Easy Ways To Improve Your Memory

Many people think a good memory is something you’re born with, when in reality, it’s ever changing and something that’s quite easy to improve. Whether you are struggling to remember simple things like buying milk or more complex facts you need to recall while writing an exam, improving your memory is a good goal to strive for. In this post, you will learn some easy and practical ways to improve your memory. Some focus on long term lifestyle changes, while others are simple memory techniques you can benefit from right away. 

 

Get into good lifestyle habits

It’s no surprise that you’ll find it harder to recall information when you’re tired, stressed and hungry. There are a number of lifestyle changes you can make that will have a positive impact on your life in general, but will also improve your memory. 

 

Reduce stress

Now, I know what you’re thinking… you’ve Googled “easy ways to improve your memory” because you’re already stressed and struggling to recall important information for a big test or exam you have coming up. Reducing stress isn’t as simple as it sounds! However, it’s worth noting that studies have shown that months of exposure to stress can permanently destroy neurons in the brain. Neurons are responsible for transmitting information to other nerve cells, so protecting them is important. It’s clear now that stress has a negative impact on your brain and memory, so focus on relieving stress, because a relaxed, quiet mind is better at retrieving information. 

 

Here’s what we recommend: incorporate stress-relieving habits into your daily routine. This way, you can actively work on your stress one day at a time. Prioritise taking breaks during your study days, make time to connect with loved ones, do some deep breathing and spend time meditating. These practical steps will reduce your stress over time and will aid in improving your memory!

 

Prioritise sleep

Sleep affects your ability to absorb new information, where the information is stored and whether or not you can retrieve the relevant memory. When your brain is sleep-deprived, you’ll find it more difficult to learn new information, consolidate what you’ve learned and recall what you’ve stored. 

 

Here are a few practical steps you can take to improve the quality and quantity of your sleep:

• Go to bed at the same time each night. 
• Aim for 7 - 8 hours of sleep every night. 
• Avoid caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, and big portions of food 3 - 4 hours before bed time. 
• Keep your bedroom dark, cosy and free from gadgets. 
• Don’t nap after 3pm. 
• Don’t roll from your desk into bed, but include time to unwind in your evening schedule.

 

Exercise regularly

Did you know that regular aerobic exercise can increase the size of your hippocampus? This is the part of the brain that’s involved in verbal memory and learning. Exercise has the ability to improve your memory directly (by enhancing the growth and survival of new brain cells) and indirectly (by improving your cognitive functions)!

 

Try this:

• Aim for 2.5 hours of moderate-intensity exercise every week; things like walking, cycling, swimming and fun activities like soccer or tennis into your routine. 
• Embrace household activities, like sweeping or gardening, because these help too.
• Sign up for a regular class or session with a personal trainer if you’re feeling unmotivated. 
• Get a gym buddy and exercise with a friend!

 

Eat brain food

When reaching for study snacks, avoid sugary, salty and overly processed foods. Instead, add these brain foods to your weekly shopping list:

 

🫐 Blueberries: they are full of antioxidants and improve brain function and learning capacity. You can improve your short term and long term memory with just 8 weeks of eating blueberries. Bonus: your skin will improve too!

🍫 Dark chocolate: another treat that’s full of antioxidants. Dark chocolate increases blood flow to the brain which helps to improve cognitive function. Bonus: it contains phenylethylamine, which releases endorphins and will put you in a better mood. 

🥑 Avocado: say hello to guacamole! Avocado is full of important nutrients, like potassium, vitamin K and folate, which aid in memory and concentration. 

🥜 Nuts: walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts all contain omega 3 fatty acid DHA and vitamin E, which increases cognitive performance, improves cognitive decline and improves memory. 

🍣 Salmon: this oily fish supports cognitive function and learning abilities because it is loaded with potassium, omega 3 fatty acids, vitamins B9 and B12. Bonus: it’s a mood enhancer and reduces inflammation in the body! 

 

Memory association techniques

A good memory system can help you recall information at the drop of a hat! A mnemonic device is a memory technique that helps to increase your ability to recall and retain information. Select which mnemonic device you’d like to use and then repeat it out loud. Practice and repetition will help you to retain this information! 

 

These are the 5 types of mnemonic devices:

 

Method of loci - This is sometimes known as the memory journey method. It’s a mnemonic device that draws upon visualisations. By imagining yourself moving through a familiar space, you can learn to remember routes, locations and lists. 

 

Chunking - This is where you break down pieces of information and learn them individually, before putting them together. An example of utilising chunking is when you memorise a phone number by splitting the 10 digits into three separate chunks. 

 

Acronyms and acrostics - This is where you create a new word or group of words by taking the first letter of each word or line and putting them together. Remember how you first learnt to spell the word ‘because’ by saying ‘Betty eats cakes and uncle sells eggs’? Another example is remembering coordinating conjunctions with the acronym ‘FANBOYS’ (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so). 

 

Rhyming mnemonics - A popular rhyming mnemonic is the leap year poem, ‘Thirty days has September, April, June and November. All the rest have thirty one, excepting February alone, which has twenty eight days clear and twenty nine in each leap year’. 

 

Music mnemonics - Another popular mnemonic technique is to put information to music. Did you know that the alphabet song uses the melody of ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ to help remember the letters of the alphabet? 

 

Make it fun

Believe it or not, there are fun ways to improve your memory! You can teach your brain to remember and recall information by engaging in enjoyable activities. 

 

Play games

Incorporate fun and enjoyable memory-intensive activities into your daily life and you’ll soon start to see your memory improve!

 

• Crossword puzzles will help you to recall words that you already know and to make new linguistic associations. 
• Jigsaw puzzles stimulate your perceptual memory. 
• Chess will stimulate your short term memory as you anticipate the moves your opponent can make.

 

Learn a new skill

Did you know that pursuing new and relatively demanding hobbies will improve your memory? The strategy is to learn a new skill that strengthens the connections between different parts of the brain! Another key to this is selecting hobbies that bring a sense of satisfaction and pleasure, enabling you to consistently pursue them. Some examples include learning a new language, picking up a new musical instrument, a new artistic pursuit like painting, indoor hobbies like gardening or knitting, or learning a new sport.

 

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