How to improve memory: useful exercises

26 December 2020

Experts say the amount of memory is infinite. But we don’t always use it properly. Mechanical memorization, practiced in educational institutions, is not an ideal method for improving memory. There are three components: natural potential, condition and well-being. This means that memory can be influenced, and today there are many ways to improve it.

Reasons for deterioration

Memory impairment is due to the following factors:

;
;
lack of sleep;
infectious diseases;
;
drinking alcoholic beverages;
;
;
taking medications (antidepressants, sleeping pills);
: atherosclerosis, thyroid dysfunction, multiple sclerosis, diabetes mellitus;
aging of the body.

Strengthening memory at home

The brain is a dynamic structure that reacts to any influence. The right approach will help you achieve the desired result. A sufficient number of techniques have been developed today to improve memory.

Exercises

We begin our discussion of this method with an exercise called "associations". An assistant is required for its implementation. Ask him to read some pairs of words that have a semantic connection to each other. For example, “notebook - pen”, “winter - snow”, “study book”. Your task is to memorize the maximum number of words. Then the assistant must read the first words, the second must be reproduced independently.
The second exercise is to improve your visual imagination. You have to close your eyes and imagine anything, a natural phenomenon or an animal in detail. It can be an oasis in the middle of the desert, a cat drinking milk, lightning in the sky. A wide range of options is available. Then take a sheet of paper and describe the images presented to it in reverse order.
The third exercise is to listen and remember your information. Someone has to read a set of words aloud. For example, “table, sky, computer, elephant, harvest, river, tree”. Repeat these words in the same order first, then in the other direction. If no one is around, you can do the exercise yourself. To do this, you should take a book and read the first words of each line aloud.

The fourth exercise will give you the opportunity to train your memory and do household chores at the same time. Before you go to the store, write a list of the products you need to buy on the sheet. Read it over and over again. You can do this aloud or quietly, as you wish. Then leave the leaf at home and go to the store without it. Repeat this exercise every time you need to shop.
Exercises aimed at activating the cerebral hemispheres will help improve memory. The simplest of these is to change hands while taking action. For example, comb your hair or hold the cup with your left hand (if you are on your left, then with your right). You can also walk to the site. The exercise needs to be done at a fast pace. When the knees are lowered, the arm is made a wave so that it rises above the head. The exercise should be repeated several times.

Games

cards are laid face down in a row on the board. Some people can participate in the game. Each of them turns any two cards. If they match, the participant takes them.

Playing with questions will help train your memory. The topic varies. Each player asks the rest of the participants any questions. For a correct answer, five points are added, for an erroneous one, two points are deducted. Crossword puzzles will help achieve tangible results.

Menu to strengthen memory

Memory status depends on the diet. Certain foods are the source of the essential substances for the body:

bananas provide amino acids (carotene, methionine, tryptophan), easy-to-digest carbohydrates, vitamins PP, B1, B2.
Honey is a source of carbohydrates. They can replace sugar. In its composition, honey contains well-absorbed glucose and fructose. And also 22 of the 24 trace elements found in the circulatory system.
Fish - salmon, trout, salmon, herring. Consumption of these products will replenish the content of the essential Omega 3 acid, and deficiencies lead to degenerative brain diseases. This element has a direct impact on the development of information, memory and cognitive functions.
Tomatoes contain lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that destroys free radicals (substances that negatively affect the brain). Melatonin, which is also found in this product, will help slow down aging.
Walnuts containing lecithin have a positive effect on the brain by normalizing its activity. They also prevent premature aging. To feel the desired effect, it is enough to eat 5 nuts a day.
A handful of pumpkin seeds will add a daily requirement for the zinc body.
Blueberries and currants are rich in vitamin C. Lemon also has this feature.
Tea has tonic properties. It contains caffeine and antioxidants to improve cognition. L-theanine relieves emotional stress.

Carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and amino acids are needed for the brain to function properly.

A salad made from the following ingredients in the diet will help with memory:

;
;
celery root half;
;
3 tablespoons vegetable oil;
half a lemon.

Grate the ingredients on a coarse grater, season with oil, pour with lemon juice and a little salt. Then stir the salad well and enjoy the healthy, tasty food.

Poems and music

listening to music as a way to improve memory

Another effective way to help develop memory is to memorize poetry. There are some guidelines for achieving the desired result:

Learn with stanzas, not with lines. Many people make this mistake. If you repeat one line over and over and then if you move on to another line, you may get lost in the rhyme. Short-term memory is capable of detecting about 7 blocks. In order not to overload it, you need to divide the verse into the same number of parts. Make 5 seconds between blocks.
Read the whole poem first 2-3 times. At the same time, try to imagine the plot of the work. Now read again and you will find that you have already memorized some lines. In this way we try to learn the whole verse.
Don't use squares to teach it. The work will be in fragments, and it will be problematic to reproduce it completely.

Listening to music is one of the ways to improve memory. But these must be classic pieces. Music creates vibration in the air that promotes relaxation and has a positive effect on the brain. The work of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Johann Sebastian Bach, Georg Friedrich Handel has this potential.

Other ways

Practice an active lifestyle, exercise and go for a walk in the fresh air. During physical exercise, the body releases hormones that improve brain function. Walking will help fill with oxygen. For brain cells to regenerate, you need to get enough sleep. The lack of immediate relaxation is reflected in the state of health.

The efficiency of the brain increases during the deep phase of sleep.

Stress is a direct danger to memory. It has a destructive effect on brain cells and the hippocampus, the area responsible for creating new memories and reproducing old ones. Therefore, it is necessary to fight it. This can be done with the help of physical exercises, when endorphin - the hormone of pleasure - is released.

Drawing and reading are some of the techniques for balancing the emotional state. By painting negative emotions on paper you can look at the problem from the outside. In the process of reading, attention is shifted to the plot of the book. This alleviates psychological stress.

There are also suggestions for improving memory in traditional medicine. Let's look at a few recipes:

Popcorn root and 3 lemons. Add 3 tablespoons of honey to the resulting mass. Refrigerate for 3 weeks. Take 1 teaspoon twice a day with meals.
10 g of ginger, pour 250 ml of boiling water, add mint and lemon balm. Drink 1-2 cups a day.
Pour 1 tablespoon of mint and the same amount of sage with two glasses of boiled water. Stand for 12 hours. Then strain and take 50 ml 4 times a day half an hour before meals.
1 tablespoon of mountain ash bark, pour 250 ml of water and boil for 10 minutes. The mixture should be ingested for 6 hours, then strain it and take 1 tablespoon three times a day. The duration of the course is 3-4 weeks.

The state of memory can be affected with the help of medication.

If this is your choice, don't be self-medicated. Medication is only taken after consulting a doctor.

Expression Methods

If you need to quickly fix something in mind, simple exercises will help:

Focus first. Focus and focus on what needs to be remembered. Don't let your attention shift to other things.
The next step is to create an association. Associate with something what you want to remember. Here you can rely entirely on imagination.
Now let's move on to the third step. The association should be repeated. This method will help you remember any event or rote without memorizing information.

If you are unsure of your ability to concentrate, try the following exercise:

First, inhale deeply and hold the air for five seconds. In this case, the palms need to be clenched in his fist.
Then exhale slowly and open your hands.
After this exercise you will relax, it will improve your concentration.

A familiar object should be used when creating associations. Memory activity is set in such a way that the best result is achieved if new facts are added to the perceived feelings and emotions.

Many people are familiar with the situation when memory begins to fail at the right moment. This is not just addressed by older people. Anyone can master the methods to improve the ability to remember. For a better result, an integrated approach is recommended. You will already feel the effect at the beginning of classes.