How many times have you tried to find your glasses, only to realize they were sitting on top of your head all along? And how about your phone? Have you looked for it only to remember that you're actually talking to someone at that very moment? You're not alone!
Memory plays a crucial role in our daily lives, influencing how we interact with the world, process information, and make decisions. It allows us to recall past experiences, learn new skills, and maintain relationships. Yet, memory problems are more prevalent than ever, thanks to our fast-paced and always-switched-on lifestyles. But the good news is that you can learn to boost your cognitive abilities and keep your glasses and phone in sight!
In this article, you'll learn easy hacks to boost your cognition using proven techniques from best-selling books, including 'The Brain that Changes Itself' by Norman Doidge, MD.
Why is memory so important in daily life?
Before we jump into the how, let's talk about why. Memory problems can seriously hinder your daily life, causing knowledge retention and decision-making problems. These vary from mild to severe, with conditions like Alzheimer’s Disease and other age-related cognitive issues at the far end of the scale. To understand just how vital it is to focus on memory improvement, let's explain why it's so key in the first place.
Learning and knowledge retention: Memory is vital to acquiring new knowledge and skills. Whether remembering how to tie your shoes, recalling facts for a test, or using instructions to complete a task at work, your memory is essential for understanding and retaining information over time.
Decision-making: Effective decision-making relies on remembering past experiences and applying that knowledge to current situations. You will likely make poor choices if you forget the lessons from past mistakes or successes. So, your memory allows you to use prior experiences as a reference point.
Social interaction and relationships: Relationships largely build on shared memories and the ability to remember personal details about others, including birthdays, preferences, and past conversations. Your capacity to remember these small details strengthens your connections with others.
Time management and organization: Memory helps you organize tasks and manage time. It allows you to remember deadlines, appointments, and daily routines. Whether remembering to call someone back or ensuring you have everything you need for a meeting, a good memory streamlines your daily activities and reduces stress.
Emotional health: Memory ties to your emotions. Recalling positive memories can lift your spirits while remembering past challenges or traumatic events can impact your mental health. So, your ability to pay attention to and process memories can influence your emotional resilience, sense of identity, and overall happiness.
Lifestyle changes to enhance memory
The first step to improving your memory and overall cognitive function requires a holistic approach, with changes in physical activity, diet, and sleep habits playing a crucial role. Incorporating these healthy lifestyle changes into your routine can help optimize your brain health and improve memory retention.
Let's explore how.
Physical activity
Regular physical exercise impacts more than your waistline as it also positively affects brain health. Studies consistently show that aerobic activities like walking, running, cycling, or swimming can increase the size of the hippocampus, the area of the brain responsible for memory and learning. Exercise stimulates the release of growth factors that promote the formation of new neural connections, improving both short-term and long-term memory.
There's more.
Physical activity also enhances blood flow to the brain, ensuring it receives the oxygen and nutrients it needs to function at its best. Additionally, exercise reduces stress and anxiety, both of which can interfere with memory and cognitive function. The boost in mood and mental clarity that comes with regular exercise can make it easier to focus, absorb information, and recall details when needed.
In her best-seller, 'Remember,' Lisa Genova explains how neuroscience views exercise, particularly the role of aerobic activity in stimulating the growth of new neutrons in the hippocampus, a process known as neurogenesis. When this happens, cognitive function and memory improve. Genova also highlights how even moderate exercise throughout life can reduce the risk of dementia and general cognitive decline.
"If you eat a daily diet of doughnuts, only go for a run if someone is chasing you, regularly sacrifice sleep by binge-watching entire seasons of the latest show on Netflix until 3 AM, and are chronically stressed, you'll most definitely accelerate the aging of your memory."
So, it's time to hit the gym or at least put your comfortable walking shoes on!
Healthy diet
You know the saying, "You are what you eat?" Well, it turns out to be true for brain health, too. A diet rich in nutrients, particularly those that support brain health, can directly impact memory. So, make sure you pack your diet with:
Antioxidants: Foods high in antioxidants, such as berries, dark chocolate, and leafy greens, help protect the brain from oxidative stress and inflammation. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals, unstable molecules that can damage cells, including brain cells. By reducing oxidative damage, antioxidants can improve cognitive function and support long-term brain health.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Omega-3s, found in fatty fish like salmon, walnuts, flaxseeds, and chia seeds, are essential for maintaining the integrity of brain cell membranes. These healthy fats support communication between neurons, improve synaptic plasticity (the brain's ability to adapt and form new connections), and have links to better memory, focus, and cognitive performance. Some people also take omega-3 fatty acids supplements, particularly those who don’t enjoy the taste of fish.
Other Brain-Boosting Foods: Whole grains, which provide a steady supply of glucose to the brain, and foods rich in vitamins like B12, vitamin D, and folate all contribute to improved cognitive function. Additionally, magnesium-rich foods such as leafy greens, nuts, and seeds help regulate neurotransmitter activity and brain function while supporting both mood and episodic memory.
Quality sleep
Sleep is vitally important for overall health and well-being, as well as memory consolidation. When you sleep, your brain processes and stores the information you've learned during the day. This is known as memory consolidation. During deep sleep, your brain reinforces connections between the neurons critical for storing new memories. Without sufficient sleep, your brain struggles to retain new information, and cognitive function suffers.
David Rock shares useful insights into sleep and improving memory in his best-selling book, 'Your Brain at Work.' He explains that sleep helps to clear out any unnecessary information your brain has absorbed during waking hours. Then, the brain's ability to filter and prioritize information during sleep contributes to improving the quality of memory retention.
