Current society tends to portray memory loss as tragic and melancholy. However, this is not the way it has to be. There are many options and ideas out there for the sufferer of memory loss. It does take a bit of knowledge and perseverance, but if you keep at it, you’ll find some nice memory loss treatments out there.
Play games of memory to keep your skills sharp. There are lots of different memory games that are fun, cheap and really improve your memory. Besides working on your memory, these games also help make your attention span and concentration better. Some of the memory games are available to play for free online.
If you want to increase your ability to recall information, put pen to paper. This exercise causes blood to flow to the area of the brain which is responsible for memory. If you regularly write in diary or fill out a daily planner, you will find that it is easier to remember things more clearly.
Staying socially active can help keep your memory stay sharp. This helps keep you in a good mood, and aware of your surroundings. When you are lonely or depressed, your mind does not receive stimulation, and the brain cells do not get their exercise. Exciting and interesting conversations with friends and family helps stimulate and exercise your brain, which then helps you improve your memory.
Pay close attention to help sharpen your memory. Although you might think that you’re paying attention, you might have your mind wandering, in which information is not absorbed efficiently. When someone is communicating important information, make a concerted effort to give them the full force of your attention. Keep your goals and topic in mind and take notes if you have to.
A good way to have a good memory to recall information is to picture the things you want to remember and then recall them. Professional educators are well aware of that fact. Consider, for example, the frequent inclusion of illustrations and charts in textbooks. These are included to help the student visualize the information being presented. You might also want to consider creating your own graphs and charts.
A hindrance that most people don’t think about when it comes to improving memory is the necessity to free your mind of clutter, especially thoughts that lead to anxiety. Studies have shown that people undergoing stress and having negative thoughts are likely to suffer from memory loss. Ask your doctor about what you can do to relieve your stress.
Your library should have a good selection of books on memory improvement that you can borrow. You can find books written by experts on memory; these books should be able to provide you with new techniques for your own use.
Exercise is one of the best ways to maintain your memory. As you exercise, more blood and more oxygen flow to your brain to keep it healthy. Because memory is a brain activity, maintaining a healthy body, and in turn a healthy brain, will help you maintain your memory. Working out is also a great way to prevent illnesses such as diabetes, which some believe can significantly harm memory.
Regular exercise is a great strategy to help improve your memory. In other words, exercise is as good for your mind as it is for your body.
Work on getting adequate amounts of sleep. Sleep greatly affects both your short-term and long-term memory. A tired mind has greater trouble recalling facts and figures. Sleep longer at night or get some naps to improve your memory.
You should always be learning, even if you’re well out of school. If you aren’t learning new things, you’re not using an essential part of your brain that will help strengthen your memory. If that portion of your brain has not been exercised regularly, it will be difficult to remember things.
To improve memory retention, try fish oil. A lack of any good Omega-3 source in your diet can easily lead to memory issues. Try taking it in a pill.
Speak out loud as often as possible (without embarrassing yourself!) When you are introduced to a person, repeat their name out loud if you can. Repeating to yourself facts or information in a place you can hear yourself saying it is a successful tactic in being able to recall it later. Multiple repetitions are a good idea any place where you are alone, unless you’re not shy about doing this in the company of others.
Make new information stick by learning it in a new place. This practice will help keep your mind alert, and assist in committing the information you are studying to your long-term memory. Your brain will wake up if it senses a change in its usual routine. This can make it easier to learn new information.
The importance of getting an adequate amount of shut eye can’t be overemphasized. Research indicates that not sleeping enough will affect your ability to remember things on a daily basis. A lack of concentration will lead to a great deal of difficulty in turning present happenings into permanent memories.
Visualization techniques are a great tool to improve memory. If you’re studying material from textbooks, try using charts and photos for visual cues to help you retain the information. You could also draw graphs or charts to aid you in remembering these things.
To supplement memory, try rehearsing or relating the material you wish to remember with what you already know. If you associate a short term memory with something you thoroughly know, you will better remember things and even accelerate the process of turning short term to long term memory.
