Memory is our brain’s ability to analyze and store information in order to restore it later. Sometimes the information is not restored when it is needed.
These occasional gaps in memory can be caused by various factors such as fatigue, stress, emotional disturbance, etc. However, it is possible to train and work on one’s memory.
Memory is of crucial importance, without memory there is no personal evolution possible. In animals, too, it has been noted in mice that the memory of danger is transmitted from generation to generation.
But as the old saying goes, you have to work on your memory. There are many ways to do this, sudoku, crosswords, reading, and a technique more original than the others, meditation. In this article we will see how this ancestral technique can help you maintain and develop your memory. But first, a little overview of this wonderful tool.
Different types of memories in our brain.
Perspective memory
Directly linked to the perception of our environment, it serves to identify the objects and situations we encounter. Thus, the first time you saw a car you didn’t know what it was, today it has become something common and you are even able to differentiate a sports car from a station wagon.
Short-term memory
It is our ability to retain a small amount of information over a limited time. For example, we use it to remember an address for the time it takes to write it down, and it is also the gateway to long-term memory.
If I quote your hometown, you will first store the name in your short term memory, then come the famous “ah, but yes”, and hop access to your long term memory where the information related to your city is stored.
Short-term memory is used in meditation because we will focus our attention on a specific object and learn not to derive our thoughts from something else such as memories or mental ruminations.
Long-term memory
Long-term memory includes everything that is stored for a longer or shorter period of time in our brain. It is divided into four categories:
- Explicit memory which gathers all our memories over long periods of time such as childhood.
- Procedural memory, also called implicit memory, which allows us to remember automatism such as pedaling a bicycle.
- The semantic memory that corresponds to all the knowledge we have learned
- And finally the episodic memory that allows us to remember specific episodes in our lives, such as our first time in a foreign country.
What are the causes of memory gaps
From simply forgetting a date to more recurring memory problems, this loss can handicap us in our daily lives. When the communication circuit between the neurons malfunctions, memory becomes jammed and our memory fails us: this is the famous memory lapse or dementia.
Occasional memory loss can increase with age, because the number of neurons decreases over the years, especially after the age of 40. Other factors can also influence our memory: stress, emotion, disturbed sleep, fatigue, or the famous mental load.
For optimal brain function, we must choose the right foods and adopt a few tips to work on our memory and maintain our memory.
Is your brain a muscle?
The answer is no, there are no muscle fibers in the brain if this is your case I strongly advise you to go quickly to consult. We often hear this sentence to twist the neck to an old preconceived idea that dates back to the 90s and that says that we lose neurons as we get older.
Recently, scientists have proven that it is not the number of neurons that decreases, but the neural connections that, if not used, weaken.
This is the concept of brain plasticity. For example, if I am a carpenter I will use certain areas of my brain and less, if I change my profession to become an accountant I will use other areas of the brain. The useless connections will weaken and the more useful ones will become stronger.
So, in the case of memory, if you don’t stimulate the short-term memory, for example with sudoku or another exercise, it will become less effective. A study has shown that just by going on vacation for two weeks our neuronal connections change.
15 Tips to improve and work on your memory
Contrary to popular belief, within or outside of any pathology such as Alzheimer’s or amnesia, it is always possible to improve one’s memory. And this at any age. Starting from this postulate, the question is how to proceed? By putting into practice methods and tricks that are a priori simple. Below are 15 tips, techniques or exercises that will improve your memory.
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Meditate
Meditation is an effective way improve memory and helps to sort through it. It also improves brain connectivity. A University of California study showed that meditation improves memory skills and reduces concentration problems. And in 2012, MIT researchers identified a neural circuit that helps create lasting memories.
However, to be truly effective, the practice of meditation must be assiduous, regular. Moreover, it is recommended to follow realistic and sensible instructions. Here is a meditation guide that will help you get started.
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Visualization
About 65% of the population has a visual memory. Associating words with a picture helps to remember them better. Cicero already used it in antiquity. Cicero’s method, also known as the method of the palace, relies on the power of images as a medium and on memorized spatial relationships to retain information.
Draw from your experience of places, sensations and actions. It’s more effective to associate the element or fact to remember with what surprised us, excited us or what we already know. Try it and you will see!
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Play to improve your memory
Numerous exercises help to improve memory. Games in particular stimulate the memory. There are some that help concentration or memorization in the present moment:
- Cross words
- Sudoku,
- puzzles
- or Luminosity which is a set of exercises on computer or cell phone created by a team of neuroscientists. It improves the memory of 97% of users in 10 hours of play.
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Sport: Boost your memory by exercising
Physical activity increases blood flow to the brain and improves brain function. According to a study conducted by the Georgia Institute of Technology in the United States, a physical exercise of at least twenty minutes improves memory by 10%.
Sport can thus stimulate brain performance and increase mental agility. Running would therefore do as much good for the brain as trying to remember numbers. Exercise would also delay the Alzheimer’s disease.
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Sleep
Don’t skip sleep because sleeping well is indeed essential for memory. A good restorative sleep is necessary for the night brain activity which allows neurons to organize and classify the information received during the day. Seven hours of sleep are required for optimal brain function according to an American study.
