How To Improve Your Memory In 10 Steps

How To Improve Your Memory In 10 Steps

It seems like every week, a new study reveals some wacky ways to boost your memory. For example, chewing gum and sipping cocoa (not at the same time) were recently linked to improved recall. Not surprisingly, the evidence backing these theories is a little thin. However, there is a significant number of carefully researched. Science-backed methods to light up your mind's recall and retention. Here, 10 you should try.

1. Sleep

 The minimal you sleep, the more your cognitive abilities, including your memory, will brook, in conclusions of a study from Finland. Some new research from the University of Lubeck in Germany has also proposed that sleep is a time when your brain isolates and stores new memories. If you are sleep-deprived, your brain will not retain or recall information as well as it usually would. Also, no amount of taking-up sleep will get back those missing memories, the German study authors say.

2. Exercise

 Piles of research have linked exercise to a stronger memory. One of the most recent studies came from the British Journal of Sports Medicine. Among older women, aerobic exercise (running, swimming) significantly increased the volume of the brain's hippocampus—the structure involved in verbal memory and learning. The more you move, the more oxygen- and nutrient-carrying blood flow to and nourishes your brain, the study authors say. Essentially, if you want a good memory, you need to practice.

3. Chat with friends

 You probably do not realize it, but having a conversation with another person requires your brain to complete several high-level processes at once. You have to follow up on what the person is saying, explain the meaning of her words, and come up with a favorable response. All of that requires effort. And as a result, speaking with another person—even on the phone—is enough to boost your recall significantly, shows a study from the University of Michigan. Another study found that daily social interaction helps fend off memory diseases like Alzheimer's. 

4. Seek out novel experiences

If you are not challenging your brain with new places and information, your memory suffers, shows research from University College London. Usual activities allow your noodle to drowse into auto-pilot. However, novelty—whether you are exploring a new hiking trail or taking up Sudoku puzzles—can stimulate your brain and memory, the UK study (and plenty of others) shows.

5. Challenge your brain

 One study from Scotland found that people with jobs that require lots of high-level, complex brain processes (architects, for example) tend to have better memories later in life. But what if you do not have one of those jobs? Dissecting the information you encounter in top-down, effortful ways can keep your memory sharp, indicates research from the University of Texas, Dallas. For example, after you watch a TV show, try to distill what you just saw into its parts. What was the point of the episode? What growth did the characters experience? Make your brain work, and you will keep your memory sharp.

6. Laugh

 Stress, fatigue, and everything that goes along with it (inflammation, poor sleep) have been shown to mess up with your memory. Laughter not only counteracts stress but also improves your short-term memory, shows a series of research efforts from Loma Linda University. Just 20 minutes of watching a  funny comics videos was enough to boost short-term memory, the researchers discovered.

7. Meditate

 Numerous studies have linked different types of meditation to memory benefits. Why? Retaining and storing information requires focus.  Also, meditation embrace blocking out distractions and sharpening your attention in ways that support memory, propose a study from the University of California, Sonata Barbara. There is even evidence that meditation gets better cerebral blood flow—another memory-boosting side effectiveness.

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8. Eat berries

Numerous studies have tied the consumption of berries, especially blueberries, to improved memory recall. Berries are packed with flavonoids, which a UK study linked to improved vascular function. Because better blood flow is right for your brain, the flavonoids in berries could explain why the fruit boosts recall, the UK study authors speculate. 

9. Get your vitamin D

 The last few years have seen a big surge in research connect vitamin D to all isolate of health benefits. Numerous of those studies drew connections between the "sunshine vitamins" and both brain and memory health. One, from Oregon Health & Science University, attached higher vitamin D grades to improve verbal memory scores. Another study, this one from the UK, hinted that D might protect the brain from dementia. 

10. Daydream

 Several recent experiments have found that mind wandering may allow your brain to better catalog and store memories. One research in the journal Neuron proposes daydreaming actually helps improve your memory in ways comparable to sleeping or napping. On the other hand, multitasking—that is, switching quickly from one task to another without a break may harm your brain's ability to recall information, according to a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.