Tips to Help Improve Your Memory

To understand how memory might be improved, it is a smart idea to learn about how memory works and fails. A small structure in the brain called the hippocampus is the nerve center for memory formation. That’s where the crucial switching from short-term to long-term memory takes place through a process called “consolidation.”

Most memory diseases involve the steady deterioration of consolidation, so it may be easier to call on ancient memories and not be able to store any new ones. Can anything be done to enhance your ability to store memories?

Five tips that generally improve memory are:
1. Deal with stress. Continuous stress produces chemical by-products which inhibit memory.
2. Get enough sleep. Dream or REM sleep gives your brain the opportunity to process new information and consolidate learning.
3. Eat for memory. Certain foods are thought to improve memory performance. They include fish such as salmon and tuna, eggs, beef, chicken and bananas.
4. Exercise. Exercise can help your whole-body work more efficiently. A short exercise break every 30 to 50 minutes can help push oxygen around your body and to your brain.
5. Drink lots of water or non-caffeinated drinks. Even a small degree of dehydration can reduce alertness.
Tips to Help Improve Your Memory