Improve Your Memory Quickly With These Nine Tips
by www.SixWise.com
Though you may not notice it until you reach your mind-60s,
your memory starts a gradual decline around the ripe old age
of 25, according to University of Michigan psychologist Denise
Park.
|
The antioxidants in apples are just the thing to help
keep your mind sharp.
|
"Younger adults in their 20s and 30s notice no losses
at all, even though they are declining at the same rate as
people in their 60s and 70s, because they have more capital
than they need," says Park in Scientific American.
Don't worry.
Most of this mental decline is quite harmless, though it
may lead you to have trouble recalling certain facts or make
multitasking more difficult. The good news is that, like your
muscles, your brain can be built up and strengthened at any
age, and here are the top tips to do so.
1. Exercise
Regular
exercise is not only good for your body, it's good for
your mind. Specifically, exercise increases blood flow to
your brain and has been found to delay or prevent age-related
mental decline, and may even provide memory improvement, according
to the Mayo Clinic.
2. Meditate
Studies show that meditation
can sharpen your brain. For instance, a study by University
of Kentucky researchers found that people who took a test
after meditating had significantly better scores than people
who had napped instead. Researchers at Harvard, Yale and the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology have also found that
meditation increases brain size and may help slow some aspects
of cognitive aging.
3. Get a Good Night's Sleep
Getting
enough high-quality sleep can improve your memory, according
to research. Further, when you learn a new skill, the memories
are vulnerable until they are "solidified" in your
brain. It appears that sleeping plays a key role in this process,
which may explain why infants, who are constantly learning
new skills, require so much more sleep than adults.
4. Concentrate
The more you try to multi-task, the less you will end up
actually remembering. This is because your brain is constantly
switching back and forth between tasks, rather than really
honing in on one. So if you're in the middle of a task that's
full of important details you need to remember, turn off the
TV, the radio and any other interruptions so you can really
focus.
|
When Your Brain Needs to Relax: Quiet
Your Mind With Guided Meditation
 The
Pure Relaxation CD is an essential tool for anyone looking
for an excellent way to relax and quiet a racing mind.
The guided meditations in Pure Relaxation will calm
your mind, soothe your emotions and create a state of
deep relaxation in your body, giving you permission
to live in a more relaxed way.
Learn
More About the Pure Relaxation CD Now!
|
5. Make Sure You're Getting Enough Iron
Iron is used by your brain to help your memory function properly,
and studies have found that women with low iron levels score
lower on memory tests than women with normal amounts. You
should have your blood levels of iron (ferritin) tested before
taking a supplement, however, as it's also possible to have
too much iron.
6. Eat Apples
"Apples have just the right dose of antioxidants to
raise levels of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that's essential
to memory and tends to decline with age," says Tom Shea,
PhD, director of the University of Massachusetts Lowell Center
for Cellular Neurobiology and Neurodegeneration Research,
in Prevention. Of course, fruits and veggies of all kinds
contain antioxidants that are good for your body and your
brain, so indulge in them freely.
|
Here's one memory-improving trick we can ALL do: get
some sleep.
|
7. Use Your Brain
A study in The New England Journal of Medicine found that
seniors who participated in mentally challenging activities
about once a week for a 20-year period reduced the risk of
dementia by 7 percent. Those who engaged in these activities
more often reduced their risk even more -- by 63 percent!
To keep your mind on its toes, try out a new hobby that will
get you thinking, such as:
-
Learning how to play a musical instrument
-
Playing Sudoku,
crossword puzzles, cards or board
games
-
Learning a foreign language
-
Reading
-
Creative writing
-
Woodworking
8. Don't Worry About It
A study published in Psychology and Aging found that when
seniors were told that aging causes forgetfulness, they did
poorly on memory tests. On the other hand, seniors who were
told that their memory wasn't influenced by their age scored
15 percent higher. The bottom line? If you believe that your
memory is in good shape, it will be.
9. Have a Cocktail (in Moderation)
A study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that
one-half to one drink a day may be beneficial for your brain.
In fact, in the study of over 12,000 elderly women, those
who drank light to moderate amounts of alcohol daily had a
20 percent lower risk of having problems with their mental
abilities later in life than women who did not drink at all.
Too
much drinking, of course, will be counterproductive so
be sure NOT to overindulge.
Recommended Reading
Menopause
and Memory Loss: New Research Explains Why Menopausal Women
Often Feel Forgetful
Why
High School Memories Often "Loom So Large" In Our
Minds
Sources
Scientific
American August 15, 2001
Mayo
Clinic
The
New England Journal of Medicine January 20, 2005 Volume 352:245-253
Prevention.com