Sleep consolidates memories and helps to assimilate knowledge. No matter how well you develop your memory, you won’t get the results you expect if you don’t get quality sleep!
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Revise intelligently
It is not by reading a text just once, even carefully, that one will best retain its content. The best way to retain something is to memorize it several times in different forms (for example by doing a “mini quiz” on an assignment, by making summary sheets or diagrams…). These “back and forth” between short and long term memory will allow the brain to encode information more efficiently.
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Read and repeat
The ideal would be, in a quiet and conducive place, to read something that you want to memorize. Keep parasitic thoughts away while reading. Repetition then allows you to review the information received a second or third time, to make sure it is well memorized.
In addition to bringing you knowledge, reading is an excellent way to work on your memory.
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Spacing out your revision sequences
It is better to spread your learning sequences over time rather than accumulating them at the last moment. Émilie Gerbier, a lecturer at Sophia-Antipolis University and a specialist in learning, advises gradually spacing out her revision sessions to boost memory according to the following pattern: the same evening, the next day, four days later and then seven days later.
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Learning lessons in the evening
Sleep helps to consolidate memory: during sleep, neurons make new connections with each other and fix memories. A study by the Cognitive Mechanisms Study Laboratory in Lyon has shown that students who revise their courses in the evening retain on average 40% more information than others. However, this mechanism is more effective in young people.
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Chewing gum
According to a study published in 2011, chewing gum during the learning process can lead to better test scores. But another study from the University of Cardiff contradicted this claim, explaining that distraction from the muscle process has a negative effect on memorization. In reality, the two are not completely opposite: chewing gum would disrupt short-term memory but would allow you to concentrate on complex tasks and fight stress.
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Escape from routine
Spending your days filling out sudoku puzzles may make you a sudoku world champion, but it won’t improve your cognitive abilities. The brain feeds on new experiences to produce connections between neurons. For example, you may take a different path to work or vary the way you prepare breakfast.
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Draw
According to a Canadian study published in 2018, individuals have an easier time remembering words that have been drawn rather than written. The researchers explain that drawing involves multiple forms of memory (spatial, visual, verbal, motor…) and thus allows to activate more areas of the brain in storage. This would be even more valid for older people than for younger people.
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Drinking coffee
According to a 2014 study by the Johns Hopkins University, caffeine improves memory over a period of at least 24 hours, particularly for remembering and distinguishing details in images. It is also thought to have a protective effect against cognitive decline, particularly Alzheimer’s disease. Another 2016 study confirmed these results by explaining that caffeine blocks the stress hormones responsible for cognitive decline.
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Tracking down your day
Practice every night to reconstruct your day: what you did, who you met, what you said, etc. This simple exercise fixes the information and allows you to build recovery paths that can then be used to restore another notion that you have acquired. Hence the importance of being attentive to details in your everyday life.
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Food for a good memory
Your brain represents only 2% of your total body weight, but it is very energy intensive. It alone uses about 20% of the day’s caloric intake!
Here are some rules to follow to give your brain the energy it needs to function:
- Eat a hearty breakfast in the morning, with foods rich in carbohydrates and fiber, so your brain has energy to function well until lunch break. Here are some recommendations.
- Choose foods rich in omega-3, such as fatty fish and oils rich in good fats, which are essential for building and maintaining brain cells.
- You should also choose foods rich in B vitamins such as B1, B3, B5 and B9, which play a key role in memory by influencing psychological functions and intellectual performance. Here are 15 foods that contain large quantities of these vitamins.
- Consume iron, which transports oxygen to the brain by attaching it to red blood cells. Iron is very present in red meat, but also in seeds such as sesame, cumin or cashews.
- Magnesium, contained in large quantities in bananas, dried fruit or chocolate, contributes to the proper functioning of the nervous system and good psychological functions.
Some plants can help you!
- Ginseng(Panax ginseng) is a stimulating plant well known to promote cognitive performance. It helps the brain to function properly and improves learning abilities. Ideal in periods of overwork or intense intellectual activity, it helps to improve memorization and allows you, thanks to its anti-fatigue effect, to go through busy periods more serenely.
- Bacopa (Bacopa monnieri) is well known for its action on cognitive functions such as memory and concentration. Bacopa acts on short and long term memory. It helps to maintain optimal brain function, and supports learning and memorization of information. Its action focuses on blood microcirculation, associated with intellectual performance.
- the Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba). It is a very resistant tree which has a record longevity. Thanks to its richness in ginkgolides, ginkgo can act on memory and learning faculties. This plant helps to improve cognitive functions and promotes concentration. It is known to promote cerebral micro-circulation, allowing an optimal supply of oxygen and nutrients to neurons.
- Rhodiola(Rhodiola rosea) is a plant that allows the body to resist stress more easily and adapt. The brain is thus more efficient.
Conclusion
Our brain controls all our vital functions. It is solicited at every moment of the day, at work, at home or in our leisure time, but also during particular periods (exams, competitions…). In certain situations, a drop in concentration or a lack of memory may occur. To avoid this, apply the tips we have proposed in this article.
If you need to retain some key information, remember that the different points discussed above are closely related. It is essential to have good lifestyle habits to exercise your memory, and thus train and improve it. These tips will benefit you in your everyday life, as well as at work or when performing various tasks: you will only be more productive!