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Top 10 Ways to Improve Your Memory
The human brain is like a
library that stocks memories instead of books. In
some ways,
that
makes
the
hippocampus,
the
part
of
the
brain
most
involved
in
memory,
the
brain's librarian. The hippocampus has
the most responsibility in this cranial library,
juggling
the
new
releases
of
short-term
memory
while
cataloging
materials
for
the
permanent collection of long-term
memory. It's not the only part at work, however,
in
storing these chapters of our lives.
Different kinds of memory are stored in different
areas of the brain. With such a large
system, the brain needs a system of encoding and
retrieving
memories,
something
a
bit
more
complex
than
the
local
library's
Dewey
Decimal System.
The brain has to be able to pull
information at the drop of a hat, whether it's a
fact on
hold (such as a telephone
number) or a dusty memory that's been sitting in
storage for
years
(the
memory
of
your
first
kiss).
No
one
likes
a
library
that
loses
books
or
shelves them in the wrong place. Yet
sometimes we find ourselves with a very poor
librarian on our hands, one that
doesn't allow us to retrieve memories when we need
them. Sometimes it's trivial,
like when we tear
apart our
homes looking for
glasses
perched
innocuously
atop
our
heads,
and
sometimes
these
lapses
in
memories
are
more
embarrassing, such as when we call a colleague
remember his name.
Whether
you're
a
college
student
studying
for
an
important
test
or
an
aging
baby
boomerconcerned
about
forgetting
a
recent
doctor's
appointment,
there
are
a
few
things everyone can do to optimize the
storage and checkouts in our private libraries
of memories. Alert the librarian and
head to the next page for the first tip.
10.
Drink in Moderation
Before you settle in to read this
article, you may want to get yourself a glass of
wine.
Surprised that such debauchery
begins our list of memory improvers? Well, hear us
out. Memory andalcohol have an
interesting relationship.
First off, you'll notice we didn't
advocate bringing the entire bottle back with you.
Too
much drinking handicaps the memory,
as anyone who's ever woken after a binge with
a fuzzy recollection of the night
before can attest. And one component of a DUI test
shows
how
overconsumption
of
alcohol
can
immediately
affect
the
brain:
Even
simple
mental
tasks
like
counting
backward
and
reciting
the
alphabet
can
become
tricky under the
influence. Alcohol abuse will have a negative
effect on the
cells of
the
brain related to memory.
But
as
long
as
you're
not
pregnant
and
able
to
maintain
control
of
how
much
you
drink,
there's
evidence
that
light
to
moderate
alcohol
consumption
can
improve
memory and
cognition.
Though more research needs
to be done, some studies have
found
that moderate drinkers do better on certain tests
of memory and cognition than
nondrinkers
and
heavy
drinkers
[sources:
Victoroff,
Minerd].
There
may
be
some
long-term effects as well. A French
study that followed almost 4,000 people over the
age of 65 found that light drinkers,
who consumed up to two glasses of wine a day,
were 45 percent less likely to develop
Alzheimer's disease than nondrinkers [source:
Victoroff].
But
as we said, don't start tipping back beverages if
you have certain risk factors, such
as
a
family
history
of
alcoholism.
No
one
is
recommending
that
teetotalers
start
drinking, atrol, one of the flavonoids
in red wine that's believed to have
special benefits for blood vessels, is
also in red grape juice.
If you tend to
drink when you're sad, head to the next page for
some information on
how your blues
affect your brain.
9.
Seek Treatment
for Depression
Anything
that causes major stress in life, including
anxiety or anger, will eventually
eat
away at the parts of the brain that are
responsible for memory. Chief among these
stressors is major depression.
Depression is often misidentified as a memory
problem
since one of the main symptoms
of the condition is an inability to concentrate.
If you
can't concentrate on schoolwork
or the information needed to complete a task on
the
job,
then
you
may
feel
as
if
you're
constantly
forgetting
things.
As
it
is,
you're
not
even able to concentrate long enough to
learn them in the first place.
Depression
causes
an
increase
of
cortisol
levels
in
the
bloodstream,
which
in
turns
elevates
the amount of cortisol in the brain. With the help
of brain imaging devices,
doctors
have
been
able
to
see
how
that
increased
cortisol
diminishes
certain
brain
areas,
chief
among
them
the
hippocampus
[source:
Tan].
One
study
showed
that
people
who
had
been
depressed,
even
if
it
was
years
ago,
had
suffered
a
12
to
15
percent
loss
in
the
hippocampus
[source:
Victoroff].
Since
the
hippocampus
is
the
clearing
center
for
short-
term
memory,
prolonged
depression
demolishes
the
brain's
ability to remember anything new.
Additionally,
depression
affects
the
types
of
things
a
person
is
able
to
remember.
While
everyone's
brain
is
selective
about
which
memories
make
it
into
long-term
storage, people with depression seem
only able to retain negative memories [source:
Crook].
That
means
there's
a
neurological
reason
why
a
person
with
depression
remains obsessed with the one time a
loved one forgot a birthday or anniversary, even
if it was remembered every other year.
But
happy
memories
needn't
be
lost
forever
to
someone
battling
depression.
