PERSONAL SPECIAL....TRAIN YOUR BRAIN!

TRAIN YOUR BRAIN!  Here are simple ways to turbo-charge your memory     Most of us can lose our train of thought midway through a sentence but when it happens recurrently, it can spell disaster. But absent-mindedness is not just about “senior moments”, says neuropsychologist Dr Joanna Iddon. “In a recent study, the average number of memory slips 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 absentminded. Luckily, there are some tricks and strategies to help you banish those moments.” Clench your fist Balling up your right hand and squeezing it tightly makes it easier to memorise things. When you want to retrieve the information, clench the left fist. These movements activate brain regions key to the storing and recall of memories. Think before bed The best way to ‘consolidate a memory’ is to go through the information just before going to sleep. This is because there are fewer ‘new’ interfering memories so you will remember it better the next day. Say the alphabet When you cannot recall a piece of information such as the name of an actor, use the alphabet search method, i.e. going through the alphabet to find the first letter of the word or name you are trying to remember in order to jog your memory. Drink more milk In a study, adults who consumed dairy products at least five times a week did better in memory tests compared with those who rarely ate or drank them. Exercise more Aerobic exercise improves cognitive function and memory. It also encourages the growth of new brain cells in the hippocampus — an area of the brain important in memory and learning. Go dancing Music with strong rhythms and patterns, like reggae and salsa, are best for memory and problem-solving. The more complex the dance, the more the brain will be challenged. Say it out loud This is the easiest method 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 — helps with recall. Don’t swallow it whole When someone gives you a phone number, break it down into 12 39 57 00 10 66 or even 1239 5700 1066. Try to chunk numbers according to something you find meaningful, like the age of someone you know, an address or a date to help you remember. Give us a cue If there’s something you have to do daily at a specific time and often forget, say to yourself ‘whenever I have my first cup of tea in the morning, I will also take my pills’. Or ‘when the lunchtime news finishes, I’ll do my exercises’. Drink green tea Chinese researchers say regularly drinking it could improve 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. Eat like the Europeans A Mediterranean diet — low in red meat and dairy and high in omega-3 fatty acids found in oily fish and nuts — can help preserve memory and reduce dementia risk, say researchers. Doodle In memory tests, doodlers performed 29% better than non-doodlers when asked to recall names and places. Experts say doodling doesn’t tax the mind and allows us to concentrate on the task in hand. It stops us daydreaming, too, which is distracting. Drink red wine Half a glass of wine a day improves cognitive ability and memory. It’s thought the m i c ro nu t r i e n t s called flavonoids, particularly in red wine, improve brain function. Look at nature People who walked around a garden did 20% better on a memory test than those who walked around streets. Looking at pictures of nature can have a beneficial effect. Get enough sleep Lack of sleep boosts the formation of beta amyloid, the toxic protein that clogs up the brain, according to a study. And disturbed sleep delays storage of memories and makes us forget sooner. Visualise what you need to do If you’re in the kitchen, and remember you need to close the bedroom window, think of the curtains flapping. Once you have paused to form the vivid association between the room and the reason you are going there, go straight there. This avoids the ‘Now, what did I come in here for?’ scenario! What’s normal forgetfulness.. Forgetting what you went to the next room for. Taking several minutes to recall where you left the car. Putting things down and being unable to find them soon after. Forgetting something trivial a friend mentioned to you the day before or the name of someone you’ve just met. Briefly forgetting the name for something. Our short-term memory is very distractible. The brain literally erases trivial information to make room for more important information that needs storing. And what’s cause for concern... Multi-tasking becomes difficult — an able cook suddenly finds preparing a Sunday roast overwhelming. Problems negotiating familiar places, such as regularly not being able to find your car. Forgetting the names of close friends and relatives and problems recognising faces, colours, shapes and words. Repeating a question asked half an hour previously. Many of these symptoms could be attributed to depression, grief, stress or lack of sleep. But they could also be early signs of dementia. Plan a visit to your GP. Daily Mirror