As people age, one of the first things they may encounter is the loss of short-term memory. It may be more difficult to remember daily tasks, or to locate your keys. In order to make sure your memory is as sharp as it can be, read the tips in this article.
Make sure that your diet has good sources of Omega-3 fatty acids. Most commonly found in fish, these fatty acids do a superb job of keeping your brain on its toes. Numerous studies have shown a positive benefit to the brain when the diet contains omega-3’s. Try adding pink salmon, walnuts and flax seed, so you can get this essential fat.
Pay careful attention to what you want to remember to ensure the information is retained in your long-term memory. Distractions, such as music and television, prevent you from paying the required amount of attention to the material. Failure to concentrate will result in the information being lost and not committed to memory.
Your memory is only as good as the effort you put in to maintaining it. If you believe that you have are eventually going to have a poor memory no matter what, then it can become a self-fulfilling prophesy. Give yourself positive reinforcement when you do recall something correctly and forgive yourself if you make a mistake. Your memory should begin to improve in no time. Of course, you also need to be eating and sleeping well – and go easy on the alcohol!
A lot of the information we learn is very close to information we already know, so improving your memory can be as simple as playing an association game. Make sure that anything new you’re attempting to learn can tie in with someone you already know, and you will develop smooth transitions between one piece of material and the next.
A useful tip for anyone interested in improving their memory is to regularly work on solving word puzzles and similar types of games. Such puzzles utilize the same skills needed to recall facts, and therefore help keep the mind sharp. Not only will your memory likely improve, you will also have a great deal of fun.
Give your full attention and focus on what you are trying to remember. Try to study in a place that is quiet and calm for the best memory retention. Try to actively recall information in order to move it from your short term memory to your long term memory.
It is important that you take steps to keep your memory in shape throughout the years. Diet is crical in this regard. It has been shown that getting enough folic acid in your diet can help fight memory loss. Foods rich in folic acid include many beans and legumes, leafy greens, fortified bread and cereals, citrus juices and more.
If you find that your memory has deteriorated drastically in a short period of time, it is important that you see your doctor right away. Sudden memory loss could be a sign of a more serious medical condition, such as Dementia or Alzheimer’s Disease, which can effect people of all ages.
Go to the library and check out books written by experts in the field of memory improvement. There are many books available that were written by psychiatrists that will give you helpful and professional tips for improving brain function and overall memory.
Eat a healthy diet to keep your memory strong. Your brain needs the proper nutrients to keep the brain cells healthy. A healthy diet includes keeping your body properly hydrated and reducing alcohol intake. Alcohol confuses the mind; too much of it adversely affects your memory. Your diet should include low-sugar and low-fat foods.
Aid your memory by organizing facts into topic sets. Create outlines of study materials that are based on similar topics rather than when you originally learned that fact. Your brain remembers things better if they go together. By grouping similar concepts and topics together, you increase your chances of remembering those items later.
In order to remember important things, you may want to enlist the help of family or friends who have good memories. Tell them the important information you want to remember, so that you can ask them at a later date to remind you of this information. Just do not rely on someone else who has a bad memory!
If you have trouble with memory and focus, the problem may not be directly related to your brain. Physical exercise has been shown to improve brain function significantly. Do half an hour to an hour of exercise per day and see if that doesn’t clear up any problems with a foggy brain.
A common trend today is something called “brain training” which is the equivalent of exercise for the brain. Give it a try to improve your ability to focus, remember, and solve problems. The three basics of brain training are memory, visualization and reasoning. Do things that practice those three concepts to improve your brain’s functioning.
When trying to memorize a large bit of information or a number which is long, you can retain the information by learning it in chunks. Take the information and group it into small segments that you are able to easily retain. When you have the small segments memorized, add the groups together two at a time until you have remembered it all.
A great tip for improving your memory with new items that are unfamiliar to you is by associating them with things that you are already familiar with. An example would be to memorize somebody’s name by thinking of another person you know that looks similar to them or shares some key characteristic.
Although memory loss is often part of the experience of aging, you don’t have to impede your progress due to a bad memory. By using the tips in this article, like making notes and reminders, you can ensure that you will be able to function as well as you always have.
