How to Improve Your Memory

Have you ever walked into a room and forgotten your reason for going there? Have

you felt uneasy with an inability to recall someone’s name? Have you studied intensely

for a test and not managed to remember any of the information you thought you had

learned? Almost everyone deals with one or more of these problems, and just about

everyone could use some assistance with their memory. Our minds are similar to

computers, constantly receiving information, storing, and recalling that information when

necessary, but occasionally it appears as if our computer has run out of memory. Let’s

look at what we can do to assist our minds with storage and recall of the information we

require.

We have all seen videos of an intoxicated person who is unable to recite the alphabet

when challenged by a policeman, proving that drinking alcohol in excess is

detrimental to memory, but studies have also shown that drinking moderately can

actually promote memory function.

A study done in France showed that light drinkers over the age of 65, who

drank up to two glasses of wine a day were 45 percent less likely to develop Alzheimer’s

disease than nondrinkers. In addition to memory loss from heavy drinking, stress,

anxiety, anger and prolonged sadness also adversely affect the parts of the brain that are

responsible for memory. Those with memory difficulties who do not consume alcohol

may perhaps be depressed.

Considering that an inability to concentrate is one of the main symptoms of

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...ctice. Drink in moderation, be examined for

depression, exercise, visualize, talk to yourself, limit distractions, chunk large amounts

of information into smaller chunks, accommodate changes in your environment and adapt

the method of Loci. The more you utilize these methods, the more effortless it will

become. A surprisingly simple way to ingrain these methods into your daily life is to

share them with others, which will in turn reinforce them in your own brain.

Works Cited

http://curiosity.discovery.com/topic/memory/10-ways-to-improve-memory11.h%20tm#herold http://psychology.about.com/od/cindex/g/chunking.htm http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/secrets-sherlocks-mind-palace-180949567/?no-ist http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/curiosity/topics/10-ways-to-improve-memory.htm http://psychology.about.com/od/cognitivepsychology/tp/memory_tips.htm