You started to notice that you can not remember where you put your keys or once again forgot about an important meeting, you can not focus on important issues and distract all the time, do not remember new material well or you can notRemember the recently transmitted material? If so, then it is worth thinking about how to improve memory and attention in adults and regain the previous state.
The first thing that comes to mind is to create a diary or an electronic diary with reminders so that you do not miss important events and meetings. But what about information that needs to be remembered and transferred to long-term memory? !
Unfortunately, things are not so simple. Despite the variety of options, pill forms, and variety of supplements and medications, there is currently not much scientific evidence to improve brain activity and thought processes. And trying a $ 50 drug that promises to boost nerve connections in the brain in a matter of weeks does not sound very tempting, especially if the appointment was made by a doctor as part of a promotion.
In the 21st century of information technology, in order to cover the whole volume or even prepare for an exam, it is necessary not only to devote time to it. The core of the problem is often poor memorization, memory impairment and the wrong approach to the learning process. Fortunately, there are scientifically proven effective methods for improving memory and ways to improve brain function, both in the short and long term at home, and even make it easier to prepare for your exams. Below we will look at each one separately.Try meditation to improve concentration
Attention is one of the main components of memory. To move data from short-term memory to long-term memory, it is necessary to focus on this particular piece of hardware. Try to do important things away from distractions such as TV, music, phones, chats and other entertainment.
It is not always easy to do this, especially if surrounded by noisy neighbors or children. Try to take time for yourself when no one is interfering with your work.
Memory and concentration are in about the same area of the brain. It has been shown that by increasing concentration through meditation, it leads to improved brain performance and the process of an adult's memory.
Meditation helps to improve and develop working memory, which temporarily stores the data you need throughout the day. Simply put, at any given time there are 7 pieces of information in the brain, when a new part arrives, it replaces the old one, which is or is not recorded in long-term memory. Meditation helps to quickly get this kind of information needed in a given period of time.
How long it will take to see positive results is not known. Generally, this can take 2 to 8 weeks.
Perhaps the calming effect of meditation increases the ability to overcome mental noise (distractions) and focus on what you need to know at one point or another.
Here are some more powerful ways:
- Turn off all notifications while learning.
- Try to isolate yourself from people you know during the study. Go to the library or cafe where you will not be bothered.
- Work on only one subject at a time, avoiding multiple tasks and frequent switching to other material.
Do not stick
In order to adequately process this or that information, it will have to be studied in different approaches. Studies have shown that those who regularly teach a particular material in parts memorize it much better than those who learn everything at once.
Structure and organization of your data
Researchers have found that information is organized in the brain into interconnected "clusters". This ability of the brain to structure data can be used in everyday life. Try combining similar ideas and terms together, or drawing notes or grouping material from different books, which will make it easier to remember and highlight the information you want from different sources.Use memos and abbreviations
Mnemonics is a memorization technique often used by students to quickly retrieve data from the brain. In other words, it's an easy way to remember complex information. For example, you can associate a term you want to remember by linking it to a topic you are familiar with. The best mnemonics are those related to positive images or humor. You can find a verb, song or joke to remember a specific piece of material.
Acronyms are the most commonly used technique for memorizing related shortlists or sequences.
In everyday life, we are already so used to acronyms that we do not even notice them and do not think about what words are made up.
As you learn new knowledge, you can create your own abbreviations.
Analyze the material in detail and repeat what you went through
To remember the information, you must first make it comprehensible to the brain and then repeat everything you learned again, then the information will surely fall into long-term memory. For example, read the definition of a key term, study the definition of that term, and then read a more detailed description of what the term means. By repeating this process several times, you will probably find that you remember the term more easily and more quickly over time.
To check the material studied, it is also recommended to divide it into three categories of difficulty. For each of them, choose the time you spend and the days of the week.
Check the material again, if you remember correctly, and repeat it only once a week.
If you have difficulty reproducing information, read it again in a few hours or every other day.
And if you do not remember anything, study the material again for 10 minutes. After the whole cycle is repeated, rearrange the information according to how you remember it and take your time to repeat and fill in the blanks.
Visualize the information
Visualizing information often helps people remember material better because some people have more visual perception. Pay attention to pictures, graphs and tables in the same lessons, for example. You can create your own charts, diagrams and drawings, use the notes in the margins or colored markers to remember the important points and find what you need quickly.
Link new information to already known information
When searching for unknown material, take some time to think about how this information relates to what you already know. Having found this relationship, it will be easier for you to remember the information you received recently.
Read aloud
Research shows that reading greatly facilitates the recollection of information. Teachers also support this idea and put it into practice when they ask their students to teach new material to their classmates. You can also use this approach and study new material with your friend.
Spend more time on complex information
What information is easier to remember at the beginning or the end? The researchers found that the order in which the data was viewed played an important role in how quickly the brain took samples and exported that information. And we remember the material better at the beginning of the book and at the end.
