If you find yourself having trouble remembering simple numbers, names, or events, you may be experiencing a little memory loss, especially if you are aging. This is a natural thing when you’re getting older, but it can be preventable. The importance lies in utilizing your brain’s ability to memorize, and keeping those areas of the brain sharp and focused throughout your life. By training your brain and taking care of your body, you can help improve your memory and prevent memory loss from taking over your life!
Here are some simple daily tricks you can use to keep your memory sharp and in tune:

• Exercise your brain—and your body. Regular aerobic exercise can improve the circulation of blood, and can improve your memory and alertness in general. You can also exercise your brain with word games, puzzles, and projects like Sudoku and crossword puzzles, which help you improve your memorizing and thought process abilities.

• Reduce stress and eat a healthy diet. Food and stress can be two factors in your life that might not automatically come into mind when thinking about your ability to think quickly, recall memorable events, or be at your peak performance mentally. By eating a healthy diet and reducing everyday stress, your body—and brain—will thank you!

• Find memorization techniques that work for you. Whether it’s working on forming better mental images, grouping like items together to make them easier to remember, or repeating tasks in order to solidify the steps in your mind, do what works for you when it comes to training your brain. Not everything works for everyone, so keep this in mind when teaching yourself memorization techniques and tricks.

No matter how you plan on training your brain, these simple steps can help leave you in a happier mental state regardless of your state of memory.

Like many others, you may experience retrieval glitches on a daily basis. A retrieval glitch is the inability to effectively retrieve some or all bits of information stored in the long-term memory. A retrieval glitch, or the tip of the tongue experience as it’s colloquially known, alludes to the sensation of being absolutely certain that a particular piece of information is stored in the long-term memory, but experience an inability to retrieve all or some pieces of that information.

The tip of the tongue experience, however, is not an all-or-nothing experience. In most cases, people are able to recall the first letter of the word in question; the correct amount of syllables contained in the word; or recall other words with a similar sound or meaning. The latter of these sensations — recalling words similar in sound or meaning to the word on the tip of the tongue — is referred to as cued recall. Cued recall can be used to combat the TOT experience in many instances by calmly letting the mind run through a list of words that should eventually trigger the original word in question to come to mind.

Studies have also shown that the TOT experience usually resolves itself within two days after the initial failure in retrieval. This substantiates the age old cliche used to overcome TOT — that is, by simply forgetting about the word altogether and letting the subconscious deal with it. However, if waiting forty-eight hours for a bit of information to surface on its own is not an option, their are methods that can be employed to overcome TOT. The main hurdle in combating TOT is to simply remain calm. Anxiety and stress do nothing but cloud the mind, and beating ones self up over a failed retrieval is no way to deal with TOT.

One can either use the aforementioned exercise of letting the mind run through a list of associated words similar in sound or meaning to the TOT word — called cued recall; or simply let the anxieties and thoughts associated with the TOT experience fall away. This latter approach, which seems more like an act of Zen than a proactive method of retrieving a memory — hinges on remaining calm and not becoming anxious or stressed about the failed retrieval. If done in a calm, collected manor, both these methods — separately and in conjunction with one another — can be used to effectively retrieve information from the long-term memory and combat the TOT experience.

Recently, a researcher named Veronica Witt and her staff at the University of Munster located in Germany, discovered that by reducing caloric intake, people may be able to improve their memory in as little as three months (link).

Knowing that for years animal studies have shown that reducing caloric intake in a healthy and balanced way improves the memories of mice and other mammals, researchers at the University of Munster decided to test the potential benefit on humans.

According to the New York Times, the researchers chose men and women between the ages of 50 and 72 with average and above average weight
(link). One group was requested to lower caloric intake with the help of a registered dietician, another group was requested to increase caloric intake with healthy unsaturated fat, and a third group was asked to maintain their current dietary habits. Each of these groups were tested before and after the three-month study.

Those who reduced their caloric intake by thirty percent were found to have 20% improvement in memory skills. The researchers have hypothesized that this may have been as a result of lower insulin level.

Use the calorie counter in order to ensure that you are maintaining a balanced diet. Not only will you improve your memory, but you will also be able to gain other health benefits as well.

Memory loss affects young and old alike. Whatever stage of life you are in, now is the time to take preventive measures in order not to lose those precious moments and knowledge you have in your mind. Coupled with a healthy lifestyle and these strategies, you will hold on to your memories longer.

Exercise. Physical fitness and mental fitness are inseparable. If you are physically active, you are most likely to stay mentally sharp during your prime years. Here are some reasons why you need to exercise.
1. Exercise is good for your lungs, which raise oxygen levels in your brain.
2. Exercise lowers your risk of developing life-threatening health problems like diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and stroke. These diseases can lead to memory loss.
3. Exercise increases connections between brain cells and enhances transmission of messages.
4. Exercise has shown to nourish brain cells and help protect them against harm from stroke and other injuries.

Eat Healthy. A healthy, balanced diet rich in brain nutrients like Omega-3, Vitamin B Complex and antioxidants helps maintain a healthy brain. You can benefit a lot from fruits and vegetables as these contain essential vitamins and minerals that may protect yourself against diseases and age-related deterioration throughout your body.

Take Supplements. If you eat a healthy diet, you are most likely getting most if not all of the essential nutrients that you need. However, as you grow old, you are more vulnerable to vitamin deficiencies due to nutritional restrictions and malabsorption. Ensure an optimum nutrition level by taking high-quality multivitamins.

