| What is human memory? | | | | You probably know already that a diet based on fruits, |
| Simply stated, memory is the mental processes that | | | | vegetables, whole grains, and “healthy” fats will |
| are used to acquire, store, retain and later retrieve | | | | provide lots of health benefits, but such a diet can also |
| information. The information can be obtained from | | | | improve memory. Studies have shown that certain |
| our 5 senses before they are processed by the brain. | | | | nutrients nurture and stimulate brain function. For |
| There are three major processes involved in memory, | | | | instance, |
| namely Processing, Storage and Retrieval. | | | | Vitamin A combats toxins that damage brain cells. |
| Processing | | | | Vitamin B1 is needed to produce the brain chemical |
| New information or experiences make their way to | | | | acetylcholine, crucial for concentration levels and |
| the brain through the 5 senses where they are | | | | memory. |
| processed by the neurons in the brain. The key to | | | | Vitamin B3 is essential for brain health. |
| having your brain successfully processing the | | | | Vitamin B6 improves nerve communication. |
| information into your memory is paying careful | | | | Vitamin B12 is needed to create the myelin sheath that |
| attention to the information or experience. For | | | | protects nerves and speeds up the rate of electrical |
| example, if you are being introduced to a new | | | | transmission. |
| colleague but your mind is on the Chinese cuisine you | | | | Pantothenic acid is essential for the production of the |
| are going to have for lunch, chances are, you will not | | | | brain chemical acetylcholine. |
| remember you new colleague’s name. | | | | Folic acid seems to help guard against the risk of |
| Storage | | | | Alzheimer's disease. |
| If you’ve paid enough attention to the new | | | | (Best sources: spinach and other dark leafy greens, |
| information, your hippocampus, or that part of your | | | | broccoli, asparagus, strawberries, melons, black beans |
| brain vital in the information processing, will send a | | | | and other legumes, citrus fruits, soybeans.) |
| signal to save the information into the long-term | | | | Choline is needed to produce acetylcholine. |
| memory. This process can be enhanced if you use | | | | Vitamin C neutralizes harmful free radicals that may |
| some memory techniques that will be discussed later, | | | | damage brain cells. |
| to help you store the information. | | | | Vitamin E boosts brain function. |
| Retrieval | | | | Best sources: blueberries and other berries, sweet |
| When the time comes to retrieve the information, your | | | | potatoes, red tomatoes, spinach, broccoli, green tea, |
| brain will stimulate the same pattern of nerve cells that | | | | nuts and seeds, citrus fruits, liver.) |
| was used to store it. The more you recall and use | | | | Omega3 fatty acids are concentrated in the brain and |
| that information, the better you get at recalling it as the | | | | are associated with cognitive function. They count as |
| same pathways are strengthened. | | | | “healthy” fats, as opposed to saturated fats and |
| How is long term memory compared to short term | | | | trans fats, protecting against inflammation and high |
| memory? | | | | cholesterol. (Best sources: cold-water fish such as |
| Short-term memory, also known as working memory, | | | | salmon, herring, tuna, halibut, and mackerel; walnuts and |
| is the information we are aware of or thinking about, at | | | | walnut oil; flaxseed and flaxseed oil). Because older |
| the present moment. For example, when you look up | | | | adults are more prone to B12 and folic acid |
| the phone number of a store you need to call to | | | | deficiencies, a supplement may be a good idea for |
| check on the availability of an item. The store’s | | | | seniors. An omega-3 supplement (at any age) if you |
| phone number is held in short term memory. Short | | | | don’t like eating fish. But nutrients work best when |
| term memory is fragile and usually parts or all of it can | | | | they’re consumed in foods, so try your best to eat |
| be forgotten in a short period of time. Because most | | | | a broad spectrum of colorful plant foods and choose |
| times, the information, like the telephone number, is only | | | | fats that will help clear, not clog, your arteries. |
| needed for that moment. Unless of course, you need | | | | 6. Focus, Concentrate, Pay attention |
| to call up the store a few times a day every day for a | | | | If memory was a car, attention would be its fuel: New |
| week, then it will be lodged in your brain for a much | | | | information is not stored into memory if not attended |
| longer period of time. | | | | to, and distraction often leads to misremembering past |
| Long-term memory refers to the continuing storage of | | | | events. |
| information. It involves the effort (conscious or | | | | You can’t remember something if you never |
| unconscious) you make around a piece of information | | | | learned it, and you can’t learn something that is not |
| in order to retain it for a longer period of time, because | | | | processed by your brain, if you’ve not paid |
