How Can You Improve Your Memory?
Forgetfulness is quite a common occurrence among human beings. Can there be anyone who can say that he or she has never forgotten a few things in his or her life? The answer is probably ‘no’. This is because, at some point in our life, it is usual to forget certain things, but some people are known to experience problems like memory loss, which would be truly a matter of trouble for them. This is because when a person is forgetting something quite frequently, and this condition is forgetfulness is occurring very often, then it is obvious that the person might be having problems related to a lack of memory. When a person is showing signs of forgetfulness or memory loss, it is important to take steps so that memory loss gets cured and the person gets to develop a better memory retention capacity. Though forgetfulness or memory loss is some of the most common occurrences one might face, in some cases, these might be the signs and symptoms of certain types of underlying health issues and other severe conditions such as Alzheimer’s Disease, dementia, and so on. So, the very moment you start to notice the signs of forgetfulness or memory loss and if you feel that these conditions are occurring frequently, then it is high time to get rid of these types of difficulties, because if the conditions of forgetfulness or memory loss in a person remain untreated for a long time, then there are risk factors that the conditions of memory impairment might further worsen, and as a result, it is quite obvious that you might be suffering from a lot of difficulties in his or her life. In fact, it is true that when you suffer from problems such as forgetfulness or memory loss, then there is a high chance, that you would find it difficult to perform regular chores and activities that you need to perform in your daily life, because when you tend to forget things easily, you are not paying attention or giving enough of your concentration to a particular thing, because of which, you are forgetting things easily. Having problems like forgetfulness or loss of memory can affect your work at home, at the office, and even at education organizations also. If you are a person, who is tangled with problems like forgetfulness or memory loss, then this one is the most important article for you, because this article will help you to get a detailed idea about what might be the most effective ways to get rid of issues like forgetfulness or memory loss. Read the entire article to improve your memory skills.
Ways To Improve Your Memory
There are certain ways to get rid of your forgetfulness or memory loss. In such cases, you need to follow those ways to improve your memory. The tips that you must follow to get rid of forgetfulness or memory loss can be listed here as follows:
1. Add less amount of sugar to your diet:
Having added sugar in your diet is always never a good option for your health, and certainly not for improving your memory. This is because, when you eat a high amount of added sugar through the food components that you are having in your daily diet, be it table sugar or artificial sugar, it is highly likely that a high amount of sugar will gradually lower your cognitive skills. Apart from increasing the risk of occurrence of several types of chronic diseases in your body, it is obvious that adding more amount of sugar to your diet can lead to a gradual reduction in the volume of your brain, which can cause impact your overall mental health and the memory section of the brain as well. In fact, it has been found in recent studies and experimental research works that when you are trying to have a diet that is high in sugar content, then it is quite sure that you might be having a very poor memory. In a recent study that was conducted among 4000 people, it was found that those people who consume high amounts of added sugar through foods like coke, soft drinks, soda, and so on, then they are adding more sugar or glucose-like substances into their body, and it is quite evident that these people had much poor brain functioning and even a tendency of memory loss, which was not found among people who do not have high amounts of sugar in their diet. So, try to avoid or limit the consumption of added sugar through foods and beverages like tea, coffee, soda, and soft drinks, avoid sugar in fruit juices, and consumption of an excessive amount of food components that are rich in sugar content, such as cake, pastry, ice cream, candy, lozenges, and so on, to improve your memory.
2. Get proper rest and sleep:
Memory loss and frequent cases of forgetfulness are mostly caused when a person fails to get enough amount of rest and sleep. It is often opined by several healthcare experts and medical professionals have opined that forgetfulness or loss of memory can often be a result of lack of enough sleep. Doctors advise that it is very important for aged people and every adult individual, it is necessary to get at least 7 to 8 hours of sound sleep or proper rest each day on average. Getting this amount of rest and sleep will not only help you to develop your cognitive skills but will also help you in the following ways:
3. Try learning some new skills:
This one is very important and very effective when you are willing to improve your memory and get rid of forgetfulness. When you try to learn a new skill, you will know that new pathways are formed inside your brain that will not only help to enhance your memory but will also help you in better functioning. Besides that, when you are learning a new thing, you are in fact increasing the memory strength and the cognitive skills of your brain, which helps you to have better concentration, improved focus, and attention at work, and therefore helps to get rid of forgetfulness or loss of memory. There are a lot of things that you may try to learn for improving your memory. Some of those skills can be listed below:
4. Add fish oil or related supplements to the diet:
Fish oil is an essential component for improving your memory and cognitive skills. This is because fish oil contains high amounts of omega- 3 fatty acids and other essential health components such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). According to recent studies and experimental works, it has been found that these types of healthy fats are essential for brain development and increasing memory retention capabilities. It has often been noted that aged people are more likely to suffer from forgetfulness or loss of memory. In that case, having fish oil is highly recommended for them.
A 2015 review of 28 studies showed that when adults with mild symptoms of memory loss took supplements rich in DHA and EPA, like fish oil, they experienced improved episodic memory.
Try acronyms, abbreviations, and mnemonics
Mnemonic devices can be in the form of acronyms, abbreviations, songs, or rhymes.
Mnemonics have been tested since the 1960s as an effective strategy for students. You have been taught a few mnemonic devices for remembering long lists. For example, the colors of the spectrum can be remembered with the name ROY G. BIV (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet).
Eat more of these foods:
Diets such as the Mediterranean diet, DASH (Dietary approaches to stop hypertension), and the MIND diet (Mediterranean-DASH intervention for the neurodegenerative delay) have a few things in common. This includes their ability to improve memory and reduce the risk of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.
These diets focus on eating:
- plant-based foods, especially green, leafy vegetables, and berries
- whole grains
- legumes
- nuts
- chicken or turkey
- olive oil or coconut oil
- herbs and spices
- fatty fish, such as salmon and sardines
- red wine, in moderation
Eat less of these foods:
Proponents of the Mediterranean and MIND diets say to avoid the following foods:
- sugar
- processed foods
- butter
- red meat
- fried foods
- salt
- cheese
Exercise
Physical exercise has a direct impact on brain health. As the author of research in the Journal of Exercise RehabilitationTrusted Source notes, regular exercise reduces the risk of cognitive decline with age and protects the brain against degeneration.
The results of a 2017 studyTrusted Source suggest that aerobic exercise can improve memory function in people with early Alzheimer’s disease. The control group did nonaerobic stretching and toning.
Aerobic exercise increases a person’s heart rate and can include any of these activities:
- brisk walking
- running
- hiking
- swimming
- dancing
- cross-country skiing