or lungs. Activities that improve your physical well being will ensure that it functions at the highest level possible. Take care of yourself, rest, eat a healthy diet and exercise.
One of the most beneficial things you can do for your memory is exercising. Exercise improves cerebral oxygen levels and directly impacts cognitive function. Since your memory is tied to your brain, keeping your body healthy in general can help your memory stay strong. Exercise has the added advantage of lowering your risk of diseases, like diabetes, which impair memory as a secondary effect.
Avoid smoking cigarettes to keep your memory from being negatively affected. Studies have shown that the memory of smokers suffers more than compared to non-smokers. You probably didn’t need yet another reason to quit, but maybe this will be the one that lets you finally put down that pack.
Exercise your body – exercise your brain. By exercising regularly, you increase the amount of oxygen that gets to your brain, and reduce the risk of illnesses that can contribute to memory loss, such as heart disease and diabetes. Exercise can also increase the effects of certain chemicals that help the brain to function at its best.
Build consistent study times into your schedule. To build your long-term memory, you need to fight the urge to cram. Cramming information will place it in your short-term memory, and it will easily fall to the wayside once the information is used. To really commit something to your memory, develop daily sessions where you study it with real focus. Keep it consistent, and you will soon find the information is with you for the long haul!
Putting information into categories will help you to remember it later! Everything has a category and compartmentalizing things in your memory by category can give you much greater recall. For example, chicken and hot dogs on your grocery list go into the category of meat and milk and water into beverages and so on.
Use memorization techniques and drills to continually challenge your mind to retain more information. Using these techniques and drills, allows you to improve your memory, while also remembering vital information, like telephone numbers and definitions. The list of data you can use for these techniques is limitless and can also, help you in your daily activities.
When learning new information, try forming a visual image of it in your mind. When your brain is forced to come up with a picture to go along with the information, it has to analyze it more carefully that it otherwise would have. This attention to detail can help cement it in your mind. Not only that, but you can use the mental image that you formed to help you recall the information at a later date.
Here’s a surprising fact about the relationship between memory and alcohol- moderate drinking can actually improve memory and prevent Alzheimer’s! Studies have shown that moderate drinking (defined as drinking two glasses of wine or less per day) can improve cognitive function overall and helps the drinkers score better on memory tests.
Pay attention to your surroundings and live in the moment. The more attention you pay to what’s going on around you, the more likely you are to remember it later. You won’t be able to remember things that you never experienced. Try not to dwell on the past or future while creating new memories.
Draw a picture! If you are having trouble remembering something – try doodling! Drawing relaxes your mind, opens it up. It doesn’t matter if you are a terrible artist. Just scribbling on a piece of scrap paper will do. Your thoughts will feel more organized and memories will come to you much easier.
Reduce distractions in your environment while you’re trying to learn. Your brain can really only focus on one matter at a time. The more individual things competing for a piece of your attention, the less you can focus on what you’re trying to learn. Being able to focus is central in transferring information to memory.
When you have a tough time it’s always good to remember something positive; and of course, there are many other positive aspects to a good memory Since memories are so so important, you need to do what you can to hang onto them! Why not give a few of these hints a try? You, and your family, friends and workmates, will be glad that you did.