Information in the middle is often lost, but this problem can be solved by repeating it many times. Another strategy is to try to rephrase what you have learned in your own words so that it is easier to remember.
Change the usual environment
Another great way to improve memory is to change the learning environment. Change the position in the classroom or at the time of day to study the material. By adding an element of innovation to your learning activities, you can increase the effectiveness of the effort made and the memorization of information.
Remember before you write
Teachers often tell you to write things down before you start teaching so that the material is better remembered.
Remember and mentally repeat what you write, not just rewrite it without thinking.
This process will not be difficult because the information will remain in short-term memory for about 10-20 seconds. And having this information mentally directed in your mind, you will transfer it to long-term memory.
Get enough sleep and don't forget to sleep if possible
Most students try to spend more time studying and completely forget about sleep. But this makes the situation worse, because lack of sleep affects memory as well as some other cognitive abilities.
The relationship between sleep and memory has been confirmed by many studies, as many people know that memory consolidation occurs during sleep. Therefore, the quality of sleep is directly related to the clarity of memories. If the quality of your sleep is suffering, then you will soon notice that the memories are slipping away from you. On the contrary, with enough sleep of 8+ hours, recalling specific moments is much easier and faster.
Research has also shown that naps can improve memory performance. One of the best known studies in this area has shown that REM sleep (only about half an hour) increases the brain's ability to retain information. The researchers asked two groups of people to memorize a set of images with different images and then after about 40 minutes showed another set of cards. One of the groups managed to take a nap in those 40 minutes.
Results:the group that took a nap retained significantly more information about the photos (85%) than those who did not sleep at all (60%).
The reason, again, is to consolidate memory - the brain needs sleep to get this process going well, so a little sleep will only be beneficial.
Conclusion:If you want to get the most out of your memory, let your body get enough sleep.
Train
Exercise is known to improve knowledge, concentration and blood circulation to the brain through the flow of oxygen to cells and their mood.
Exercise also activates the release of cathepsin B protein in the brain. This stimulates the growth of neurons (brain cells) and creates extra connections in the hippocampus, an area of the brain that is responsible for long-term memory and retention.Exercise has been shown to improve brain function in many studies, so let's talk about that first. In one of them, it turned out that just a few minutes of light exercise leads to an immediate improvement in memory. The participants in the experiment performed exercises of varying intensity, while the scientists at that time observed changes in brain activity.
The results showed that during these exercises, the connection between the areas of the brain that are responsible for creating new episodic memories (autobiographical memory, which is remembered according to the principle of "who, what, where and when"), as well as in the dental round improved. and the hippocampus.
Therefore, in a few minutes or even an hour of exercise, you can improve your memory. You can try a treadmill or walk for a start, and most people can.Drink coffee and tea
Caffeine is a well-known brain enhancer. In large quantities, it is harmful to health and even dangerous, but there is no doubt that it improves memory. In a study by Johns Hopkins, one group of volunteers was asked not to consume any caffeinated foods and the other was given a 200 mg caffeine supplement 5 minutes after being asked to see pictures. The next day even more photos appeared, some of them were identical to the past or similar in some way, there were new ones.The team that took caffeine the day before did a much better job of identifying which images were similar to the originals and was still able to tell the difference.
Tea and coffee contain the highest amount of caffeine, in addition, they have many other benefits, for example the presence of antioxidants. Try to get your caffeine from natural teas and coffees and not from sugary energy drinks. In addition to caffeine, green and black tea contain ingredients that improve memory. It is recommended to drink them all day, but preferably not before bedtime.
Eat foods rich in flavonoids
Foods high in saturated fat and trans fats (red meat, butter) are bad for your memory. Just to prepare for the exams, students often eat a lot of unhealthy foods that are even worse for the brain.
Many studies have shown that these foods can even lead to Alzheimer's and dementia in the future, which causes irreversible damage to brain health and memory loss.
To improve memory, it is recommended to eat foods that are good for the brain, more fish, olive oil, whole grains, nuts, blueberries.
In the long run, foods high in flavonoids will help improve memory, especially dark colors and cocoa. Flavonoids are anti-inflammatory compounds found in plants that improve cardiovascular health. Some studies have also been shown to be an excellent cancer prevention agent and eating raspberries for several weeks slows down memory loss.
Another study found that regular consumption of raspberries for 12 weeks improved spatial memory. The first signs of improvement appeared already in the third week of the experiment.
Dark chocolate containing 70% or more cocoa is also known to improve brain function.
Medicines and supplements
If you want to improve brain function through supplements, then omega-3 fatty acids are best.
When choosing supplements and before taking any tablets, pay attention to the label, omega-3 fats should be obtained from highly refined fish oil, preferably from fish in cold water, as they contain less mercury. They improve memory, especially in the elderly, and other cognitive functions.