This is a classic situation for many people: you and get to know someone, and a moment later, after people will call themselves completely forget his name. Names, passwords, PIN-codes and phone numbers ... the list is endless - remember the information we have to literally every day. But what if over time the memory begins to fade? Is it possible to train? The good news for you will hear that it is possible! As well as the muscles in your body, and the memory can train. The Americans say: "Use, otherwise you will lose! ". So with the memory - the more you train your brain, the more you will remember.
Of course, anyone would like to know how to improve memory and attention. Note that, in speaking of memory, we mention and attention. You should know: memory and attention are two of your mental faculties that are directly related. Many complaints of poor memory have nothing to do with a real ability to remember. Very often, they come from the inability to focus on the task properly.
Take, for example, such a situation: after work, you need to call the hospital for diseased girlfriend, and before that to drop to the mall for shopping. You know that a friend is waiting for you, and things piled up at home, so you try to hurry. We ran along the counters and cabinets, ran into the grocery department, gathered everything you need - and quickly go to the exit. And here you are in for an unpleasant surprise: you do not remember which part of the park left their car. And why? Because your mind was occupied by a multitude of problems, and the brain does not have the opportunity to "register" the necessary information that would later help you easily find your car. The same applies to the situation where you do not remember, for example, where to put glasses.
How to improve your memory and attention
Many of our actions are performed automatically, without the need of attention. But with age, the brain takes more time to process information. Along with the speed of the processing are on the decline and other brain functions. And most important of these is precisely the ability to concentrate and ignore the distraction. So what can be done to improve concentration and memory?
You can not solve problems by using the memory of a single process. This can be done by following the basic rules of preserving brain health: physical exercise, a balanced diet, stress management, social activity and cognitive stimulation. Let's see all of this in order.
Take the time to sleep and exercise
For a professional athlete has a very important mode of exercise, sleep and food, and this is not surprising, as it depends on how his body will work and what will be his sporting achievements. And your ability to remember increases when you maintain the health of their brain with the help of good habits and good nutrition. When you exercise your body, you train the brain, improving its ability to process and recall information. How, you ask? Exercise increases the flow of oxygen to the brain, thereby greatly reducing the risk of diseases that lead to memory loss, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Sports can also enhance the effect of saturation of the brain useful chemicals that protect its cells.
Sleep also is good for your brain. When you are sleep deprived, it can not operate at full capacity. Creativity, problem-solving abilities and skills of critical and analytical thinking are under threat. If you study, work or daily life trying "to resolve" multiple problems, lack of sleep will be for you a recipe for disaster. For learning and memory sleep is most fundamental. Studies conducted by experts, have clearly shown that sleep is essential for memory consolidation, it is key to the ability to remember well, to increase the activity of the brain responsible for overwork received information during the day. During deep sleep stages new information is transferred from the subconscious mind, which leads to its memorization.
Proper nutrition - the key to good performance of the brain
Just as the body needs a "fuel" for the energy source, and this needs to our brain. You've probably heard many times that a diet based on fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and "healthy" fats, will provide many benefits for the health. Such a diet can also help improve the memory. But for brain health it is important not only that,
what
you eat, but also what you
not
eat. The following tips will help you to increase memory performance:
Get a daily rate of omega-3. Increasingly, there is evidence that the omega-3 fatty acids are essential for brain health. Particularly rich sources of omega-3 is fish, such as salmon, tuna, halibut, trout, mackerel, sardines and herring. Other sources - walnuts, flaxseed and flaxseed oil, pumpkin seeds and soybeans.
Increased calorie food and its content of saturated fats (from sources such as red meat, whole milk, butter, cheese, sour cream, ice cream) not only reduce the function of memory and attention, but also increase the risk of dementia.
Eat more fruits and vegetables. With them you get the body needs antioxidants and other substances that protect brain cells from damage. Particularly useful are fruits such as apricots, mangoes, cantaloupe, watermelon, and green leafy vegetables.
Drink green tea. It contains polyphenols - powerful antioxidants that protect the brain from the damaging effects of free radicals. Among many other benefits, regular consumption of green tea can improve memory and mental activity and is able to slow down the aging brain.
To improve the mental and intellectual energy consume complex carbohydrates. Simple carbohydrates (sugar, white bread, refined cereals, etc.) provide a quick burst of energy, which is also rapidly eroding. There is evidence that a diet high in simple carbohydrates can significantly increase the risk of cognitive decline in the elderly. For a healthy energy that lasts for a long time, choose whole grain bread, brown rice, oatmeal, lentils, beans and similar products. Avoid convenience foods, and foods rich in starch (potatoes, pasta, rice) eat reduced portions - no more than a quarter of the size of conventional plates.
