7 Memory Improving Techniques
Posted on: October 13, 2017Categories: LiveWell 24/7
A recent study found that millennials are more likely to forget what day it is or where they left something than those aged 55 and older. This is likely the result of reliance on technology, stress, and trends of multitasking.
We are now able to rely on electronic devices to store information. A survey by Kapersky Lab found that about 50% of people can’t remember siblings’ or friends’ phone numbers without using a phone contacts list. Phones and computers have weakened the need for memory, but memory is like a muscle: Using it will make it stronger.
Try using these methods to strengthen your memory:
- If you need to remember numbers or dates: Try chunking. Divide numbers into smaller groups and assign meaning.
- If you need to remember useful but dull facts: Try mnemonics. Isolate the first letter of each word and create an acronym that can be easily remembered.
- Eat: Try the MIND Diet. This diet emphasizes vegetables, berries, nuts, beans, whole grains, fish, poultry, olive oil, and wine (while limiting red meat, sugar, fried food, and butter) to stimulate blood flow and reduce inflammation in the brain that can contribute to cognitive impairment.
- Smell: Try rosemary oil. British research has shown that the scent of rosemary oil can help improve long-term memory, most likely by increasing the activity of chemical messengers in the brain linked to recollection.
- Move: Try cardio. Working out four hours after learning new information can increase recall and activate areas of the brain needed for memory retrieval.
- Read: Try a paperback. Studies show that users of e-readers perform worse when recalling the order in which events occurred in a story compared with paperback readers.
- Sleep: Try getting some sleep after memorizing a new fact. Sleep can trigger brain changes to make memories more solid and longer-lasting.
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