"A study done at the University of London found that constant emailing and text-messaging reduces mental capability by an average of ten points on an IQ test. It was five points for women, and fifteen points for men. This effect is similar to missing a night's sleep. For men, it's around three times more than the effect of smoking cannabis."
So, how much sleep should you get?
The optimal amount of sleep varies by age, but most adults need 7-9 hours per night. Poor sleep not only impacts memory but also affects focus, problem-solving abilities, and overall cognitive performance. Sleep deprivation increases the production of stress hormones, which can interfere with the brain's ability to encode and retrieve memories.
Creating a consistent sleep schedule, maintaining a relaxing bedtime routine, and ensuring your sleep environment is cool, dark, and quiet can all improve sleep quality. Also, avoid stimulants like caffeine or excessive screen time before bed to help ensure a restful, memory-boosting sleep.
Mental exercises and techniques
Boosting your memory isn't only about sleeping well and what you eat; it's also about mental and emotional well-being. Regular mental exercises can sharpen focus, boost memory retention, and promote long-term brain health.
Here are a few effective techniques to consider incorporating into your daily routine:
Mindfulness and meditation
Mindfulness practices, including meditation, have been shown to boost cognitive function by improving focus and reducing mental clutter. By focusing on the present moment and letting go of distractions, mindfulness exercises can help you increase your ability to concentrate. This translates into better memory retention because the brain processes and stores information more effectively when fully engaged.
So, no more worrying about the future or ruminating on the past!
Meditation, in particular, can also lower stress levels, making it essential for memory. Chronic stress can impair the hippocampus, a brain region critical for forming and retrieving memories. Regular mindfulness practice helps regulate stress hormones like cortisol, creating a better environment for memory consolidation.
There's more: mindfulness-based exercises — such as body scans, mindful breathing, or guided imagery — can promote mental clarity, making it easier to focus and retain new information.
In 'The Brain That Changes Itself,' Norman Doidge, MD, highlights the role of mindfulness in improving neuroplasticity and the power of the brain to reorganize itself based on experience. Due to its emphasis on focused attention, awareness of the present moment, and reducing mental distractions, mindfulness meditation can contribute to neuroplasticity. Studies cited in the book show that mindfulness meditation can increase the thickness of the cortex, which is involved in higher cognitive functions like memory, attention, and decision-making. This suggests that mindfulness can help improve memory by supporting brain regions related to learning and recall.
"The brain is a far more open system than we ever imagined, and nature has gone very far to help us perceive and take in the world around us. It has given us a brain that survives in a changing world by changing itself."
Brain games
One of the most enjoyable and accessible ways to keep your mind sharp is through brain training. Activities like puzzles, crosswords, sudoku, mnemonic devices, and memorization games are not only fun but also help engage various cognitive functions, such as problem-solving, pattern recognition, and memory retrieval. These often involve specific strategies such as chunking and mnemonic exercises.
Puzzles and crosswords: These stimulate your brain to make connections between different pieces of information. Solving these types of puzzles can strengthen your memory pathways and overall memory function and enhance your problem-solving skills.
Memory games: Classic memory games, such as matching pairs of cards, encourage you to practice your short-term memory and attention to detail. Repeated play can improve your ability to store and recall information more efficiently. There's never been a better excuse to download Mahjong!
Sudoku and brain teasers: These games engage logical reasoning and critical thinking, providing a great workout for the brain. Regularly solving sudoku puzzles, for instance, challenges you to think critically, which can improve working memory and cognitive flexibility. And you thought sudoku was just for older adults!
Another option is to learn something new, and that's never a bad thing. Whether picking up a new language, learning to play a musical instrument, or taking up a hobby like painting or knitting, developing new skills stimulates brain regions associated with memory, learning, and creativity.
When you learn something new, your brain forms new neural connections, a process known as neuroplasticity. The more new skills you learn, the more you stimulate this process, enhancing your memory and cognitive flexibility. The key is to push yourself out of your comfort zone. By stepping into unfamiliar territory and challenging your brain, you encourage it to adapt and grow, which can help you retain information more effectively. Plus, those new skills look fantastic on your resume!
In his best-selling book, 'Unlimited Memory: How to Use Advanced Learning Strategies to Learn Faster, Remember More and Be More Productive,' Kevin Horsley highlights that brain games work as mental exercise, much like physical exercise in strengthening the body.
"If you want to cure boredom, be curious. If you're curious, nothing is a chore; it's automatic – you want to study. Cultivate curiosity, and life becomes an unending study of joy."
Always remember where you put your glasses with Headway summaries!
Health and well-being aren’t just about maintaining your weight and focusing on the physical. Improving your memory will bring countless benefits to your life and slow down any cognitive decline as old age slowly creeps in. Not to depress you with that thought, but it's never too early to start protecting your brain health against potential memory loss to any degree.
In this article, we've talked about some techniques to help improve your memory, making you sharper and more focused every single day. But there's more good news coming your way. Earlier, we talked about learning new things, and a great way to do that is to download the Headway app and absorb new knowledge and insights. In just 15 minutes, you can read or listen to summaries of the world's best-sellers, learning on the go.
Whether it's related to brain training, such as 'Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything' by Joshua Foer, or a completely different subject, your brain will be full of useful information, ready to impart upon anyone who will listen.
So, no more forgetting where you put your keys, no more looking for your glasses, and you'll always know where your phone is. Download Headway today!