Keep stress in check
Stress is one of the worst enemies of the brain. Over time, if left unchecked, chronic stress destroys brain cells and damages the hippocampus - a brain region involved in forming new memories and to find old information. Stress management can go in different directions - that adherence to both work and leisure, and physical education, and nutrition, and other ways to relieve stress.
One effective way can be considered meditation. Today continue to accumulate scientific evidence of the benefits of meditation for our health - that help fight depression, anxiety, chronic pain, diabetes and even high blood pressure. Meditation can also improve attention, ability to concentrate, creativity and learning.
A healthy relationship - booster memory?
When you think about ways to improve memory, then - we are sure of it! - Believe that it is first necessary to resort to the "serious" activities: for example, solving a difficult crossword puzzles, mastering the game of chess. Would you believe us that carefree games in nature, walking with friends or enjoy a funny movie, too, can help to develop and strengthen memory? Meanwhile, numerous studies of scientists lead them to the conclusion that life is full of optimism and friendship ties, as a result gives us a cognitive advantage over those who eschews fun.
People - a social being. We can not survive, let alone prosperity in isolation. Relationships with other people stimulates your brain and just companionship really can be the best kind of exercise for him. Scientists say that meaningful to us social relations are of great importance not only for emotional health, but also for brain health, too. For example, experts from the Harvard School of Public Health found that people leading the most active social life, others were less prone to memory loss.
Train your brain
By the time you have reached adulthood, your brain has developed millions of neural connections that help you quickly process information, solve problems and perform with minimal mental effort habitual tasks. But if you always use only these old "tracks", then you do not give the brain is no stimulation to grow and develop new neural connections. Therefore it is necessary from time to time "shaking" his brain, causing him to work hard. The more your mind works, the more information you will be able to process and remember. It is best to train the brain those situations when you break the routine habits and start doing something new or a new way. These activities can include almost anything, as long as it meets the following three criteria:
This is something new. If this is what you have repeatedly done, you will not be able to train your brain. You should really do something unfamiliar that stands out from your usual comfort zone.
It's complicated. All that requires some mental effort and that expands the scope of your knowledge, it would be great to work on training the brain. For example, you can learn a foreign language, learn a new knitting, or for you to sport, to move from solving a skanvordov to solve Sudoku.
It's fun. The physical and emotional pleasure plays an important role in the learning process of the brain. The more you are interested, the more likely that you will continue this activity, and the more benefits you get. Yes, your work should be challenging, but it should be interesting for you!
Techniques to improve attention
Concentrate on the task at hand. If you're talking with someone, then ask questions when reading a record, then ask yourself: how can I summarize what just read?
Try to avoid or eliminate distractions. The more difficult the task, the more important tune and stop distractions.
Do not try to do two things at the same time; it shattered your attention and increase the likelihood of your mistakes. Remember that the account "not rubber," it is limited.
Techniques to improve memory
When you need to remember something, you pay for it all my attention and focus (see above!) You can not remember anything, if you do not concentrate. For information processing and placing it in the memory of a person needs eight seconds of intense attention. If you are easily distracted, choose a place where you will not disturb anyone.
Try to develop some personal relation to the information that you need to remember. The more personal information, the easier it is to remember. Ask yourself that this information makes you feel. Where do you even hear that? Is there something in your personal life, associated with at least some of this information?
Repeat the information coming back to it several times. "Repetition - the mother of learning! "
Develop the information, ponder it, make sure you fully understand it. That is a clear and specific meaning is easier to remember than something abstract and vague. Trying to make sense to invest in a memory information will lead to the fact that it will be easier to remember it, because your brain is more signals for search. For example, if you need to remember the numbers, try to mentally put them in any frame or a table, or they color the mind - images are easier to remember than numbers.
Reach for help as their senses as possible. Try to relate the information to the color, texture, smell and taste. For example, the physical act - rewriting text - can enhance the "imprint" in your mind and will significantly speed up memorization of information. Or you can say out loud that you must remember - this is also significantly accelerates the memorization.
Relate new information to what you already know. Connect new data to information that you have well remembered, whether it is a new material that builds on previous knowledge or something as simple as the address of those who live on the street where you already know someone.
If you want to learn more complex material focus on understanding and memorizing the main ideas, not to memorize all the details. It will memorize such material, if you retell it to someone in your own words.
As you can see, to train their attention and improve memory is quite possible, and at any age. One has only to wish and work hard at it!
We strongly recommend to read: How to make the brain work at 100%
