Many people think that your memory naturally deteriorates as you get older and there’s nothing that can be done to stop it. Thankfully, that is not the case. In this article we’ll show you what kind of steps you can take to retain or even strengthen your memory regardless of your age.
Try taking a brain boosting vitamin. Certain nutrients have been shown to affect our memory and brain function overall. Ginko Biloba and others are quite often considered to be the best at it. Take a vitamin that is geared towards memory retention or look for ways to incorporate foods rich in these nutrients into your diet.
Take advantage of social networking sites to remember birthdays. Take the time to invite all your friends to join you on your social networking site, and be sure to ask them when their birthdays are and enter this information in the birthday reminder program provided so that you will always be notified in advance.
A key to keeping your memory sharp as a tack is to keep up your social relationships. By surrounding yourself with friends and family, especially those that you consider a great support system, you are helping your memory to stay alive. Research actually shows that those with the most active lifestyle showed the slowest rate of memory loss.
If you are searching for ways to increase your memory, then work with others and collaborate on ideas with them. When you do this, your brain fires in a different way than it does when you work on something alone. Bounce ideas off others and see how differently you begin to think.
To help prevent memory loss, you should regularly spend time socializing with your friends. Interacting with friends and loved ones in a social setting helps to prevent stress and depression, both of which seriously impede memory function. Clear time in your schedule to relax and enjoy your friends. Your memory will thank you for it.
Keep lists of everything. Keep a shopping list at all times. Hang it on your refrigerator. Every time you think of something you need, add it to the list. This will help make sure you don’t forget anything. Keep lists for other things as well, such as things that need done around your house.
Try to avoid food high in salt and saturated fats, including fast food. It has been scientifically proven that these foods can lead to carotid artery disease, which cuts off the brain’s oxygen supply. Losing oxygen prevents the part of the brain that holds memory from learning and obtaining information.
One way to improve memory is to employ mnemonics. For example, when musicians learn the treble clef they learn “every good boy deserves fudge.” This simplifies the learning of the notes on the lines of the treble clef without overly burdening the memory. Simple mnemonic device make learning new things much easier.
A great tip that can help you improve your memory is to relate the information you want to remember to something you already know. This is a great way to prevent a piece of information from getting lost in the shuffle. Relating information can be a great way to improve your memory.
Recognize that your memories might be biased. How you perceive the world will always be from your point of view. Because of that, your memories of things will always be ever so slightly biased in your favor. It is important to recognize and compensate for this. To recall an event correctly, try recalling it from an objective point of view.
Try using mnemonic devices to aid in recall. A mnemonic is a way to remember information. One mnemonic is word association. Think of a word or phrase you are familiar with to remind yourself of the thing you wish to remember. Rhymes, songs, and humorous images make good mnemonics.
One way to improve memory is by building a “memory tree.” If you have something complex that you must remember, work on the basic elements of it first. The bits of detailed knowledge are like limbs extending from the tree trunk. Finally, put leaves on the branches, the smaller details. The mind remembers things visually better that it does through words. This kind of organizing can be helpful.
Get sufficient sleep. Getting enough sleep is important to keeping your memory sharp. When you are asleep, your brain disposes of unnecessary memories and forms more storage for new information. If you fail to get enough sleep, your brain doesn’t have enough time to recharge. You will find you have trouble focusing.
As stated in the beginning of this article, you don’t have to let your memories slip away just because the years are stacking up on you. Knowing what you can do to improve your memory can make a huge difference on how much you remember and how often you are able to remember it.