You have a memory like a sieve? Then there is good news now: You can improve your memory. We’ll show you five practical tips for your memory training!
Improve memory
What did I want to do again? Surely some people wonder that, even though the thought was still there. The memory performance decreases with age, the gray cells dwindle. Unfortunately, these are responsible for transferring information into the long-term memory. If that does not happen, we forget what we have learned. But there are some things that we can do ourselves to train our memory.
Improve Memory: That’s what makes our memory
Often we mean our long-term memory when we speak of memory. But this is only one part: The ultra-short-term memory (also: sensory memory) keeps our perception impressions only about a second ready – what we do not need, is deleted again. While short-term memory (also known as working memory ) retains information for a maximum of a few minutes, information that we need in the long-term reaches long-term memory . This happens, for example, through emotional experiences or through targeted learning. Because: The environment and our genes are responsible for about 30 to 40 percent of our brain power . And the rest? A matter of practice.
What can I do to improve my memory?
Unfortunately, to increase our cognitive performance, it is not enough to solve a sudoku from time to time. To improve your memory, you should heed the following things:
Solve difficult tasks
Of course it can not hurt to solve the crossword puzzle or sudoku from the daily paper. However, for example, only your general knowledge is queried in the crossword puzzle. It is better, however, to solve tricky tasks in order to train your memory.
To do sports
Sport is not only good for the body, but also for the brain. One reason for this could be that exercise promotes blood circulation in the brain and the growth of nerves . However, the processes that trigger sport are not yet clear. Nonetheless, it is a good memory training and good for your health too!
Learn something new
What optimizes your memory is to work your way into new areas again and again. This can also be during working life by fumbling in new aspects, for example, acquiring a new program. Especially as you grow older, re-learning may become more difficult and lengthy. Cognitive psychologist Hans Markowitsch told Spiegel Online that it helps to orientate oneself to what one has already learned – through associations. This can be, for example, a new language in which one orients oneself as an aid to an already learned and related language.
Maintain contacts
A point that at first glance has nothing to do with our memory: social interaction. But talking with others lifts one’s mood and on the other hand it’s a complex cognitive achievement . Perfect to get our gray cells going!
Meditate
Studies have shown that meditation not only improves one’s general condition, but also improves one’s cognitive abilities! Here were researchers from the Massachusetts General Hospital find (USA) in a small study that a short meditation of 27 minutes was sufficient daily over a period of eight weeks to promote, inter alia, enhance memory. Similar results were obtained by the team of Fadel Zeidan of the Wake Forest University School of Medicine (USA). There, the working memory has improved significantly every day after four days and 20 minutes of meditation each day!
What is dementia?
Dementia is a generic term for about 50 different forms. For example, Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia. Together, the various forms have the long term loss of mental capacity .
But it is not always an incipient dementia, about two-thirds of those with dementia are over 80 years old. Forgetfulness does not immediately mean that you are slowly getting sick with dementia. Dementia can even be prevented with these strategies , according to the guideline Dementia .