Marinelle Adams
How can we improve our memory? Many of us think that our memory is innate and therefore do nothing to improve it. We do not appreciate the importance of memory until we notice the first violations in its work. Without a doubt, it is essential to be aware of the fundamental role that memory plays in our daily life. Our memory is the mechanism that determines who we are: our feelings, experiences, and memories. Without memory, we would have no way to memorize names, places, people, events that we meet in life.
Maintaining an intellectually active lifestyle helps save our brains from aging prematurely. It is vital to start taking care of the brain before cognitive impairment symptoms appear. All of the exercises below involve many brain processes, which can be improved through practice and training.
You may think that you are no longer at the age to practice improving your memory, but this is far from the case. In the following, we will tell you about helpful daily exercises for training and strengthening your memory. We have learned those practices from the personal experience shared by the writers of the-Essays.com that they use daily to improve their thinking and writing skills.
Eight exercises to strengthen memory
Our memory is a continuous process of storing information, usually divided into three stages: coding, storage, and reproduction. Problems can arise at any of the listed stages. Besides, memory is selective. Psychologist Sergei Rubinstein came to this conclusion at the beginning of the 20th century. He argued that there could be no person with an exceptionally good or bad memory, and its effectiveness depended on the importance of the information.
Memory not only makes us smarter, but it also helps us improve our performance and build social relationships. Many people do not care to improve and train this ability. Don’t make this mistake, and try the following exercises to practice your memory.
Take the test
You will also need the CogniFit Online General Cognitive Test. With the help of a scientifically developed program, quickly and accurately assess your brain health, find out your cognitive strengths and weaknesses. These neuropsychological test results help determine whether a person’s cognitive changes are normal or if a neurological disorder is suspected. Get your results in less than 30-40 minutes. CogniFit is the most recommended and used cognitive testing program by professionals.
Use memorization techniques or mnemonics
Mnemonics is a set of techniques and methods that facilitate memorization and increase memory by forming artificial associations in our imagination. Various researchers claim that “self-imagination” is very beneficial for learning and memory processes. Repeat new information several times, combine it into groups, find associations and connections with already familiar objects and concepts, use memorization techniques. Try using rhythms and songs to learn information.
Improve your night sleep
When sleeping, our brain organizes everything that we learn during the day. An adequate sleep regime allows us to keep our memory in optimal conditions. According to research, lack of sleep harms our memory. Try to maintain proper sleep habits. Sleeping 8 hours a day is optimal for achieving high performance. Try to rest in a dark place without any noise. You can use earplugs if you cannot stay in total silence. Turn off all electronic devices and gadgets and avoid using them at least an hour before going to bed. The light from the screens can negatively affect our sleep. Don’t drink coffee or caffeinated drinks in the afternoon. Drink your last coffee after dinner. Otherwise, you may have trouble falling asleep.
Go shopping
This advice will really appeal to girls and women. Shopping is excellent brain training. You go shopping; you contact new people, you calculate prices. All these actions force different brain areas to work while they follow one after the other. It’s kind of Crossfit for the mind. However, do not get too carried away with shopping. Spending too much can cause stress and harm the brain.
Take a shower with your eyes closed
Close your eyes as soon as you go into the shower. Finding shampoos, gels and soaps will be a good warm-up for your brain, especially for the party responsible for memory. If you’re afraid to have this experience in the bathroom, go to the kitchen. Close your eyes and try to find a saucer.
Learn to juggle
According to a 2013 study published in the journal NatureSystematic, juggling enlarges certain areas of the brain. After three newcomers were trained to throw balls for three months, the amount of brown matter in the temporal lobe and behind the intraparietal sulcus (these areas that process visual information and motor function) increased. Juggling and any other activity that requires the work of gross and fine motor skills, orientation in space, and recognition of sequences will make your brain work harder, waking up all areas that have been sleeping until then.
Move your body
Dance movements not only activate the cerebellum, which is responsible for foresight and judgment. They also cause your body to produce the brain neurotrophic factor. It is a protein essential for the efficient communication of neurons. Dancing is a social activity, and like any communication, it activates the neurons. Also, dancing helps the heart drive oxygen to the convolutions and improves coordination.
Change your working hand and try to play Ping Pong
Be left-handed if you are right-handed, and vice versa. Everyday actions such as holding a fork, spoon, and transferring to an unusual hand will help your brain reboot and learn simple things all over again. When, as a child, you get used to always using the same hand to perform a task, it becomes a reflex. When you change your hand, the brain is activated to engage in new areas, which is an excellent warm-up.
You can also play ping pong. Ping pong improves hand-eye coordination and gives your brain a great workout. When it comes to intellectual training, the first rule is to do things your brain can’t do. Any learning is a great warm-up for the brain, and table tennis is very useful in this sense.
You now have various strategies to improve your memory; whether you use them or not is up to you. Keeping your brain young is in your hands!