7 scientific tips to improve your memory
To protect ourselves from diseases, we need to keep our minds active as we get older. Alzheimer’s disease, which killed 121,499 people last year, remains one of the top ten causes of death in the United States.
To protect yourself, follow these seven basic and scientific tips that improve your memory. The health portal “eat this not that” published these tips, saying that some of them are also fun.
1-Use all your senses while learning something
Science has shown that “memories about an event are distributed to sensory centers in the brain, but are organized by a region called the hippocampus, and if one of the senses is stimulated to evoke a memory, other memories with other senses are also activated.” So if you smell a favorite dish, such as lasagna or cake, you can remember exactly where you were when you were eating it since you were a child.
If you want to remember something, think about your five senses as you do so.
2-Try this trick for 5 seconds
When learning new information, divide as you would when learning a phone number (555-439-9999). Note the three separate sections! Now you can apply it to anything, like on your shopping list (meat, vegetables, dairy, snacks). When learning the names of people in a large meeting, they can be divided into those on the right of the table and those on the left.
3-Include this physical activity in your day
Get at least 150 minutes of aerobic exercise per week. You can even take a brisk walk. Or you can do another more powerful exercise for 75 minutes.
Neurologist Prof. Dr. Ryan Glatt says, “Exercise and physical activity programs have been shown to improve brain health in many ways, including aspects such as memory, attention, and processing speed. “With the rise of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, an evidence-based, personalized, multimodal exercise program led by certified exercise professionals may be one of the best ways to make an impact in the epidemic of cognitive decline.”
4-Make sleep a priority
Vault Health’s chief physician, Prof. Dr. A good night’s sleep can “improve memory and attention,” says Miles Sparr.
5-Be organized this way
Mayo Clinic advises, “If your home and notes are messy, you’re more likely to forget things… Jot down tasks, appointments, and other events in a special notebook, calendar, or electronic planner. You can even repeat each note out loud to help solidify your memory. Keep to-do lists up to date and check that they are all completed. Make a place for your wallet, keys, glasses and other essentials.
6-Use this awesome trick
Mayo Clinic advises, “Cut down on distractions and don’t do too many things at once. If you focus on the information you’re trying to protect, you’re more likely to remember it later. It can also be helpful to associate what you’re trying to keep in mind with a favorite song or other familiar concept… The next time you want to remember people from a dinner party, name them according to Happy Birthday tunes, you can do this while washing your hands.” says.
7-Do this for 5 to 10 minutes a day
One study says that stress affects cognition faster through catecholamines and more slowly through glucocorticoids.
Act in different areas of your life to reduce stress. Julie Boetker, educator and author of Life Fall Apart, gives examples of moves like switching from work to family mode if you’re working from the office to home or remotely. After work, take 5 to 10 minutes to stop and focus before interacting with your surroundings.
