6 Extremely Effective Ways to
Improve Your Memory
I could
overwhelm you with statistics showing how improving your memory will positively
impact your professional and personal life... but what's the point? Who doesn't want
to remember more?
So let's
jump right in.
Here are
six ways you can improve your memory from Belle Beth Cooper, content
crafter atBuffer, the social media management
tool that lets you schedule, automate, and analyze social-media updates. (Belle
Beth was also the source for two extremely popular articles, 5 Scientifically Proven Ways to Work
Smarter, Not Harder and 5 Incredibly Effective Ways to Work
Smarter, Not Harder. And yes, my headline creativity levels were clearly on a downswing.)
Here's
Belle Beth:
Science
continually finds new connections between simple things we
can do every day that will improve our general memory capacity.
Memory is
a complicated process that's made up of a few different brain activities. Before we look at ways to
improve retention, here is a simplified version to show how memory takes place:
Step 1.
Create a memory.
Our brain sends signals in a particular pattern associated with the
event we're experiencing and creates connections between our neurons, called
synapses.
Step 2.
Consolidate that memory.
Do nothing else and that memory could soon
fade away. Consolidation is the process of committing something to long-term
memory so we can recall it later. Much of this process happens while we're sleeping as our brains recreate
that same pattern of brain activity and strengthen the synapses created
earlier.
3. Recall
that memory.
Recall is
what most of us think of when we talk about memory or memory loss. Recalling a
memory is easier if it has been strengthened over time, and each time we do we
cycle through that same pattern of brain activity and make the connection
a little stronger.
While
memory loss is a normal part of aging that doesn't mean we can't take action to
slow it down. Now let's look at some of the ways research has shown we can keep
memories around as long as possible:
1.
Meditate to improve working memory.
Working
memory, which is a little like your brain's notepad, is where new information
is temporarily held. When you learn someone's name or hear an address of a
place you're going to, you hang on to those details in working memory until
you're done with them. If they're no longer useful you let them
go entirely. If they are useful, you commit them to long-term memory where
they can be strengthened and recalled later.
Working
memory is something we use every day, so it makes our lives a lot easier
when it's stronger. While for most adults the maximum we can hold in our
working memory is about seven items, if you're not quite using your working
memory to its maximum capacity meditation can strengthen it.
Research
has shown that participants with no experience in mindfulness meditation can improve their memory
recall in just eight weeks. Meditation, with its power
to help usconcentrate, has also been shown to
improve improve standardized test scores and working memory after
just two weeks.
Why does
meditation benefit memory? It's somewhat counterintuitive: during meditation
your brain stops processing information as actively as it normally would.
So
occasionally take a break to empty your mind. Not only will you feel a
little less stressed, you may also remember a little more.
2. Drink
coffee to improve memory consolidation.
Whether
caffeine can improve memory if taken before learning something new is
debatable. Most research has found little to no effect from ingesting caffeine
prior to creating new memories.
One recent study, though, found that taking a
caffeine pill after a learning task actually improved memory
recall up to 24 hours later. Participants memorized a set of images and were
later tested by viewing the same images (targets), similar images (lures), and
completely different images (foils).
The task
was to pick out which were the exact pictures they had memorized without being
tricked by the lures (which were very similar.) This is a process called pattern
separation, which according to the researchers reflects a "deeper
level of memory retention."
The
researchers in this study focused on the effects of caffeine
on memory consolidation: the process of strengthening the memories we've
created. That is why they believe the effects occurred when caffeine was
ingested after the learning task rather than before.
So don't
just drink a little coffee to get started in the morning--drink a little coffee
to hold on to more of what you learn throughout the day.
3. Eat
berries for better long-term memory.
Research
shows that eating berries can help stave off memory decline. A study from the University of
Reading and the Peninsula Medical School found that supplementing a normal diet
with blueberries for twelve weeks improved performance on spatial working
memory tasks. The effects began after just three weeks and continued for the
length of the study.
A long-term berry study that tested the memory
of female nurses who were over 70 years old found those who regularly
ate at least two servings of strawberries or blueberries each week had a
moderate reduction in memory decline. (The effects of strawberries might be
debatable, though, since that study was partly funded by the California
Strawberry Commission... and another study focusing on
strawberries suggested
that you'd need to eat roughly 10 pounds of strawberries per day to see any
effect).
More
research is needed in this area, but scientists are getting closer to
understanding how berries might affect our brains. In particular, blueberries
are known for being high inflavanoids, which appear to strengthen existing connections in
the brain. That could explain their benefit on long-term memory.
And even
if it turns out they don't help your memory much, berries are still really
good for you.
4.
Exercise to improve memory recall.
Studies
in both rat and human brains have shown that regular exercise can improve memory recall. Fitness in older adults has
even been proven to slow the decline of memorywithout the aid of continued
regular exercise. In particular, studies shown that regular exercise can
improve spatial memory, so exercise may
not necessarily be a way to improveall types of memory recall.
Of course
the benefits of exercise are numerous, but for the brain in particular regular
exercise is shown to improve cognitive abilities besides memory. So
if you're looking for a way to stay mentally sharp, taking a walk could be the
answer.
5. Chew
gum to make stronger memories.
Another
easy method that could improve your memory is to chew gum while you learn
something new. Contradictory research exists so it's not a solid bet, but
one study published last year showed that participants
who completed a memory recall task were more accurate and had higher reaction
times if they chewed gum during the study.
A reason
that chewing gum might affect our memory recall is that it increases activity in the
hippocampus, an
important area of the brain for memory. (It's still unclear why this happens,
though.)
Another
theory focuses on the increase of oxygen from chewing
gum and
how that can improve focus and attention, helping us create stronger
connections in the brain as we learn new things. One study found that participants
who chewed gum during learning and memory tests had higher heart rate levels, a
factor that can cause more oxygen to flow to the brain.
6. Sleep
more to consolidate memories.
Sleep
is proven to be one of the most important elements in
having a good memory. Since sleep is when most of our memory consolidation process occurs it makes sense
that without enough sleep we will struggle to remember things we've learned.
Even
a short nap can improve your memory
recall. In one study participants memorized
illustrated cards to test their memory strength. After memorizing a set of
cards they took a 40-minute break and one group napped while the other group
stayed awake. After the break both groups were tested on their memory of the
cards.
To the
surprise of the researchers the sleep group performed significantly better,
retaining on average 85% of the patterns compared to 60% for those who had
remained awake.
Research
indicates that when memory is first recorded in the brain (specifically in the
hippocampus) it's still "fragile" and easily forgotten, especially if
the brain is asked to memorize more things. Napping seems to push memories to
the neocortex, the brain's "more permanent storage," which prevents
them from being "overwritten."
Not only
is sleep after learning a critical part of the memory creation process, but
sleep before learning something new is important as well. Research has found
that sleep deprivation can affect our ability to commit new things to
memory and consolidate any new memories we create.
Now you
don't need an excuse to nap--or to get a little more sleep.
BY JEFF HADEN
http://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/6-extremely-effective-ways-to-improve-your-memory.html?cid=em01014week27e
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