Table of Contents
Did You Know?
| An adult can remember twenty to one hundred thousand words. |
How To Improve Memory- Why Is It Important?
Memory is our ability to store, recall, recode, and remember past experiences. Previously learned facts, figures, impressions, experiences, skills, and habits are the most treasured and prized possessions for every individual and they can be stored and retrieved as and when required only if a person has a good memory.
A sharp memory can help you recall not only what you learn and but also hold on to precious moments that happened in the past during your lifetime. However, with the growing complexities in coping up with the challenges of today’s world, memory loss has become a common feature among individuals of every age group in today’s era.
According to the researchers of the University of Texas(1), our past experiences or memories instigate our learning process and are interlinked. The human brain relates to past experiences when gaining new information to derive new knowledge.
This memory-binding process permits people to comprehend new concepts in a much better manner, which in turn affects their future decisions. This innovative concept of the learning process can make a huge difference in caring and curing medical conditions relating to neurology. Hence, having a strong memory is extremely important to build new memories through consistent learning.
- Alternative Therapies
- Supplements
- Foods
- Essential Oils
- Lifestyle Tips
- Herbs
CURE 1: Alternative Therapies
Safeguarding your existing memories and building new ones for future reference; both can be enhanced by adopting these natural tips in our day to day living.
Here are some of the most helpful natural tips that can improve and restore short term memory loss in humans.
1. Music
Why does it work?
Music has proven to stimulate parts of the human brain and even enhance memory, especially in patients suffering from Alzheimer’s and dementia. It changes the chemistry of the brain. It has been observed that music releases the ‘feel-good hormone’ called dopamine, which gets activated from pleasurable experiences like sex, food, etc.
How to use and how much to use?
There is no fixed period to listen to music or a specified amount as to how much of it you should listen to every day. You can do it whenever you have spare time like while driving to and from work, or while relaxing after office hours in the confines of your home.
However, it has been seen that a background score can motivate and improve mood. Music can even help in endurance, especially during long study sessions and can help in memorization as well.
2. Brain Training
Why does it work?
Exercising your cognitive skills by playing brain games like Tetris, Crosswords, word-recall games, etc. can improve and strengthen memory drastically. The reason behind this is it compels the brain to exercise, work, and remain active.
How to use and how much to use?
Including a brain training game in your everyday routine for 15 minutes at least 5 days a week can improve working memory, short-term memory, concentration span, as well as problem-solving capabilities in an adult. It can even reduce the risks of having dementia.
You can play online memory strengthening games like Tetris or block building or offline games like solving crossword puzzles, word-recall games, etc.
3. Meditation
Why does it work?
Meditation reduces stress and improves memory by increasing the gray matter that contain neuron cell bodies.
How to use and how much to use?
Meditating, or engaging in mindfulness everyday for at least 15 minutes during the morning hours can improve memory to a great extent. It has been observed that students practising meditation regularly had significant spatial working memory.
Spatial working memory is the ability of the mind/brain to grasp, hold and process information about the positions of objects in space.
| Walking through a doorway triggers the brain to forget |
Also Read: Benefits of Yoga and Meditation for Alzheimer’s
CURE 2: Supplements
Let’s see how to improve memory with the following natural supplements.
1. Vitamin B
Why does it work?
Vitamin B-12 consists of cobalamin, which, if not present in sufficient amounts in the body, can lead to memory loss. In other words, having enough B-12 can lead to improvement of memory.
How to use and how much to use?
Having Vitamin B-12 tablets is the last option if the B-12 levels in the body are very low. Also, these should be taken after consulting a doctor. However, introducing foods rich in Vitamin B12 like fish and poultry and fortified cereals in your daily diet can work well.
2. Vitamin D
Why does it work?
Low Vitamin D(2) levels lead to low memory and other cognitive abilities.
How to use and how much to use?
Vitamin D should be included in your daily diet intake through foods rich in Vitamin D like cheese, fatty fish, egg yolks, etc. Alternatively, one can even have Vitamin D tablets to make up for the low levels. The dosage should be taken after consulting a physician.
