Searching for a phone you are holding in your hands and forgetting where you parked your car may be the initial symptoms that your memory is beginning to fail you. A good memory relies on the health and vitality of the brain.
Stress, old age, and disease are some of the factors that mess up the brain and by extension your memory. You need a sharp memory to excel in your work and go about your day to day activities without much hassle. You also need the good memory to remember the names of people you meet at social and professional functions.
Here are ways to improve your memory.
Work it out
Like your muscles, the brain needs to be worked out to prevent atrophy. Your routine and everyday tasks rely on neural pathways already formed for months and years and that’s why you find most of these tasks easy and effortless. In other words, there is no mental exertion.
They don’t work the brain at all. The natural way to boost your memory is to continually learn new things to develop new pathways thus increasing your memory. Do puzzles, write with the weaker hand if you are not ambidextrous and try new activities like painting and dancing.
Sweat it
Regular exercise is beneficial to both your physical health as well your memory. It increases oxygen flow to the brain which is important in warding off memory loss and other mental disorders.
Whole body exercise which involves complex muscle groups at a go such as power cleans, running, and rowing (see Rowingreviewshubcom.Com for machine review) involve a lot of motor coordination thereby sharpening your cognitive functions.
Food for thought
Your diet affects your memory. Eat a healthy balanced diet rich in leafy vegetables which are important in shielding the brain from diseases.
Include brain-boosting foods such as omega-3 fats and flavanols, which are found in fish and chocolate respectively. These help keep the brain cell membrane pliable and makes absorption of new information easy. Choline, which is commonly found in eggs, is also important in the production of acetylcholine, an important brain chemical for memory.
Sleep on it
The brain needs a good night’s sleep to absorb and organize new information. The brain utilizes the rapid eye movement (REM) stage in the sleep spectrum for memory consolidation. 7-9 hours of uninterrupted sleep is essential for a great memory, creativity, and problem-solving skills. Is it sleep deprivation that’s making you forgetful? Developing a regular sleep routine and avoid going to bed with your phone which emits blue light that hampers your sleep.
Reduce your alcohol consumption
Even scientists who can’t agree on whether light to moderate alcohol consumption slows down cognitive decline agree on one thing: excessive consumption of alcohol impairs memory.
Excessive alcohol consumption can damage the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for memory. Alcohol is a depressant to the central nervous system inhibit neurotransmission and this why you can’t remember what happened the previous night after you had one too many. Additionally, drinking alcohol also leads to dehydration, which diminishes your cognitive functions including memory. In the long term, excessive drinking can lead to memory loss and other mental disorder.
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