Get Plenty of Sleep. Your body needs rest from a hard day’s work. Sleep is essential to restore your overall body functions, including your brain. Establish and keep a consistent sleep schedule and routine. This will train you to fall asleep and wake up more easily.

Continue Learning. There’s a proverb that says “When you never cease to learn, you cease to grow old.” If you make it a habit to always become mentally active, you keep your memory strong and improve your mental functioning. New challenges and learning experiences stimulate communication between your brain cells. Try doing something out of your daily routine and let your mind think. Or you may plan a new project or seek a novel activity to keep your brain actively engaged in thinking.

Keep Safe. Always wear safety belts when riding your car. Car accidents can happen and wearing seatbelts reduces your risk of brain injury. Protect your brain from untoward head injuries during high-speed activities and contact sports. Wear a crash helmet when riding a bicycle or a motorcycle, or when you’re skiing or skating.

There are probably as many memory aids as there are things to be remembered. These aids work for young and old alike if you stick to it and practice them every day. Here are some general tips to help you boost your memory:

1. Don’t cram. It is better to sit down once or twice a day to try to remember things than to try to cram ten hours of study in at one time.

2. Pay attention. People pay attention to what interests them. If you must read and remember something, try to find a room where you can read without too many distractions.

3. Be an active reader. If you want to remember written material, read each sentence as a critic would, ready to locate an inconsistency and checking the content against what you already know.

4. Keep a diary. If you have trouble remembering appointments, make sure every appointment is put into a calendar or diary. Be consistent. Keep the diary in the same place, and always enter every appointment. Make it a point to check the diary every day.

5. Keep lists. Always keep a shopping list tacked on the wall, and always add items you need to the list. Keep lists of jobs, things to be done, etc.

6. Write notes. Write reminders to yourself and leave them in a prominent place.

7. Use your senses. If you really want to remember something, use as many senses as possible – smell, sound, sight, touch, and taste – to help impress upon yourself whatever you are trying to remember.

8. Relax. It is always more difficult to remember if you are in a tense, nervous state. Take a few deep breaths and consciously relax your muscles.

9. Make conscious choices. Put extra energy and effort into remembering things that are important to you.

10. Take your time. As we get older, it may take longer to remember something, but often the information will surface if you wait a moment and don’t push yourself too hard. If you can’t remember the details, admit you have forgotten, and don’t beat yourself up over it.

11. Don’t expect too much. If you are nervous about forgetting something, chances are you will do just that.

12. If you are worried about forgetting things, keep a diary to track the things you forget. This will probably show that your moments of forgetfulness are not nearly as frequent as they seemed, and it will pinpoint those areas in which you do tend to forget things.

You may find it ridiculous that simply chewing a piece of gum can boost your memory. Researchers may disagree. Japanese scientists now claim that such a thing as gum chewing could actually improve a person’s memory. They say that it has a scientific basis for doing so because it triggers the hippocampus which is the part of the brain responsible for memory retention.

The trigger is the insulin receptors in the hippocampus which are activated when you chew. This signals the body to release insulin because it is expecting food. Due to insulin release, the body is able to absorb more glucose which is the essential compound necessary to form energy that the brain needs to function.

Tests were conducted as a double blind procedure on a number of volunteers. The results showed that the gum chewers scored 24% higher than those who did not.

It was concluded that gum chewing signals the body to release more insulin that would enable the brain to absorb more glucose in the hippocampus. The insulin receptors in the hippocampus are the necessary trigger that would improve the brains function. However, some scientists say it is highly speculative at this point. It still requires further testing and more data in order to prove their claim.

Though a direct connection could not be established, researchers say that it is a good start. The results showed that there is indeed improvement in the individual’s memory.

Remember that chewing gum is only a tool. It is not a guarantee that you will pass your test in flying colors. There is still a need for you to read books and other things that would add to your memory. Even though you chew a lot of gum, it is still useless if you do not feed your mind. There is still a need for you to input the information into your brain.

Chewing helps to speed up how your retain things. However, it is only good when you compliment it with a good study habit. It is not a reason for you to slack off. Good preparation is still the key for success.

Studies have shown that the brain can retain millions of bits of information. It is compared by experts to a computer that can easily store everything. Unlike any computer, however, boosting your memory can’t be done by adding a chip. Improving your brain requires some effort.

The memory of a human being is the mental activity that is responsible for recalling information that an individual has acquired through learning and experience in his/her day to day activities. Enhancing the brain to have a better memory is like putting your brain into an exercise routine. The more you use your brain the more it will be able to process information and recall and retain memories.

One way of enhancing your memory is to constantly challenge your brain to do
things that are out of your ordinary routine. Like muscles, the mind adapts to routines and needs stimulation. In this way you are able to challenge the synapses of your brain to stay alert.

Example: Instead of using your sense of sight when walking through your house, try to walk with your eyes closed. The neurons of your brain will try to recall where each piece of furniture is located in order for you not to get hurt or break anything.

This way the brain cells that have not been used are able to stay active and healthy. This type of mind stimulation is called Neurobic exercise. It enables the brain to use synapses and brain cells to function better by retrieving stored memory and recall details.

Here are some additional ways to improve your memory:
- Pay attention to details
- Involve all your senses in learning
- Connect new information to that which you already know
- Organize information efficiently

Be motivited to learn new things and exercise your mind daily!