Are you looking to improve your memory so that you get better grades or improve your work performance? Do you feel embarrassed when you forget a person’s name or a friend’s birthday? Fortunately, there are several easy habits you can get into in order to boost your memory power. Here are ten steps to improving your memory that you can start today!
De-stress Yourself
Meditate, take up yoga, laugh and listen to soothing music. When you feel stress, your muscles tense up, which expends oxygen that could otherwise be used for maintaining brain function. It has also been found that stress quadruples your chances of getting Alzheimer’s. As people age, the brain becomes thinner and memory loss is more prevalent, but people who engage in relaxation techniques experience slower rates of memory loss as they get older, thus keeping their mind sharp.
Eat Blueberries
Eating half a cup of blueberries everyday is a great way to get your fill of anti-oxidants. Anti-oxidants are among the best ways to prevent damage caused by free-radicals. Furthermore, they improve learning and memory by enhancing existing brain functions. Of course, blueberries are absolutely delicious, so making them a regular part of your diet should be a no-brainer.
Eye exercises
Several studies have reached a really weird but cool conclusion: if you move your eyes from left to right for 30 seconds before a rote memory test, you will see an improvement in your results. How? It turns out that doing so brings the two hemispheres of the brain in harmony. It goes without saying that anything that improves communication between the two sides of the brain is bound to have a positive effect on memory recall.
Drink Green Tea Extract
In 2014, researchers at the University of Basel in Switzerland found that participants who drank a beverage containing 27.5 grams of green tea extract perform better on memory tests. It turns out that green tea intensifies the interplay between the frontal and parietal lobes, leading to improvement in recall.
Play Puzzle Games
Crossword puzzles, Sudoku and Solitaire are not only a great way to pass the time, they are perfect for keeping your mind active. They help the brain grow neural pathways linked to memory and increase your problem-solving skills. In the long run, these types of mental exercises can even reduce the odds of you developing Alzheimer’s!
Exercise
Take up running, hit the dance floor, play basketball! Physical activity rushes oxygen to the brain, which is important for maintaining memory. In particular, studies have found that 20 minutes of exercise can make a big difference when it comes to memory function. It keeps the blood flowing, improves concentration and can even help grow new cells in the region of the brain linked to memory. In fact, even exercising after a test can provide benefits. For example, according to one study, people who exercised 4 hours after learning a task retained that information days later.
Take Catnaps
If you can find time in your schedule, take a 30 minute nap during the day. According to research study conducted by the University of California-Riverside in 2016, people who took naps were more successful at converting information from short-term to long-term memory. Further research has discovered that people who take naps are able to retain twice as much information that they have learned versus those who don’t.
Enjoy a Glass of Purple Concord Grape Juice
A study found that subjects who drank half a cup of purple Concord grape juice for 12 weeks saw improvements in short term memory retention and enhanced ability to remember lists. In addition, it can even help improve memory among people with mild verbal cognitive impairment. The key is to choose purple and not white. Organic is even better as it contains 40% more anti-oxidants compared to non-organic.
Smell Rosemary or Sage
Studies have found that smelling rosemary or sage stimulates the brain’s memory center. As a result, it can improve memory recall and concentration. In fact, philosophers in Ancient Greece were known to wear sprigs of rosemary behind their ears as they immersed themselves in deep study.
Be a Social Butterfly
Find time to meet up with friends and participate in meaningful conversations. Social interactions exercise the brain and are an important part of the memory rehearsal and retrieval process. In fact, just 10 minutes of talking has been shown to improve performance on tests, regardless of age.