| it’s personally important or meaningful to you (for | | | | attention. It takes about eight seconds of intent focus |
| example, your wife’s birthday); you need it (such as | | | | to process a piece of information through your |
| job procedures or material you’re studying for an | | | | hippocampus and into the appropriate memory center. |
| exam); or it made an emotional impact (a place you | | | | So, if you need to concentrate, do not do multiple jobs |
| had an accident, the restaurant where you were | | | | at the same time. If you distract easily, try to receive |
| proposed for marriage or the first time you drove a | | | | information in a quiet place where you won’t be |
| car). As long-term memory is subject to being | | | | interrupted. |
| faded out or parts or the whole of the event being | | | | 7. Involve your senses |
| forgotten, several recalls/retrievals of memory may be | | | | If you’re a visual learner, even when you are |
| needed for long-term memories to last for years, it is | | | | reading, you are seeing the information. For non-written |
| dependent also on the depth of processing. Individual | | | | material or physical items, really try to concentrate. |
| retrievals can take place in increasing intervals in | | | | Look carefully and slowly at the shape, color, texture |
| accordance with the principle of carefully spaced | | | | of the object, the material its made of. Read out loud |
| repetition. | | | | what you want to remember. If you can recite it |
| Here then are 10 ways to improve your long term | | | | rhythmically, better still. Try to relate information to |
| memory or memory in general. | | | | colors, textures, smells and tastes. The physical act of |
| 1. Physical Exercise | | | | rewriting information can help imprint it onto your |
| Over the years, as more studies are conducted on the | | | | brain. If it's a procedure or action you need to |
| human brain, it has become more apparent to | | | | remember, do it. Do it several times. The act of "doing" |
| scientists that the connections between the body and | | | | is a separate mental pathway that you create. Just |
| mind are stronger than were previously imagined. Not | | | | reading about something (or just hearing someone else |
| only is physical exercise important for keeping the | | | | explain how to do it) is not good enough. |
| body healthy, but it has also become apparent that it | | | | 8. Memory Strategies |
| may reduce the chances of a person developing | | | | Mnemonics are linkages of any kind that help us |
| dementia or other memory disorders. There are a | | | | remember something, usually by causing us to |
| number of reasons why this occurs. | | | | associate the information we want to remember with |
| Physical exercise has an effect on the cardiovascular | | | | a visual image, a sentence, or a word. |
| system that is well documented. It seems that there is | | | | Common types of mnemonic devices are: |
| a connection between the health of the brain and the | | | | 1. Visual images – For example, thorns for |
| health of the heart. | | | | remembering the name “Tony”, brine (salt |
| It has been discovered that physical exercise is also | | | | solution) for “Brian”. Use images that are |
| responsible for the regulation of the blood sugar levels. | | | | ludicrous or out of the ordinary to make your memory |
| Experts believe that the amount of glucose | | | | stand out, they’ll be easier to remember. |
| tolerance in the body has an effect on the size of the | | | | 2. Sentences in which the first letter of each word is |
| hippocampus. In addition to this, exercise will increase | | | | part of or represents the initial of what you want to |
| the amount of blood flow to the brain, and this blood is | | | | remember. Musicians, for example, first memorized |
| rich in oxygen. Increasing the amount of oxygen and | | | | the lines of the treble staff with the sentence |
| blood to the brain will allow it to function correctly, and | | | | “Every good boy does fine” (or “deserves |
| this will have an effect on the memory. While physical | | | | favor”), representing the notes E, G, B, D, and F. |
| exercise is important for both men and women, | | | | Medical students often learn groups of nerves, bones, |
| research have shown that it is more important for | | | | and other anatomical features using nonsense |
| aging women than men. | | | | sentences. |
| 2. Mental Exercise | | | | 3. Acronyms, which are initials that creates |
| Performing a mental exercise twice a day could help | | | | pronounceable words. For example, the colors of the |
| delay the rapid memory loss associated with dementia | | | | rainbow are VIBGYOR for Violet, Indigo, Blue, Green, |
| for more than a year,” The Daily Telegraph | | | | Yellow, Orange and Red. |
| reported. It said that a study of nearly 500 people | | | | 4. Rhymes and alliteration: remember learning “30 |
| aged 75 to 85 years looked at how often they did | | | | days hath September, April, June, and November”? |
| crosswords or puzzles, read, wrote or played card | | | | A hefty guy named Benedict can be remembered as |
| games. Of those who developed dementia, people | | | | “Big Ben” and an obnoxious co-worker as |
