Exercises to Improve Short-Term Memory Loss

Short-term memories are those that only last for a few moments, such as the phone number you just looked up or the name of someone you met moments ago. Neurological diseases can sometimes cause short-term memory loss as can the simple process of aging. With exercises and holistic steps, you can improve your short-term memory and stave off further decline.

Novelty

• Novelty and sensory stimulation should be the foundation of all brain exercises, which will keep your brain focused on accomplishing new and challenging tasks. These can be easy, such as using a different hand to do a normal task like brushing your teeth, or getting showered and dressed with your eyes closed. Find something different, such as a taking new route to work, playing poker instead of solitaire, writing a memoir, or learning a new language or new sport like ice skating. Learn to play an instrument.

  Involve as many senses as possible in learning. Read aloud what you want to remember, even chanting it rhythmically, and relate information to colors, textures, smells and tastes. The more senses you use when you learn, the more your brain will be involved in retaining those memories.

Relationships and Organization

• Connect new data to information you already remember, such as an address of someone who lives on a street where you already know another person. Take notes, make lists, write things down in address books, datebooks and on calendars or keep a journal. Have a place for everything and keep keys, wallets and other important things in the same place. Think of everything you want to remember located in its particular area of your house and imagine walking through each room and seeing each item. Use both words and pictures in learning new information.

Mnemonics and Repetition

• Mnemonic devices can be creative ways for you to remember a list. They can be acronyms, such as "Every good boy does fine" for the musical notes E, G, B, D and F on a treble clef, or a brief story in which each item cues you to remember the next item. Repeat names of people you meet and use the name in conversation. Link the first letter with a characteristic of the person, such as a microphone to remember the name "Mike" or a rose for "Rosie."

  Pay attention when trying to learning something and don't get distracted. It takes about eight seconds of focusing to process a piece of information through the hippocampus area of your brain and have it transferred into the brain's memory center. Then rehearse new information frequently via over-learning. Review new information you've learned the same day and on subsequent days. Experts sometimes call this "spaced rehearsal," which is more effective than cramming.

Fun and Games

• Exercise your mind with word games like Scrabble and crossword puzzles. Play chess or go to a museum you've never visited before. Read books on a variety of subjects, fiction and nonfiction.

  Play memory games. A good one is to try and match two similar items in an array of cards facing down in front of you, moving the ones away from the remaining cards when you're successful at remembering where a match is or turning the cards face down again when you're not. There are also versions of this game on many websites.

  You can also use music to help your memory by creating songs out of items in a list you want to recall. Alternatively, write down the lyrics to a song as much as you can from start to finish without the music, keeping at it until you've gotten it all down correctly, then do this regularly.

  Try to learn a new word every day via such sites as dictionary.reference.com/, which has an email word-of-the-day list. Quiz yourself at the end of each week to see how many of these words you remember.

The Holistic Approach

• Sleep is necessary for memory consolidation of everything you've learned throughout the day, so get eight hours of sleep each night and treat sleep disorders like apnea or insomnia. Get regular exercise, which increases blood flow to the brain. Stop smoking, as it increases the risk of vascular disorders leading to stroke and also constricts arteries that deliver oxygen to the brain. Avoid alcohol, as even moderate alcohol use can interfere with the ability to remember. Cortisol, the stress hormone, can damage the hippocampus, so relax more and try meditation or yoga. Feed your brain via a healthy diet with complete proteins like salmon (which also has omega 3 oil), fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and healthy fats. Last but not least, stay connected by keeping up to date on current events, films and other topics and seek out people for conversation. Isolation often leads to depression, which in turn creates problems with memory.