Remember everything: Layfkhaki, which will improve memory
Text: Karina Sembe
Human memory is unpredictable: Many of us still remember the words of the 1996 song "Wannabe" performed by the legendary Spice Girls, but forget to remove the laundry from the washing machine before leaving the apartment. Perhaps one of the reasons for total forgetfulness is the modern rhythm of life with an endless stream of information and a total course on multitasking. When you need to remember ten passwords in your memory and remember to whom and why you have to write an email, send a message to Facebook or call WhatsApp, sooner or later you can find yourself searching for your own points while they calmly sit on the bridge of your nose. On the other hand, the imperfection of our memory becomes more noticeable just because in the modern world it appears more and more challenges and, accordingly, the chances for failure. Studies show that to secure an acute memory in both the short and long term is not only a task to be accomplished, but also quite accessible to everyone.
For instant results
Voice your actions
To ensure reliable operation of RAM in everyday situations, doctors advise "turn on the brain" when performing tasks that are commonly considered thoughtless. "In order for routine actions to be deposited in the brain, speak what you are doing," advises Dr. Cynthia Green, founder of a company that specializes in memory training. Shut the door, turn off the iron or put the scissors in the drawer, say: "I close the door", "I turn off the iron" and so on. Voicing the action, you get information about the task performed as if from "outside." Speaking out loud with yourself is not very convenient, mentally fix what was done with a clear phrase.
Think wider
Per unit of time, the brain is able to process a limited amount of information, so it is better to combine it into more blocks. Dr. Gary Small from the University of California Longevity Center, a well-known memory expert, has a simple life hack on this occasion. Instead of memorizing the password by numbers (3, 8, 2, 7), save it in memory as the numbers 38 and 27: so the brain will have to remember not four numbers, but only two. If you go to the store for veal minced meat, milk, lettuce, oatmeal and buns, but did not make a list, you do not need to scroll through all six positions in your head - it is much more effective to make two meaningful blocks: dinner (burgers) and breakfast (oatmeal with milk).
Do not panic
During the exciting interview, the name of an important project, lost in the resume, flew out of my head? Convulsive attempts to recall here and now with a high probability will not lead to anything, but in the evening for cleaning potatoes, the ill-fated word suddenly pops up in memory, but since the spoon is the road to dinner, an additional plus from the employer is no longer available. Panic and anxiety distract even more and postpone the chance to remember the important: cortisol does not spare either operational or long-term memory. A vicious circle will help break deep breaths and abstract thoughts: perhaps this is how a lost word will return faster.
In the long run
Get enough sleep
We already told about why healthy sleep is a pledge of a sharp mind and good memory: while we are sleeping, the brain is cleared of a potentially harmful excess of “ballast” substances, it processes a lot of information and, most importantly, builds new cells and connections between them. This process, which is called neuroplasticity, is responsible for motor functions, stimulates learning processes and regulates memory, and from a lack of sleep these important brain functions weaken: the effect of lack of sleep on the brain is similar to a jetlag or alcoholic intoxication. To adjust the sleep and wake cycles will help modern devices - from a smart night light to special applications for sleep.
Feed your memory
If you want to be healthy and remember everything, do not be afraid of fat. From 50 to 60% of the brain's weight is pure fat, which is used to isolate billions of nerve cells. Foods rich in unsaturated fatty acids - from fish to walnuts and avocados - are important for maintaining long-term memory. Balanced nutrition in general is reflected in the ability to remember and reproduce information. Doctors recommend not to skip breakfast and, if possible, to introduce proteins into it: they start the active production of dopamine - a neurotransmitter that stimulates the processes of assimilation of information through a sense of satisfaction.
Exercise
Another commonplace to which many of us often do not reach the hands (as well as the legs and other parts of the body that do not hurt to strengthen). Physical activity helps the brain to work with optimal performance. During training, nerve cells produce important proteins, one of which - the neurotrophic factor - stimulates the production of substances responsible for the health of neurons and the maintenance of cognitive functions, including effective memorization. Studies have shown that in people who are relatively regularly involved in sports, the hippocampus (the so-called memory center) increased on average from 1 to 2% per year - despite the fact that the hippocampus, as a rule, gradually decreases in size (sometimes it is a symptom of Alzheimer's disease). ).
Fight stress
When we are in nervous tension, the level of cortisol rises in this very "memory center", which can interfere with the processing and reproduction of information and in the long term has serious consequences. "Over the years, chronically elevated levels of cortisol can lead to memory impairment and a decrease in the hippocampus," says Shirin Cindy, a neurologist at McGill University. Caring for your own cognitive abilities is another reason to deal with the accumulated stress or depression: one helps meditation, others choose sports or a change of activity, and for someone an internal dialogue or help from a psychoanalyst is a way out.
Kill multitasking
It takes about 8 seconds for the brain to determine the information in the memory compartment. So, if you are talking on the phone and unloading packages with products, while trying to get rid of the keys holding the hands, you will get rid of them - safely forgetting exactly where they were left. Constant multitasking on the verge of failure and the pursuit of items in endless lists of cases often lead to stress, and this, as it turned out, a serious blow to memory. In a multitasking question, it is useful to take note of the philosophy of a sloulayf: at work, if possible, perform tasks one by one, with short interruptions, and build leisure, based on the pace you are comfortable with.
Train your brain
Classes that can cause the brain to "strain" and work in an unusual direction, generate new cells in the hippocampus. You can collect puzzles, learn to play a new musical instrument, learn a foreign language, recite poems or take online tests to test memory - no matter what you choose, in the future such cognitive reserve can be a defense against memory loss and even dementia. Special brain-fitness applications will help to stimulate neuroplasticity (we told about them in the material about the benefits of meditation). In general, the main thing is to keep the brain in good shape - although it is not a muscle, it also needs training for productive work.
Photo: Keity_Gee - stock.adobe.com, vitaly tiagunov - stock.adobe.com, Björn Wylezich - stock.adobe.com