The human memory is a powerful and mysterious force. Scents and sounds can evoke visions of the past or allow us to recall a loved one. Losing your memory — struggling to recall names or stumbling over well-known telephone numbers — can be distressing. Here are a number of tips to keep your memory healthy and in top shape.
Make sure that your diet has good sources of Omega-3 fatty acids. Most commonly found in fish, these fatty acids do a superb job of keeping your brain on its toes. Numerous studies have shown a positive benefit to the brain when the diet contains omega-3’s. Try adding pink salmon, walnuts and flax seed, so you can get this essential fat.
Psychologists have found that one way for people to keep mentally sharp is to play games that are challenging on a mental level. The game functions as exercise for your brain, just as running does for your body. Exercising your brain regularly helps it to become stronger, which will improve your focus, concentration and memory. Popular activities with benefits to memory include word searches, logic puzzles, and crosswords.
One thing that has been proven to help maintain your memory and brain function over time, is socialization. Having a strong social group and lots of interaction and conversation with family and friends will help to keep your memory flowing freely both now and as you age too.
If you need to remember a complicated piece of information, use the mnemonics technique. This is a way of associating the information with something that is common and familiar. When you make that association, you can think of the common item, and it will trigger your memory of the more complicated piece of information.
We are more likely to remember something that happens to us when we are around other people than when we are alone. People are drawn to others, as a result we remember our time with them, rather than when we are alone. That’s why study groups work so well.
A useful strategy when tasked with the memory of new information is to restructure and reorganize the information. The simplest way to do this is to take the information and create a summary outline in a notebook or on your computer. This works for two reasons. It is easier to remember something that you have worked with, and the process also naturally reorders the information in a way that is easier for you to remember.
It is important that you stop drinking sugary drinks, like soda, when you are trying to improve your memory. Believe it or not, sugary drinks increase your blood glucose level, which in turn, deteriorates your brain function and memory. Instead, try to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day.
As you’ve read in this article, keeping your memory healthy and strong is easy and can be fun! Use these tips to keep your mind sharp and enjoy the benefits of always having the name you need on the tip of your tongue, being able to find your keys, and remembering the milk!