Invest a few moments to relating new information you’re hoping to retain to knowledge that is already well-placed inside your memory. This establishes a tie between something you already know to something that is new, and this increases the likelihood that it will be committed to long-term memory. You will likely be able to do so in much less time than it would take otherwise.
Listening to classical music can aid in improving the memory. The music relaxes your body and mind, which can improve memory and recall abilities. If you really want to heighten the mood, play Chopin while lying in the bath and burning incense.
Even if you are not in school or college, it is crucial that you continue to learn new things. When you don’t learn anything new, the part of your brain that controls memory isn’t being used. The time may come when you will find it hard to remember some important information if you neglect the need to “exercise” your memory.
Diseases associated with memory loss tend to be more common in individuals who have fewer meaningful relationships with others, so make a conscious choice to keep up your friendships. Research shows that spending time and communicating with friends and loved ones is good for the area of the brain responsible for memory.
Maintain healthy relationships to help prevent memory loss. Many studies show that being around people you love, for as little as a couple of hours per week, helps you to keep the area of your brain which helps you to recall memories, strong and healthy.
If it is hard for you to remember the names of new people, try to make an association in your mind. You could mentally connect the person with another person who has a similar name or with a word that is similar to the person’s name. You can also find a way to associate them with a celebrity that shares their name. This tactic makes it easier to recall the person’s name when you next see their face.
Do you have problems remembering peoples’ names? A great trick for you to use is to connect the person you’ve just met with someone else you know with the same or a similar name. Using a celebrity will also work, especially if they’re similar in looks. Forging a connection between two different people actually makes it easier to commit names and faces to memory so that they can be recalled in a moment’s notice.
One way to get the most out of studying is to free yourself from distractions. Pick a quiet area for study. If you want to retain information, it needs to be stored within your long-term memory. It is hard for people to move information into their long-term memories, because of the surrounding the distractions.
You can improve your memory as you study if you set up a consistent schedule and learn the material over a series of sessions. You will be able to think about how you can retain information. Research has shown that people who have used this method will be able to remember things more easily than those who have crammed this information.
When working on memorizing material, study frequently over several short sessions. You need some time to process the information and retain it. Studies have proven that a subject who divided their study time in different sessions memorized the information more efficiently than a subject who crammed the information in one session.
While studying, build an outline that can help you recall the things you are learning. You will find information easier to remember if you can arrange it into related components. The outline does not need to be especially long or short, but just enough for you to grasp and recall easily.
To help with studying, make and use an outline which can aid you in retaining the materials you need to study. This allows you to organize your information and divide it into clusters that are more easily remembered. It is not necessary to make a formal outline or one that is exceedingly long; in most cases, any simple grouping of information will do the trick.
Mnemonic Devices
Paying true attention can go a long way when you try and recall things. When you meet someone for the first time, repeat their name, think of how it is probably spelled and ask for clarification if needed. Ask them, “is that Tracy with a I or Y?” Then, make a comment about their name so you can remember it better. Over the course of the conversation, repeat this measure to ensure that you store the information for the next time.
Try using mnemonic devices for remembering vital information. Mnemonic devices work by thinking of something you already know and pairing it with something you want to remember. Mnemonic devices generally involve rhymes, jokes or songs and can be fun as a way to improve memory and take out some of the frustration of studying.
Work to build a memory tree. If you need to memorize a substantial amount of information, start by concentrating on the general idea, which will form the trunk of the tree. Let the critical details of a subject branch off like limbs. After branching out, add the details; we call these the ‘leaves’. Organizing the information, and visualizing it in your mind, is very helpful.
Everyone deals with memory issues with aging. Keep doing more research and follow the advice you find to fight against memory loss.
Create a melody and put information to music if you need to be sure you recall it later. Ask anyone who learned their alphabet as a child if it was learned through song, and you will see how effective it is. Because melodies repeat themselves, it’s easy for your mind to remember them. Encode an important memory as a song and test your ability to recall it.