We all know those people who just seem to remember even the tiniest details and remember new things quickly and without putting much effort in it. Want to be like that, too? It's possible. If you want to use the full potential of your brain, you need to keep it sharp and active. Sure, everybody likes to sit down from time to time, relax and watch countless TV shows but that isn't exactly going to help. Flashcards, puzzles and Crosswords are the first that come to mind when thinking about boosting memory but there are other ways.
Check them out:
Get rid of nuisances and seek professional help
All the major stressors in your life will end up damaging parts of your brain responsible for memory. The most serious one is depression. It causes cortisol levels in your bloodstream to increase, raising cortisol levels in the brain. Cortisol was proven to affect and shrink areas of the brain responsible for storing short-term memories, namely hippocampus. Prolonged depression can therefore seriously affect the brain and make it unable to remember anything new. Asking for help in combating depression is not a shame – your brain will be thankful.
Make your body active and exercise
Most people are not aware of the fact that exercising helps the brain as well.
Being overweight can cause obesity and many other diseases which all result in damaging the brain. Being passive and not getting your body moving helps the plaque accumulate in your arteries and prevents blood vessels from pumping blood effectively. Clogged arteries lead to heart attacks and reduce the amount of oxygen and nutrients that come to the brain with blood.
Without those nutrients, the brain doesn't function properly. To avoid this, get active. Even a short walk will be effective and Improve your mental alertness, as well as dancing or swimming.
Get enough sleep
The prescribed 7 to 8 hours of sleep increase your memory. While we're sleeping, our brain is processing recently acquired information and forming memories.
It is of essential importance for our brain and body to follow natural patterns of sleep and all sleep cycles in order to function properly during the waking hours. Another good news is that naps are actually helpful, especially when you learned something new beforehand. Napping helps the brain keep those memories and stay sharp.
Listen to music
Researchers proved that music can help recall memories. If you're listening to a particular song while studying something new, listening to or thinking of that song can be a trigger in the future for you to remember what you studied.
Give your brain some food
Fats make up for 50-60% of the brain's weight and insulate brain cells which in turn function better, send messages more quickly and you think faster.
Eating healthy fats found in fish, for example, can help our long-term memory.
Teach others
Explaining and teaching new concepts and information to other people makes you repeat them out loud and go through all of them many times. It helps the other person understand but it also helps you remember the matter a lot better.
Different things work for different people so you need to find the best way for you to improve your memory and boost mental alertness.