3. Omega 3 Acids
Why does it work?
Omega 3 acids have eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which improve brain and mental health incredibly.
How to use and how much to use?
Omega 3 fatty acids are found in fish oil tablets which can be taken on a daily basis to keep up with the body requirements for omega 3 acids. Alternatively, these are primarily found in fish like sardines, salmon, mackerel, etc., which can be made a part of your daily diet during meal time.
| The peak age for facial and name recognition is between 30 to 35 |
CURE 3: Foods
There are many food articles that can help improve memory if taken on a regular basis. They not only enhance memory but also protect from short term memory loss.
1. Coconut oil
Why does it work?
The fatty acids present in coconut oil are believed to improve memory and even boost brain function in Alzheimer’s disease patients. Coconut oil contains boosting ketones which improves cognitive functions.
How to use and how much to use?
Food can be cooked in coconut oil on a regular basis to fulfill the everyday quota of coconut oil intake required for a healthy brain.
As per experts, a minimum of 35 grams of coconut oil should be consumed in any form to enhance and improve memory.
2. Blueberries
Why does it work?
Blueberries contain anthocyanins, which serve as antioxidants that act against oxidative stress and inflammation. This helps in improving communication between brain cells and helps in delaying short term memory loss.
How to use and how much to use?
Blueberries must be made a part of your daily diet. You can either aa a handful of them on your breakfast cereal or make a smoothie out of it.
3. Coffee
Why does it work?
Coffee contains caffeine and antioxidants that help in increasing alertness, improving mood, and sharpening concentration. Even the risk of having diseases like Alcheimer’s and Parkinson’s can be reduced to a great extent by consistently having coffee over a long term.
How to use and how much to use?
It is good to have a cup of coffee early in the morning or during the day time. However, coffee should be avoided during late evenings.
| ‘Love at first sight’ is a fabrication of the human brain |
CURE 4: Essential Oils
1. Lemon Oil
Why does it work?
Lemon oil aroma stimulates the central nervous system that leads to increased levels of attention, accuracy and concentration. Hence it is very good for memory health in humans.
How to use and how much to use?
Lemon oil diffuser can be placed in the room everyday. The aroma will help your memory slowly and steadily when inhaled on a regular basis.
2. Lavender Oil
Why does it work?
Lavender helps to relax the brain and obtain maximum work efficiency. Hence, it helps sharpen memory with its fragrance and even reduces stress and anxiety.
How to use and how much to use?
Having an oil diffuser with lavender oil in your room everyday for at least 30 minutes can really help increase slow-wave sleep, slow down on your heartbeat rate, and relax the brain muscles.
3. Rosemary Oil
Why does it work?
Exposure to the aroma of Rosemary can boost memory to a great extent as it is a circulatory and nervine stimulant. It increases mental alertness and even enhances the ability of the brain to retain information.
How to use and how much to use?
You can drink concentrated rosemary extract liquid or rosemary water (approximately 250 ml everyday) or make a rosemary sniffer. Alternatively, you can also keep an oil diffuser with rosemary oil in the room.
| Where depression can impact memory negatively, meditation can enhance and improve it. |
Also Read: How to Cure Depression with Natural Remedies
CURE 5: Lifestyle Tips To improve Memory
Lifestyle plays a pivotal role in deciding the quality of life you want for yourself. It even influences your memory and cognitive skills to quite an extent. Some of these which can really act upon improving your memory are:
1. Hypnosis for Memory
Why does it work?
Hypnosis(3) has the power to enable humans store valuable information and retrieve them from their brain as and when required. It is a memory technique that uses a state of altered consciousness in order to encourage memory improvement.
How to use and how much to use?
Hypnosis can be improved in two ways:
- Through self-hypnosis.
- Through professional hypnosis.
Self hypnosis can be initiated by following these steps:
- Sit in a dim room and in a comfortable position.
