Our memories play a large role in our appreciation of our friends and loved ones. Memory loss is not inevitable. Use the great ideas in this article to help your brain function better and improve your memory.
Psychologists have found that one way for people to keep mentally sharp is to play games that are challenging on a mental level. This concept is much like the way athletes exercise to keep their muscles in shape. If you challenge your brain regularly, it will be stronger and your memory, focus and concentration will all benefit. Some of the best games for boosting memory include crossword puzzles, word searches and brain teasers.
Sticky notes left in prominent places are a great way to jog your memory if you are having problems remembering things you have to do or purchase. Place them in spots you know for a fact you’ll look at frequently. An example is next to the cell phone or computer. Using these notes will help you remember important information.
Your brain is kind of like a muscle that you need to work out in order for it to stay agile. You can decrease the effects of senility by playing puzzles.
Brain Health
Exercise is one of the best ways to maintain your memory. Exercising helps get blood, and thus oxygen, to the brain, which promotes brain health. Keeping your body healthy will keep your brain healthy. Improved brain health will help to improve your memory. Exercise also helps to stave off conditions, like diabetes, which have been proven to have a negative effect on memory.
You can improve your skills with memory games. Not only will memory games help to improve your memory, they can also be a ton of fun. Other than your memory, these games often improve focus, attention and concentration. Search for some free memory games online.
To improve memory retention, try fish oil. If you find that your memory is sorely lacking, this could be due to a shortage of Omega-3 consumption in your diet. You can choose to take it as a daily dietary supplement.
When you visualize things you can actually help your brain recall things and you can boost your memories’ capabilities. Look for pictures and charts related to the information you wish to remember; these visual cues will be memorized more easily than words. You might also want to consider creating your own graphs and charts.
Teaching others goes a long way in helping improve your memory. For instance, if you have trouble recalling a story about swimming with your grandchild, try telling more people about it. That way, you reinforce the thoughts and memories in your mind because you are accessing them more often, and they become harder to forget.
Use day planners and calendars. Buy a pocket calendar and use it to write down anything you want to remember. Be sure you continuously look over your schedule. It will be easier on your mind to have these things written to refer to later. Your brain won’t have to remember as much and it’s convenient if you ever forget something.
You can help yourself learn by saying things out loud to help improve your memory retention. Practice repeating each name or fact that you want to learn out loud. By saying and listening to the information you wish to retain, you will be more likely to remember it in the long term. If no one else is around or you really need to remember the information, repeat it multiple times.
Making sure you get enough sleep each night is important. Studies show that people who regularly get enough sleep are able to retain memories more effectively. With an impairment in concentration, you will have trouble passing the thoughts of the present to long-term storage.
If it is hard for you to remember the names of new people, try to make an association in your mind. You could mentally connect the person with another person who has a similar name or with a word that is similar to the person’s name. You can even make this association with a famous person or celebrity. Forging a connection between two different people actually makes it easier to commit names and faces to memory so that they can be recalled in a moment’s notice.
In order to assist you in retaining information that’s important, consider using a mnemonic device. This technique calls for linking the new information with something you already know well. These typically involve songs, jokes or rhymes, and they’re an extremely fun method of improving your memory. These often eliminate frustration from studying.
Pay attention when introduced to new information and it will be easier to remember. To remember names of new people, picture the spelling in your mind or ask them how to spell their name. So, if someone’s name is Tracy, ask if it is with a “Y” or an “I”. This can help lock their name into your memory. Use new names right away, and you should be able to remember them later.
Try to study more things than you have to know. In-depth knowledge of a given topic facilitates easier recall. For instance, read different definitions of a word if you want to memorize it.
You can improve your memory by working out. As you keep your body healthy with exercise, it will support your brain’s function of recollection. Exercise helps provide oxygen to the brain, and it reduces your risk of any disorders that lead to loss of memory. Exercising activates the brain chemicals that work to protect the brain cells.
The very idea that you could forget something very important like your anniversary or birthday seems funny until it happens to you. This could very well be an indicator that you are prone to memory loss later in life. By using these tips, you can help yourself keep your memories alive.
