How To Improve Your Memory

Have you been granted the superpower of a photographic memory? You haven't?!

Don't fear! I'm neither a genius nor lucky enough to have a photographic memory, yet, improving one's memory is no brain-buster. It can be done by a few fabulous activities that help stimulate both left and right sides of your brain.

Your brain is the powerhouse of your body. It sends all types of different sensory messages that help you move your arms and chew your food (among other essential, and less essential, actions). Thousands of sensory messages are sent to your brain everyday to help you activate movement and perception.

Memory can be a peculiar thing. It collects intricate details about our childhood experiences and locks them away in our long term memory, but still has us wondering where we left our keys or wallets. Psychologists have insisted that forgetting is a completely and utterly normal process, and can even be caused by walking into a new room. The average person can, apparently, only ever remember up to eight pieces of information at one time.

So, how can we improve our memory? There are a number of lifestyle choices that can be made in order to improve your ability to remember large and small amounts of information.

First of all, eating healthy!

Eating healthy foods is essential for a functional brain. Stay away from those deadly simple sugars and saturated fats that prevent optimum brain function. Omega 3 fats such as krill and fish oil encourage brain health.

Secondly, exercise.

There are no ifs or buts around the notion of exercise. Exercise is vital, necessary and so important. Exercise promotes the growth of nerve cells within the body; they release proteins and other chemicals during exercise that endorse neural health and benefit cognitive functions within the brain such as learning.

Thirdly, sleep. A good night’s rest is essential for a functioning brain. An individual needs at least eight hours per night in order to function the next day. When you're snoozing, your brain processes all types of information and feeds these vital experiences into your long term memory.

Finally, using mnemonic devices can improve your memory drastically.

Mnemonic devices involves creating an image in your mind to help you remember a word or an image. For instance, people who struggle to remember people’s names often use them on those they have just met. This allows them to associate their names with an object or a phrase to help them remember. Creating a unique and bizarre visual in your head helps your brain fixate on this single piece of information. The more creative the visual, the better chance you have at remembering the name.

Improving your memory is no scientific equation and can be done easily by a choosing to live by a few easy steps. Eating well, exercise, a good night's sleep and using mnemonic devices to stimulate your brain all help to improve your memory. The brain is both extraordinary and mind-bogglingly brilliant in it’s ability to remember and learn. A functional brain is the golden key to healthy growth and development.

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