Improve Memory: 15+ Actionable Ways to 10X Your Brain Power
Looking for ways to improve your memory? In this post, we explore 15+ scientifically proven ways to crush forgetfulness and optimize your brain’s health and fitness.
We’ve all had memory lapses at some point in our lives, either alone or in front of other people.
It’s embarrassing, to say the least.
It’s aggravating.
But, thankfully, it’s all coming to an end.
The following are 15+ things you can start doing right now to avoid or prevent memory loss.
Ready?
Let’s dive in!
17 Powerful Ways to Improve Memory and Concentration
Memory is like a muscle.
You can build it as long as you do the work!
1. Feed Your Brain Right
If you know a little bit about cars, you understand how expensive it can be to resuscitate a motor vehicle from a wrong-gas feed.
It’s no different with your brain.
Feed it the wrong food, and it will malfunction.
To ensure it serves you right for the rest of your stay on earth, service it well with a good diet.
Consider foods rich in antioxidants, minerals, good fats, and vitamins, as they help protect and energize your brain.
Here is a list of 11 great brain foods to improve memory and focus:
- Avocado
- Blueberries
- Broccoli
- Turmeric
- Fatty fish like salmon, sardines, and trout
- Dark chocolate
- Eggs
- Nuts and seeds such as almonds, peanuts, walnuts, pistachios, and pecans
- Oranges
- Green, leafy vegetables
- Whole grains
2. Flex Your Brain Muscles
Sudoku, crossword, and jigsaw puzzles, chess, and memory card games are all great ways to stimulate your brain and improve many of its functions, such as reasoning, perception, mental rotation, and working memory.
But there is an additional powerful tool you can add to this list…
Visualization.
Which is simply creating a mental picture to represent information.
Let’s say you have an upcoming trip and you want to remember everything on your packing list.
The best way to do that is through visualization and association.
Referencing your travel itinerary, begin with what you’ll need when you wake up.
It generally follows that the moment you get out of bed you feed your spiritual health and of course spend a few moments in gratitude.
This means that the very first items to pack will be The Bible, a gratitude journal, and a pen.
Next, you’ll probably be working out then showering.
So make sure you pack your skipping rope or whatever portable work-out tool of choice, a toothbrush/toothpaste, mouthwash, shower gel… you get the idea.
From showering you proceed to dressing up.
Depending on the areas you’ll be visiting and the activities you intend to engage in, you may opt to have different cloth color themes.
Imagine the event to inform your choice of cloth and footwear.
Go through the whole itinerary reading the activities and connecting with what you will require for those activities.
It’s really just a game of imagination.
Simple. Isn’t it?
3. Sleep On It
For many years, scientists have failed to reach a consensus on which particular sleep stage promotes memory consolidation.
However, they unanimously agree on one thing: Sleep is vital for optimal brain performance.
Sleep is the main pillar of good listening skills, which subsequently aid learning and the formation of memories.
With adequate rest, your neurons fire optimally, coordinating information, which then makes it easy to access memory.
These special brain messengers (each night when you rest) sort through the moments of the day and selectively store only those memories they deem important.
Without a doubt, they understand their job.
But how well do you support this noble course they faithfully execute?
How is your rest schedule measured on a scale of 0–10?
Experts recommend at least 7–9 hours of sleep every single night for better memory performance.
Make sure you get the sleep your brain and memory deserve!
4. Move Your Body
Exercise does more for your body than just help you maintain a healthy weight, a stronger heart, and more energy.
It’s a memory supercharger.
Exercise helps boost memory, improve thinking skills, and encourage the growth of new brain cells as you age.
A recent study published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia found that people, especially older adults who led active lives, had higher levels of proteins in their brains, which helped strengthen the connections between their neurons.
As a result, their memory and cognition improved.
But interestingly, this protective effect was also discovered in those already showing signs of dementia–essentially implying that it is never too late to improve your memory.
Just start with the simple workouts you feel comfortable with.
Great examples include:
- Dancing
- Walking
- Hiking
- Swimming
- Cross-country skiing
- Jogging
5. Be the Social You
Socializing is vital to good health.
It helps ward off feelings of loneliness, lowers stress and anxiety levels, boosts self-confidence, and most importantly, enhances cognitive abilities.
Don’t worry or let your fear of being an introvert drag you down.
No, you don’t have to be supersocial to reap these unmatched benefits.
All you need is a strong social network, whether in-person or one that you connect with via technology.
A group of like-minded individuals.
Remember, who you spend your time with determines who you become.
6. Think Positively
Thinking positive isn’t just a catch phrase — it actually helps improve your brain health.
Something that’s contrary to what negative thoughts do.
Recent studies proved this when researchers established that participants who engaged in repetitive negative thinking suffered more cognitive decline and memory issues.
Participants also accumulated higher levels of toxic proteins, which put them at risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
7. Keep Stress In Check
Stress that lasts only a short time, like the kind you feel when you’re learning, can help motivate you to finish a task.
