Brain Power Tips

Memory and concentration are vital to every day life.  But forgetfulness can be caused by many things including disease, disability and even injury.  “Please tell me how to improve my memory!” you ask?  Here are three easy ways.

Long term memories are simply short term memories that have been repeated and associated in the brain.  When we first learn to count to ten as children, for example, we are encouraged to repeat the sequence over and over until it becomes a long term memory that lasts a lifetime.  Likewise, skills we need as adults need to be repeated to be remembered.   By simply repeating and rehearsing information we need to access later we can improve our memory.

“But how do I improve my memory easily?”

You can use memory enhancing supplements.  Vitamin B12 is found in meats such as liver, shellfish and eggs, and vitamin B9 (also known as folic acid) is found in cereal, bread and pasta.  Both have been proven to prevent brain atrophy and improve cognition, even in Alzheimer’s and stroke patients.  Antioxidants are found in many fruits and vegetables and prevent other molecules in the brain from oxidizing which can damage surrounding cells.

Another quick way to improve memory is by using mnemonics.  These are simply devices that associate ideas and words.  For instance, the first letter in each word of My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine is a way to remember the planets of the solar system from the sun out: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.  FACE represents the musical notes F, A, C, and E that go in the spaces of a staff.

You may be using some of these techniques already, but you can always use them more.  I know how to improve my memory, and now you have the tools necessary to improve yours too!

How Do I Improve Long Term Memory?