How to Improve Memory

Image provided by Jean-Etienne Minh-Duy Poirrier
How memory works in the brain is very complex and involves many different parts of the brain. The part of the brain that is the center of memory activity and improvement is the emotional brain. Within this section of the brain lie two very important memory modules called amygdala and hippocampus. The amygdala records our earliest survival and emotional experiences, and learning in the first 36 months of life. It operates at the subconscious level so we are not aware of it. The hippocampus comes into action after the development of the amygdala, and involves in general memory and long-term memory. Because these two modules are develop at such an early age, it is important to nourish the body with nutrients and surround it with the right environment to flourish in. This is usually the role of the parents. They are responsible for protecting, nurturing, stimulating and establishing appropriate relationships with their baby to improve its growth and development.

Techniques to improve memory:

• Before you sleep, go through the important things that you learned or done during the day. Tell you brain to remember them and then go to sleep. When you sleep your brain goes through all the things you learned or done during the day and keeps the most important things in the conscious level so you are aware of them.
• Relate new knowledge to old knowledge. This works especially well for learning new names. If you are bad at learning names, next time you meet someone, relate his/her name to someone you know. This will help increase your chance of remembering his/her name.
• Eating healthy will help nourish the body with the essential nutrients to improve memory. Foods that contain good amounts of essential fatty acids are recommended by many health experts. I recommend getting essential fatty acids from plant-based foods.
• Get enough sleep, about 8 hours every night. Not getting enough sleep is one of the best ways to reduce memory performance. Your brain can’t operate at maximum if it is not rested.
• Rhyming is a very popular technique to improve memory. It also improves creativity as well.
• Splitting certain words or grouping them will help increase your chance of remembering what you are trying to remember. A good example of this is splitting a phone number into smaller groups. Instead of 1234567890 you can split it up into smaller groups, 123-456-7890.
• Don’t skip meals. Studies shown that people who don’t skip meals learn better because their brains are not worrying about starvation.
• Relax your mind! Researchers found that when the mind is relaxed, all the different parts of the brain work in unison with each other. This allows the brain to learn and remember easier. Stress, anger and fear can divide these parts of the brain and make them work independently from each other. This cripples your learning and impairs your ability to think logically.

If you know other techniques that can improve memory, feel free to leave a comment.

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