Do you ever find yourself forgetting the simplest of things, only to remember them hours later? Memory lapses can be incredibly frustrating and yet, they occur to the majority of us at some point in our lives. If you struggle to bring to mind simple facts on a regular basis, however, it might be time to strengthen your mind. Like your muscles, your brain needs to be exercised in order to stay on top form and by performing a number of simple activities, you can improve your memory no end. Ready to boost your memory skills? You might never forget a thing again.
- Sleep More
The better the quality of sleep you get, the more effectively your brain will function; it’s really that simple. If you find yourself suddenly struggling to focus and remember simple facts, it might simply be that you’re suffering from fatigue. Sleep is the key time for your brain to strengthen the connections between neurons, leading to better thought functioning and a stronger memory capacity. Getting between 7 and 9 hours of sleep a night will help to keep your mind functioning normally and keep your memory stores in check.
- Exercise Regularly
Studies have shown that regular cardiovascular exercise might actually be linked to stronger memory functioning. Raising your heart rate for between 20 and 30 minutes three times a week can increase the flow of oxygenated blood to the organ, helping to enlarge the area of your brain vital for memory, the hippocampus. Better yet, when you work out, your brain secretes more of the hormone necessary for long term memory, improving your mental capacity long into the future.
- Feed Yourself
Making sure you’re getting the right kinds of nutrients can make all the difference when you’re trying to improve your memory and when it comes to strong brain functioning, it’s all about antioxidants. Foods like blueberries can help to maintain the health of your brain by reducing damaging free radicals around the body. On the other hand, eating more leafy green vegetables can help to keep your mental decline over time at a minimum, by pumping your body full of vitamin C. The cleaner you eat, the better your brain will function!
- Take Time Out
While mental stimulation is a great way of improving both your brain functioning and your memory, taking the time in which to relax and switch off is equally important. Activities like meditation can work wonders on your mental capacity, helping to improve both your concentration skills and your ability to focus. Better yet, the more that you meditate, the more relaxed that you will feel, enabling your brain to work to its best possible ability.
- Test Yourself
Mental puzzles and games are one of the best ways of stimulating brain function and testing your cognitive abilities. Studies have suggested that taking part in crossword puzzles every day can significantly improve your brain functioning and enhance your memory skills. When performed over a long period of time, you can use puzzles to offset memory loss and mental decline, keeping your brain sharper for longer into the future!
- Try Something New
Sticking to the same old routine is an easy way to get into a rut and worse still, it can have a detrimental effect on your memory skills. Doing something out of your routine, such as taking a new way to work, or approaching work tasks in a new way, can help to keep your recall skills sharp and encourage your brain to work differently around a familiar situation. When you do something new, your brain is much more likely to retain information for later, helping to boost your memory. The more new things that you try, the more effectively your brain will be able to work!