Boost your brain
Here are ten tips on how to
improve your memory
Absent-mindedness is not
just about “senior moments“, says neuropsychologist Dr Joanna Iddon. “In a
recent study of healthy adults, the average number of memory slips, like
putting the coffee jar in the fridge, was around six per week, irrespective of
age, gender and intelligence,“ says Dr Iddon. “In fact, it was the younger,
busier people that were the most absent-minded.Remembering is an active process
and making the most of your memory involves paying better attention, planning
and organising. Luckily, there are some tricks and strategies to help you banish
those thingumabob moments,“ she says.
1 ASSOCIATE THE MEMORY WITH THE ENVIRONMENT
So if, for example, a joke
is learned in the presence of a particular smell, that same aroma may cue the
memory for that joke. “More simply, when in an exam, I advise my students to
visualise the place in which they were revising as a cue to memory,“ says
Andrew Johnson, memory specialist and lecturer in psychology at Bournemouth
University.
2 CLENCH YOUR FIST
Research suggests that
balling up your right hand and squeezing it tightly actually makes it easier to
memorise phone numbers or shopping lists. Later, when you want to retrieve the
information, clench the left fist. Researchers think the movements activate
brain regions key to the storing and recall of memories.
3 LEARN SOMETHING BEFORE BED
“The best way to `consolidate
a memory' is to go through the information just before going to sleep,“
explains Dr Johnson. “This is because there are fewer `new' interfering
memories so you will remember it better the next day,“ he adds.
4 EXERCISE MORE
Several studies have shown
that aerobic exercise improves cognitive function and is particularly good at
enhancing memory. Exercise is also thought to encourage the growth of new brain
cells in the hippocampus -an area of the brain important in memory and
learning.
5 WIGGLE YOUR EYES
Forget what it looks like
to others. Wiggling your eyes from side to side for 30 seconds could be the key
to boosting concentration. That's because the left and right sides of the brain
perform different functions and improving communication between them can
bolster mental performance. Scientists at Manchester Metropolitan University
got volunteers to listen to recordings of words then either wiggle their eyes
horizontally for 30 seconds, vertically for 30 seconds, or just stare ahead.
The horizontal movement group recalled more words than the other two, according
to results in the journal Brain and Cognition.
6 SAY IT OUT LOUD
This is the easiest of all
methods for remembering everything from where you put your car keys to what you
need from the shop to revising for a test, say memory experts. Studies found
saying what you want to remember out loud to yourself -or even mouthing it
-will help with recall.
7 DRINK GREEN TEA
Chinese researchers say
regularly drinking it could improve your memory and delay the onset of
Alzheimer's disease thanks to its key ingredient -the organic molecule EGCG
(epigallocatechin-3 gallate), an antioxidant that protects against age-related
degenerative illnesses.
8 WATCH YOUR FOOD INTAKE
Eating too much can double
the risk of memory problems in old age, according to US research. Studies found
a high-calorie intake can substantially increase the risk of developing mild
cognitive impairment, or MCI, characterised by memory loss, which can precede
dementia.
9 LOOK AT NATURE
A US study found people who
walked around an arboretum did 20% better on a memory test than those who
walked around streets.Just looking at pictures of nature can have a beneficial
effect.
10 GET ENOUGH SLEEP
A good sleep triggers
changes in the brain that help to improve memory.The findings, by experts at
the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre in the US, came from MRI scans on
volunteers' brains to see which parts are activated after a good night's
rest.Sleep helps new memories to `stick' in the brain a process scientists
call memory consolidation. This happens when connections between brain cells
are strengthened by proper rest. Researchers said,“When you are asleep, it
seems as if you are shifting memory to more efficient storage regions. When you
wake, memory tasks can be performed more quickly.“
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Daily Mirror
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