However, the type that leaves you jittery and worn out is a deadly threat to your cognitive power, as it alters parts of your brain responsible for memory formation and recall.
Here are a few tips to help you manage stress:
- Create time to unwind and relax; do what you enjoy most
- Speak out when you need to, rather than keeping it to yourself
- Take health breaks between tasks
- Avoid multitasking
- Have realistic expectations
8. Optimize Your Environment
Your brain thrives in a clean environment.
You notice that as soon as you clean and organize your desk or laptop, you can think more clearly.
You feel motivated to work.
It’s like some burden has been lifted off your shoulders.
Your brain also benefits from clean air, a quiet space, clean food, and water.
All these benefit your cognitive function.
9. Guard Your Brain
Humans appear to have a “helmet” for everything that may be a threat to their brain, but not for one deadly enemy…
The smartphone.
Even though there isn’t yet a definitive study on the long-term effects of smartphones on the brain, health experts warn that too much use could be bad for your brain, especially your gray matter, and slow down your thinking.
Make it a habit to take time off your phone every day, even if that means switching it off.
10. Optimize Your Brain Nutrient Levels
It’s crucial that, in addition to a good diet, you periodically monitor your nutrient profile — just to be sure that your brain is sufficiently nourished with the vital nutrients it requires for optimal performance.
In some cases, you may require a nutrient boost from supplements. Of course, your doctor should be able to determine and advise accordingly after a blood test.
11. Tap into the Power of Nature
Nature heals. It revives.
Spending time in nature has been shown to improve memory formation and recall, especially for working or short-term memory, as well as directed (goal-oriented) attention, which requires focused effort.
Whether it’s walking in the woods, perusing through captivating pictures of nature, or just sitting outdoors for some fresh air, it’s all therapeutic for the brain.
12. Hydrate Your Cerebrum
Water is everything when it comes to brain activities.
It helps strengthen communication between your neurons, clears out waste and toxins, and facilitates the distribution of nutrients to the various sections of the brain — for optimal performance.
According to one study, even mild dehydration — losing 1.4% of your body’s fluid after exercise — can impair many aspects of brain function, including mood and concentration.
13. Manage Your Appetite for Sugar
There is no doubt that sugar (in the form of glucose) plays a crucial role in powering up the body cells, including the billions of neurons in our brain.
And being the largest consumer, the brain knows exactly what to do to win your loyalty by supplying it with this precious commodity.
When you eat a sweet treat, have a good time with a loved one, or do something else that makes you feel good, the mesolimbic dopamine system turns back on and releases dopamine, a chemical that makes you feel good and reinforces the behavior.
It’s the reason you constantly crave sweet treats even when you know you shouldn’t.
And even though it’s the sole source of fuel for the brain, too much sugar can negatively impact your brain functions and, more specifically, your cognitive ability.
Too much sugar has also been linked to the early onset of wrinkles on the face.
To be safe, play your cards on the “moderation” side.
Moderate your sugar intake for better memory and overall health.
14. Laugh More
Laughter is the best medicine, as it vitalizes literally everything in the body, including the brain and memory.
It’s probably the best known cure for stress since it helps suck up the toxic stress hormone, cortisol, freeing up your hippocampus for memory consolidation.
In a recent study of 20 healthy older adults, researchers showed 10 of them humorous videos for about 20 minutes while the other 10 sat calmly with no videos or phones to chat with.
The group that laughed during the 20-minute video did better on the short-term memory test (conducted afterwards) and also had lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol than the control group.
15. Adopt a Pro-Learning Attitude
Challenge yourself to learn a new skill.
New learnings not only expand and strengthen your brain muscles but also play a crucial role in neurogenesis (the formation of new neurons), which science has increasingly linked with improved cognitive and memory functions.
16. Stay Organized
You may never have thought about minimalism, but it’s a great way to cut off the overwhelming stuff of life.
It makes organization a breeze, even clearing mental fog so you have an easier time remembering things.
But nevertheless, the most ideal way to declutter your mind (and stay on top of things) is to write things down manually.
That way, you have free space to accommodate new memories and still have a reference point in case you need to refresh on a few items.
17. Get Intentional About Your Decision
To improve your memory, you must be intentional about it.
Fortunately, the human brain has no capacity to differentiate what is real from what is not.
Which in essence, means that you can easily manipulate it to your favor.
Positive speech, like saying things such as “I have a good memory,” and backing it up with action (the tips in this article), can help you remember things a lot better.
There is No Magic Pill to Improve Memory
Strengthening and rewiring your cognitive and memory powers is a process.
The good news: It doesn’t have to be hard if you follow the simple tips above.
You may opt to start out with just one or two tips, but to eventually solidify your dream of a sharper, more robust memory, you have to incorporate ALL the rest of the tips.
No matter your age or stage of life, get started today.
Improve your memory!
