People say that a mind is a terrible thing to waste, and they hit the nail right on the head with that catchy little slogan, because, to put it bluntly, once the mind is gone, so too is the person. Check out these great memory tips to improve one of your most precious gifts, your mind.
To improve your memory, try to focus your attention on something by removing anything that can distract you from the task at hand. When you spend time to focus, the item of focus moves from short-term memory to long-term memory. Distraction adversely affects focus, and that results in poor memory.
One method you can use to help you commit things to memory is to use mnemonic devices. A mnemonic device is a simple technique to aid recall of information you are trying to remember. You might develop a rhyme, a joke or a joke to help you remember a piece of information. An example of a common mnemonic is “1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue”. You can utilize this same type of rhyming scheme to help you remember a specific date or term.
Just like your muscles, you must use your brain to keep it in good shape. People who do puzzles and play memory games tend to get dementia less often.
Physical exercise offers benefits for both your body and your mind. Exercise brings better circulation, which means more oxygen to keep your brain functioning well. Because memory is part of the way your brain functions, keeping your body and mind healthy are both important to maintaining it. Exercise has the added advantage of lowering your risk of diseases, like diabetes, which impair memory as a secondary effect.
Try to stay away from pills that promise to help improve your memory. Most of the time, these pills are not effective and could cause you physical problems. Instead, you may want to look into supplements like Niacin, Thiamine, and Vitamin B-6. They all help to improve the part of the brain that deals with memory.
It is important to get a sufficient amount of sleep if you are trying to improve your memory. Medical studies have shown that getting enough sleep every night can improve both short and long term memory. Your brain cannot absorb new information when your body has not gotten a lot of sleep.
Participate in regular exercise. Exercise increases oxygen to the brain and can be helpful to your memory. It also gets blood flowing to your brain more. It can also help prevent diseases that can lead to memory loss in the future. An active body leads to an active mind.
To keep your memory in tip-top shape, practice using it regularly. If you don’t use your memory, it will slowly become weaker and weaker over time. The best way to keep it in shape is by regularly challenging it in your day to day life. This can be something as simple as doing a crossword puzzle or as complex as trying to memorize the names of all of the members of the arachnid family. Just find fun ways to test and challenge your memory each and every day.
Break complex information down into smaller, more memorable pieces. This simple trick is regularly used to help people remember large numbers. For instance, your credit card numbers, phone number and social security number are all broken down into smaller, hyphenated sections to make them easier to remember. You can do the same thing with any complex data that you are trying to recall.
Write important appointments or events on a calendar, and make sure that you look at the calender every day. If you are a cell phone owner, most cell phones have a daily reminder or calendar in which you can program upcoming events.
Not matter what age you are, you should always stretch your mind and learn new things. If you let your knowledge base stagnate, you are not exercising the brain regions that form new memories. When you don’t stretch your memory on a regular basis, it is more likely that you will lose the ability.
If you suffer from loss of memory, be sure to see a psychiatrist or therapist. Memory loss can be a sign that you suffer from anxiety or depression, and you may not even know it. If you do have anxiety or depression, treating it could be the key to you getting your memory back.
Scent has a huge impact on memory. If you keep something that you enjoy smelling right next to where you keep things, you will have an easier time recalling where the object is. For example, if you keep a plug in air freshener right next to where you keep you wallet when you are home, you will have no problem remembering where it is.
Challenge your memory. Push yourself to remember little details. There are many games online and on video game consoles that are specifically designed to challenge your memory. Play them regularly. Get your brain in the habit of remembering things. Your memory is like a muscle. You need to exercise it.
In order to assist you in retaining information that’s important, consider using a mnemonic device. This method has you pair the thing you’re trying to recall with something you’re already familiar with. Mnemonic devices will oftentimes involve songs, rhymes or even jokes. When utilized properly, mnemonic devices are a really fun way to work on memory improvement.
Learn how to use mnemonic devices. Mnemonic devices can be the association of a concept with a familiar object or remember acronyms or rhymes. Create your own mnemonic devices: you need to make sure they are meaningful and that you will remember what you associated the information with later on.
Make no mistake about it — your ability to remember is a tremendous gift. Most people will never realize just how vital their memory is until they begin to lose it. You should never have to allow your memory to lapse. Pay attention to the tips in the article and you can work on repairing and improving your memory.
Read more: Improve Your Memory By Following These Tricks