How To Improve Your Memory

It is important in every aspect of your life to have good intellectual ability and keep your mind sharp, not just during your studies or in your professional life. A good memory always depends on the health of your brain and your vitality.  Your gray matter, like the rest of your body, will gradually age.

Fortunately, the good news is that it is also possible to train your brain so that it stays healthy and you can continue to take full advantage of your potential, and even increase the capacity of your brain.

The human brain has an amazing ability to change and adapt itself, even during our old age. This ability is also known as neuroplasticity. When properly stimulated, our brains can form new neural connections, modify existing connections and adapt themselves to the changes surrounding these developments. Thanks to the neuroplasticity of our brains, it is possible to increase our cognitive ability and improve our learning and even memory.

 Tips to improve your memory

 1. Exercise

When we exercise, we also give our brain a good workout at the same time. When we take good care of our bodies, we can even help our brains to process and remember information better. Exercise improves oxygen supply to the brain and reduces the risk of developing disorders that can cause memory loss, such as diabetes or cardiovascular disease. In addition, exercise improves the chemical function of our brains, which is very helpful in protecting the neurons in our brains.

2. Make sure you get enough sleep

When you don’t get enough rest, your brain can’t function properly. In particular, skills such as creativity, conflict resolution, critical thinking and other intellectual skills suffer from lack of sleep.

A good night’s sleep is also essential for your learning and memory. Research shows that sleep is especially necessary for strengthening our memory, a process that occurs during the deepest phases of our sleep.

3. Don’t neglect your social life, have fun!

Several studies show that a lifestyle filled with social activities and socializing can provide important cognitive benefits. In fact, as humans, we are highly social creatures who can’t really thrive in isolation. In addition, social relationships are stimulating for our brains as interactions with others are the best workouts for our brains.

Research also shows that having important social relationships and a strong support system is essential for both our emotional health and our mental health. For example, a study conducted not so long ago by the School of Public Health at Harvard shows that people with the most active social lives have the least memory decline.

Having fun is also great for our brains. If laughter is the best medicine for our bodies, it’s especially true for our brains. Unlike emotional responses that are limited to certain parts of the brain, laughter involves multiple parts of the brain. In addition, laughter activates parts of the brain that are important for our learning and creativity. Psychologist Daniel Goleman described this well in his book Emotional Intelligence : “Laughter…seems to help people think more widely and make associations with greater freedom.”

4. Manage stress effectively

Stress is one of your brain’s worst enemies. If you don’t keep it under control, it will eventually turn into chronic stress. And chronic stress destroys your brain cells and damages the hippocampus, the part of the brain associated with forming new memories and retrieving old memories. Relaxation techniques can be very helpful in managing stress.

In addition to stress, depression, anxiety and chronic worry are also very harmful to your brain. Some of the symptoms that trigger depression and anxiety may even be related to difficulty concentrating and an inability to make decisions and remember things.

5. Eat healthy

Your brain needs fuel just like the rest of your body. However, it is not the case that you should eat a particular product that is specifically intended for your brain, as the recommended diet for good physical health is the same as the diet for good intellectual health. This means a diet based on sufficient fruit, vegetables, whole grains, ‘healthy’ fats (such as olive oil, nuts and fish) and lean proteins. This way of eating offers a variety of health benefits and can help improve your memory.

When it comes to mental energy, it is best to opt for complex carbohydrates. Carbohydrates feed our brains, but simple carbohydrates (such as sugar, white bread and refined grains) only give our brains a quick boost, which is immediately followed by an equally fast slump. Some studies also show that a diet rich in simple carbohydrates significantly increases the risk of cognitive decline in the elderly. In order to provide your body and brain with good fuel and a healthy dose of energy that you can go on for a while, it is important to eat complex carbohydrates, such as whole wheat bread, brown rice, oatmeal, fiber-rich grains and legumes.

On the other hand, it is totally not recommended to abuse calories, saturated fats and alcohol if you want to maintain good mental health; This is of course also the case when it comes to your physical health.

6. Train your brain

By the time we’ve reached adulthood, our brains have already developed millions of neural connections that can help us process information quickly, solve everyday problems, and perform our routines with minimal mental effort. However, if we’re always doing the same thing, we’re not giving our brains the boost they need to keep growing and developing.

Our memory, like our muscles, must be used in order not to lose it. That’s why you need to train your brain and offer new challenges that will make it better able to process and remember information. The best cerebral activities for mental movement are those that break up your daily routine and challenge you to develop new connections in your brain.