Medications for depression, including
selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs),
have
been
shown
to
jump-start
the
process
of
cell
regeneration
in
the
hippocampus
[source: Tan].
The next item
on our list can help fight depression while it
improves memory as well.
8.
Get Moving
If you've ever taken a
break from work or studying to take a quick walk
around the
block, you may understand
the rationale for this next tip. Exercise not only
exercises
the body, it exercises the
brain as well.
Obesity is a
risk factor for many diseases and conditions that
eventually wreak havoc
on
the
brain,
including
stroke
and
Alzheimer's
disease.
Without
regular
exercise,
plaque
builds
up
in
the
arteries
and
blood
vessels
lose
the
ability
to
pump
blood
effectively. While you may know how
plaque buildup leads to heart attacks, you may
not think about the way your brain is
gasping for breath as well.
The
brain
depends
on
energy
received
through
a
constant
intake
of
oxygen
and
nutrients
from
the
bloodstream,
and
when
those
nutrients
don't
arrive,
the
brain's
ability
to
work
is
compromised.
So
to
keep
the
blood
moving
to
the
brain,
you're
going to need to get up from your chair
(after you finish reading this article, of course)
and get the blood pumping. It doesn't
matter what you do -- a brisk walk, a swim and
even a dance move or two can all
provide a good mental workout. Studies show that
the more physically active a person is,
the greater his
or her
cognitive performance
[source:
Victoroff].
Keep a lookout on your
brisk walk for interesting images -- you'll need
them for the
memory tip on the next
page.
7.
Visualization and Association
A picture's worth
a thousand words,
as the
saying goes, so turning a list of random
words into images may help you remember
the words better. Explaining this method
works best by example, so let's say
that you need to remember that a parent-teacher
conference
is
taking
place
at
three
in
the
afternoon.
Take
a
moment
and
think
of
a
visual image
for three -- let's say that you and your son just
love reading the story of
the
Little
Pigs.
Visualize
those
three
little
pigs.
To
remember
what
exactly
you
have
to
do
at
three,
picture
your
son's
teacher
cavorting
with
the
pigs
out
in
a
meadow. Sometimes,
the more
unique the image, the easier it will be to
remember.
Here's
another
example:
say
you
place
your
eyeglasses
on
the
kitchen
table.
When
you
do so, imagine your eyeglasses eating all the food
on the table. Later, when you're
wondering where your glasses are, your
brain has this image in the bank.
You
can
use
visualization
to
remember
an
entire
list
of
things
if
you
associate
the
images together. Say that you need to
remember to take the following things to your
SAT exam: a No. 2 pencil, a calculator,
your ID and a snack for the break. You can
create a visualization that links all
of the images together in a ridiculous story.
Picture
your
pencil
as
a
snake,
curving
itself
into
the
number
two.
That
snake
just
loves
calculators, so it winds itself around
the calculator, using its hissing tongue to press
the buttons. When the snake pushes one
of the calculator buttons, the calculator turns
into a camera and snaps the snake's
picture for an ID photo. All of this calculating
and
picture-taking has worn the snake
out, so it wants a snack of pretzels.
Sure, it sounds bizarre, but you can't
deny that it also sounds fun. Visualization is at
the root of many of the memory tips
left to go on our list, so go ahead and practice
by
visualizing yourself heading to the
next page for another memory tip.
6.
Pay Attention
Eight
seconds
is
more
than
just
a
length
of
time
that
bull
riders
try
to
stay
atop
a
bucking bronco, it's the
amount of time you need to completely focus your
attention
upon
something
to
effectively
transfer
it
from
short-
to
long-
term
memory
[source:
Crook]-
.
No
matter
how
wonderfully
you
can
conjure
up
entertaining
and
useful
visualizations for
incoming information, the skill will be useless if
you're not paying
attention to what you
need to remember in the first place.
Sometimes we can't remember things
because we never got the information into the
memorybank to begin
with.
Like an absent-minded professor, we all have
moments
where we put down keys or an
important book without noticing. Or we scribble
phone
numbers
or
one-word
reminders
on
Post-It
notes,
thinking
that's
all
the
information
we'll need
later. However, without paying attention to why
you need the information
and its value
to you, that Post-It is useless.
Try
to
stay
in
the
present
and
really
pay
attention
to
the
task
at
hand,
whether
it's
learning new information for a job or
meeting new people. Minimize distractions such
as music, television orcell phones to
focus fully. One way to stay mindful of even the
smallest actions is to repeat aloud
what you're doing; as you take off your
eyeglasses,
say aloud
may
feel awkward, you'll be grateful to find your
glasses easily later.
When
meeting new people, we can often be more obsessed
with how we look and the
impression
we're
making
than
truly
paying
attention
to
the
other
person.
Simply
staying
focused
will
boost
your
ability
to
remember
the
names
of
new
people.
But
we're
not done with faces and names yet. Since that area
is troublesome for so many
people, the
next tip is all about using some of these
techniques to attend parties with
ease.
5.
The Name Game
This memory tip builds upon many of the
tips we've learned so far. When you meet a
new person, it's important to pay
attention to the name and the face. As soon as you
learn the name, repeat it back to the
person by saying,