| who did 11 mental exercises a week developed | | | | “Pushy Paula” (though it might be best to keep |
| memory problems about a year and four months later | | | | such names to yourself). |
| on average than those who did four exercises a | | | | 5. Jokes or even off-color associations using facts, |
| week. It is small wonder that in the Chinese are fond | | | | figures, and names you need to recall, because funny |
| of playing mahjong to keep their mind sharp. In | | | | or peculiar things are easier to remember than |
| western countries, playing bridge or poker also helps. | | | | mundane images. |
| 3. Get Quality Sleep | | | | 6. “Chunking” information; that is, arranging a long |
| Scientists have debated over the years on the role of | | | | list in smaller units or categories that are easier to |
| sleep and memory. One entertaining theory suggests | | | | remember. It’s easier to memorize your credit |
| that we needed sleep, when we were cavemen, to | | | | card number if you can arrange the numbers in groups |
| keep us wandering out of our caves and being eaten | | | | of 3 or 4 instead of a line of 16 numbers. |
| by sabertooth tigers. | | | | 7. “Loci Method”: This is an ancient method used |
| One of the things we do know is that young birds and | | | | by the Romans and effective way of remembering a |
| mammals need as much as three times the amount of | | | | lot of material, such as a speech. You associate each |
| sleep as adult birds and mammals. It has been | | | | part of what you have to remember with a landmark |
| suspected that neuronal connections are remodeled | | | | in a route you know well, such as your way to work |
| during sleep, and this has recently been supported in a | | | | or stations along the subway or even the layout of |
| study using cats (Cats who were allowed to sleep for | | | | your house. |
| six hours after their vision was blocked in one eye for | | | | 9. Keeping What You Learnt Locked In |
| six hours, developed twice as many new or modified | | | | It is not uncommon to forget a large part of what you |
| brain connections as those cats who were kept | | | | studied for a test. If review is organized properly, |
| awake in a dark room for the six hours after the | | | | recall rates can be kept high shortly after learning has |
| period of visual deprivation). In humans, sleep is | | | | been completed. To accomplish this, a program |
| necessary for memory consolidation. Sleep disorders | | | | interval of review must take place, each review being |
| like insomnia and sleep apnea leave you tired and | | | | done at the time just before recall is about to drop. |
| unable to concentrate during the day. | | | | For example, the first review should take place about |
| 4. Manage Your Stress | | | | 10 minutes after a one-hour learning period and should |
| Have you ever forgotten something during a stressful | | | | itself take 5 minutes. This will keep the recall high for |
| situation that you should have remembered? Chronic | | | | about one day, when the next review should take |
| over-secretion of the stress hormone, Cortisol, | | | | place, this time for a period of 2 to 4 minutes. After |
| adversely affects brain function, especially memory. | | | | this, recall will probably be retained for about a week, |
| Cortisol also interferes with the function of | | | | when another 2 minutes review can be completed |
| neurotransmitters, the chemicals that brain cells use to | | | | followed by a further review after about one month. |
| communicate with each other. | | | | After this time, the knowledge will be lodged in the |
| Excessive cortisol can make it difficult to think or | | | | Long Term memory. This means it will be familiar in |
| retrieve long-term memories. That's why people get | | | | the way a personal telephone number is familiar, |
| befuddled and confused in a severe crisis. Their mind | | | | needing only the occasional nudge to maintain it. |
| goes blank because "the lines are down." They can't | | | | 10. Practice, practice and practice. |
| remember where the fire exit is, for example. | | | | It is important to put all the pieces together above and |
| Stress hormones divert blood glucose to exercising | | | | keep doing them until it becomes a habit. Get started |
| muscles, therefore the amount of glucose – hence | | | | on a physical exercise program, learn a hobby or skill |
| energy – that reaches the brain's hippocampus is | | | | that will keep your memory sharp, like the game of |
| diminished. This creates an energy crisis in the | | | | bridge. Make it a habit to focus your attention on |
| hippocampus which compromises its ability to create | | | | something or someone, put the mnemonic methods to |
| new memories. That may be why some people can't | | | | use although they may seem childish at first. And last |
| remember a very traumatic event, and why | | | | but not least, if you are really committed to storing |
| short-term memory is usually the first casualty of | | | | some information into Long Term memory, remember |
| age-related memory loss resulting from a lifetime of | | | | to use the review frequency and stick to it because it |
| stress | | | | REALLY WORKS. |
| 5. Nutrition | | | | |