Health Tips For a Better Memory

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If you wish you had a better memory, there are often simple changes in your lifestyle that can help your brain and memory work better.

Don't cut back on your hours of sleep. Your brain needs to use your sleeping hours to put new information into long term memory storage.

It's easier to remember information when you understand it really well. If you are confused by something you are trying to learn, break it down into smaller parts or steps, and ask for help in understanding each part.

Avoid eating a diet high in junk food with a lot of sugar, refined carbohydrates and fried, fatty foods. Your brain cells can be easily damaged and undernourished so include a lot of fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fish in your diet.

Reduce the stress in your life by simplifying your schedule, delegating more tasks to others, getting regular physical exercise and practicing daily meditation. Long term stress can interfere with your ability to concentrate and to think clearly, and with your ability to form memories or to recall them later.

When you need to learn something new, a good way to understand it and remember it much better is to get a study buddy or a conversation partner, and try teach the other person what you are learning. This is a good way to signal your brain that what you are learning is important.

Learn how to create and use mind maps to organize your information. A mind map will show you at a glance how the different parts of what you are learning can fit together, and many people can learn better by using mind maps than by writing out notes the traditional way.

If you are having problems with your memory, ask your doctor or pharmacist whether any prescription drugs you are taking might be the cause of your memory difficulties. If any of your prescribed drugs are known to cause memory problems, ask if you can be prescribed a lower dose, or switched to another medication altogether.

Being depressed can interfere with your ability to form memories or to recall them later. If you frequently feel sad, or if your life feels blank and empty, have yourself evaluated for depression, and get treated for this condition if necessary.

Make up little rhymes and songs to help you remember important information. It's often a lot easier to remember facts that have been made into a song or a rhyme, such as "Thirty days hath September, April, June and November".

Your brain will remember things a lot better if you are breathing deeply in a relaxed way. Instead of just breathing shallowly from the upper part of your chest, learn to breathe smoothly from your belly, using your diaphragm muscle to move the air in and out.

Tell yourself that you will remember, and pay close attention to the details of each experience. This will help you to better remember all the details later.

Include a lot of berries in your diet that have dark red and blue colored skins. In an experiment where aging rats were fed a diet high in blueberries, their memory losses reversed and they grew new brain cells.

Your brain will learn and remember better if you involve as many of your senses in your learning as possible. Instead of simply reading about something, also talk about what you are learning, write about it, and even create a drawing, or painting or song, or do some other related activity.

Use affirmations and visualizations to tell yourself that you are smart, that you have a good memory, and that you really enjoy the subject you are learning, and really let yourself feel that it is true.

Focus on doing one task at a time and concentrating on one topic at a time. When you try to do too many things at once, your mind will be distracted and it will be difficult to perform every task as well as you need to.

If you are a diabetic or if you have high blood pressure, work with your doctor to get these conditions under control. Left untreated, diabetes and high blood pressure can eventually lead to problems with how your brain works.

Your brain is about 85 % water, so it is easily dehydrated. Try to avoid drinking too much coffee and too many pop drinks and instead, give your brain the hydration it craves by drinking half a fluid ounce of water for every pound of your body weight each day.

Many studies have shown that the brain benefits from regular physical exercise. Find some form of exercise you really enjoy, and make it a regular part of your life.

Stay interested in your life. Keep looking for new things in life to learn and to get excited about, no matter how old you are.

This article was written by self help author Royane Real. To learn more ways to boost your brain power, get her new book "How You Can Be Smarter - Use Your Brain to Learn Faster, Remember Better and Be More Creative" Download it today at http://www.royanereal.com

Royane Real is the author of several self help books including "How You Can Have All the Friends You Want" If you want to improve your social life, download it today at http://www.royanereal.com

Article Sources:
• Tips for a Better Memory
• Information on Memory on MedicineNet.com
• 10 Research-Proven Tips for Better Memory -- ThirdAge
• General Health Tips « That Health Rules
• Free Articles and Content Generator for Webmasters

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