- Select something in the room on which you can focus.
- Now deeply inhale and exhale.
- As you fall into a trance, try storing information.
- Now, start counting backwards from 5 to 1 to help you come out of the trance.
Professional hypnosis
- Seek advice and help from a professional hypnotist who excels at memory recollection.
- Ask your doctor and get a referral for a trained therapist who does hypnosis.
- Watch online videos of hypnosis.
2. Write-it-down
Why does it work?
Writing down a list of to-do(s) helps the brain to retain that information more strongly, irrespective of whether you follow that list or not. Writing down things accelerates the flow of oxygenated blood to the areas of the brain that is responsible for retaining memories, hence exercising it.
How to use and how much to use?
Make sure to list down your day’s activities or any important information which you require your brain to remember.
Inculcating the habit of jotting down things on a regular basis can help your brain function at a greater speed and even retain things much better.
3. Regular Physical Exercises
Why does it work?
Physical exercise sharpens the brain as it increases the flow of oxygen to the brain, which, in turn, reduces the risk of disorders that lead to memory loss.
How to use and how much to use?
Physical exercises like aerobics and other which requires hand and eye coordination or complex motor skills prove highly beneficial for brain building.
Including cardio exercises and some yoga postures as a part of your daily routine can enhance brain development largely.
| Some people have memory compendiums. |
CURE 6: Herbs
Even herbs play a vital role in stopping memory loss and improving brain health.
1. Turmeric
Why does it work?
Turmeric contains a compound called curcumin that has both anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties which benefit brain and overall health considerably. Turmeric boosts brain health and clears it off beta-amyloid. It even inhibits the breakdown of nerve cells in the brain.
How to use and how much to use?
Turmeric can be taken by including it as spices in curries, soups, stir-fries, vegetable dishes, etc. However, to enhance the absorption of turmeric, a dash of black pepper should be added.
2. Ginkgo Biloba
Why does it work?
Ginkgo Biloba is a traditional Chinese medicine that stimulates circulation and promotes blood flow to the brain.
How to use and how much to use?
It has been observed that intake of Ginkgo Biloba tablets or supplements should be done on a regular basis for at least 6 weeks to see results. The dosage should be 40 grams three times a day, which is a minimum of 120 grams on a daily basis for 6 weeks. The maximum that one can take is 240 grams per day.
3. Sage
Why does it work?
Sage is a spice with a pungent smell that helps treat Alzheimer’s disease. It improves cognition and neurological functions due to the compounds present in it.
How to use and how much to use?
Sage may be added to roasted chicken, butternut squash, turkey, tomato sauce, or in white bean soup.
Sage can also be consumed with tea\ twice every day; once in the morning and once in the evening.
| Left-handed people have a better memory. |
It is important to note that the human brain tends to erase trivial information so that it can make room for more important data that needs to be stored therein. Hence, our short term memory is very superficial. It is quite common and natural to forget unimportant things like forgetting where you put something and not being able to locate it instantly or forgetting what you climbed the stairs for.
However, the situation is alarming and needs medical aid when you start forgetting names of close family and friends or repeating a question that you asked just 15 minutes back.
However, many such situations could be a result of lack of sleep, depression, grief or even stress. Practising the above natural remedies, supplements, herbs and foods can help improve and enhance memory to a great deal.
FAQs
1. What is good for memory?
Ans: Fatty fish, blueberries, caffeine, turmeric, broccoli and nuts are very good for memory.
2. How to improve short term memory?
Ans: Short term memory can be improved by adapting certain lifestyle tips like having less sugar, maintaining a healthy weight, getting enough sleep, doing mindful exercises and having less alcohol.
3. How to increase memory?
Ans: Memory can be increased by training the braining, indulging in brain games like solving crosswords etc, and even through regular meditation.
4. How to improve memory retention?
Ans: Memory retention can be improved by focussing your attention, avoiding cramming, structuring and organising, elaborating and rehearsing and even reading out aloud.