5 Ways To Maximize Your Memory

It’s always interesting when you can recite lines from your favorite TV show to friends, but forget a coworker’s name, a phone number for a new client, or information for final exams. Forgetting crucial information is something that we all experience. Scientists believe that there is a physical process on a molecular level that works to store information. Unfortunately, those molecules are out of reach to humans, and there isn’t much we can do to change that. Don’t despair. There are simple exercises and practices you can apply to your everyday life to increase your ability to recall memories. Some of which you may already be doing, contributing to your good memory compared to a friend’s. 

You don’t need to make any dramatic changes to your life to help remember things better. Take a look at the following five easy practices you can implement in life to maximize your memory.

Meditation and breathing practices

Science Direct published a study that discussed the correlation between practicing relaxation techniques and how a student performs academically. In Effect of Relaxation Training on Working Memory Capacity and Academic Achievement in Adolescents, researchers tested 40 girl students in the seventh grade. They broke them up into two groups, one practiced meditation, and breathing exercises, while the other did not. After a semesters worth of education under their belts, researchers reported, “Average (GPA) of the first semester for pre-test and the GPA of the second semester for post-test were used. Multivariate analysis of covariance showed that relaxation training increase working memory capacity and its components, storage and processing, and academic achievement.” If you are new to meditation Yoga Journal has a complete guide on the various ways to meditate. Meditation ranges from sitting quietly to repeating a positive mantra. It comes down to which method works best for you.

Eat right

It’s probably not the first time someone’s advised you to eat right to get optimal brain function. The problem becomes, which is the right diet for you to be able to maintain. The ketogenic diet is gaining momentum as many people report success seeing weight loss. Fair warning, it is a strict diet to follow, especially with the products available in grocery stores and dishes offered at your favorite restaurant. Rather than making a drastic change to your diet, be mindful to include (or eliminate) the following everyday foods.

• Coffee lovers rejoice! Studies show that those who drink more coffee have an easier time recalling memories.
• Eat anti-inflammatory foods like berries, fatty fish, broccoli, avocados, green tea, peppers, mushrooms, grapes, turmeric, extra virgin olive oil, tomatoes, and dark chocolate.
• Less whole grains and other complex carbohydrates. 
• Drink less alcohol.

You’d be amazed at how a small change in your everyday life can impact how well you remember things.

Exercise and maintain a healthy weight

Along with eating healthy, it is essential to stay fit and exercise at least five days a week for no less than thirty minutes. You don’t need to pay for a gym membership or trainer if you don’t want to. A walk in the neighborhood to get your heart rate up will suffice. Studies show that adults who exercise regularly see a slower decline in their memory and cognitive function. If you are someone who struggles with spatial memory, studies show that exercise helps that area of the brain the most.

Sleep

After you’ve committed yourself to memorize something, get some shut-eye. The way the brain works to remember information is by creating synapses between neurons. In short, they create a bond and a more robust network in your brain. When you get seven to nine hours of sleep, you’re giving these bonds time to connect and strengthen fully. In this critical period, your brain takes your memories and consolidates them to long-term memories.

Test yourself

Rosalind Potts, a Ph.D. teaching fellow at the University College London, spends much of her time researching strategies that students can adopt to learn and memorize information on their own. She discusses in detail the effect of making errors and learning from them. Potts writes, “Taking a test is not just a useful way of diagnosing what we do and do not know; it actually changes the memory representation. In many cases, testing enhances memory for tested material and for material learned following a test but it can also have detrimental effects, as in the phenomena of retrieval-induced forgetting and retrieval impaired new learning.” Find a study group or mingle with coworkers to help one another out. There is always strength in numbers.

In addition to all these ways to maximize your memory, our Maximizing Memory Course has helped hundreds of professionals and students memorize vital information. Excel in your career and succeed in school by signing up today!