Just like muscular strength, the ability to remember (brain strength) increases when you exercise your memory and nurture it with a good diet and other healthy habits. There are good tips to improve your memory and retrieval capacity.

 

Tips to improve memory

• Boost your confidence

• Be confident and convince yourself that you do have good memory that will improve.

• Commit yourself to the task in your achievements. Keep motivated yourself every time you make a little bit of progress

• Brain exercises or neurobic exercises

• Neurobic exercises are the aerobic exercises for brain to develop new mental skills and to develop new nerve connections.

• Making multisensory association, and doing something that is novel that is important. Involve one more senses in a novel context.

• Ex: brushing teeth with non dominant hand, get dressed for work; take a shower with eyes closed. Listening to a specific music while smelling a particular aroma

• Daily regular exercise

• Aerobic exercises like brisk walking, swimming, and jogging will help to improve the memory.

• At the time of exercise certain hormone like substance called endorphins are released this will elevate the mood and reduces stress and tension.

• Blood (oxygen) circulation to brain improves at the time of exercise.

• Enhances the effects of helpful brain chemicals and protect brain cells

• Reduces the risk for the disorders that lead to memory loss such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

• Healthy habits to improve memory

• Regular Aerobic exercise- Blood (oxygen) circulation to brain improves at the time of exercise. Enhances the effects of helpful brain chemicals and protect brain cells

• Manage stress levels- Stress hormone cortisol damages the hippocampus. Stress makes it difficult to concentrate.

• Good sleep habits- Sleep is necessary for memory consolidation

• Quit smoking- increases the risk of vascular disorders like stroke, which decreases the blood supply to brain

• Nutrition and memory improvement

• Nutrients rich in B Vitamins - B12, B6, and folic acid- protect the neurons from toxic products.

• Antioxidants like Vitamin C, E, and Beta carotene – fight against free radicals.

• Omega 3 fatty acids (white fishes like halibut, mackerel, herring, and sardine) are good sources of omega 3 fatty acids.

• Mnemonic devices to improve memory

• Visual images- Use positive and pleasant images, because the brain often blocks out unpleasant ones. Make the images colorful, vivid and three dimensional.

• Using first letter of each word or acronyms to remember the words