How to Help Your Brain's Memory

Many people struggle with remembering things, but a person's memory can improve with a little attention. With age, illness or just because life is busy and stressful, remembering essential dates, facts or functions can become overwhelming. There are several simple methods for improving memory. Eating a proper diet and stimulating the brain can improve memory. Playing games is the best exercise for the brain, and computers allow easy access to them.

Instructions

Diet

• 1

  Eat a healthy diet with plenty of omega-3 fatty acids. Fish oil is a good source. Eat plenty of dark green vegetables, beans, nuts and strawberries.

• 2

  Keep away from alcohol and tobacco. Both keep the brain from working as well as it should.

• 3

  Consume foods that contain resveratrol, which slows the aging process. Red grapes and peanuts contain resveratrol.

• 4

  Make sure your diet is rich in foods containing vitamin E, vitamin C, calcium and vitamin B. Eat a diet rich in green vegetables, beans, potatoes, fish, fruits and whole grain carbohydrates, ensuring that your body receives the necessary nutrients.

Exercise Your Mind

• 5

  Play memory games. Shuffle a deck of cards. Lay them out on a table, with the backs facing up. Turn the cards over two at a time, making matches.

• 6

  Search online for memory games that stimulate your brain. The "Memory Improvement Tips" link or the "Mission to Learn: 25+ Sites and Tools to Exercise Your Brain" link in the resources section has hundreds of fun games that stimulate your brain and increase your memory skills.

• 7

  Take up a new hobby or enroll in a class. Build models, play with clay, paint or take up a new language. Your brain works better when it is constantly taking on challenging new tasks.

• 8

  Do crossword puzzles and word finds while waiting for appointments to keep your mind active.

• 9

  Start a memory exercise program. Use the memory workout on "Play With Your Mind" in the resources section. It gives you a daily workout with different areas of your memory.

• 10

  Play memory games with a spouse or friend. One person starts by saying a word. The second person repeats the word, and adds another word. Keep building the list of words until one person forgets one. It is an easy travel game that keeps adults and children occupied while improving the memory.

Mnemonics

• 11

  Try thinking of a picture of something that makes you think of a person's name. If someone's name is Dot, think of a dot on a piece of paper.

• 12

  Use rhymes, jokes or simple songs for remembering information. It is surprising how many people think about the alphabet song when alphabetizing files or papers.

• 13

  Make up acronyms for remembering things. Acronyms are sentences or words with the letters representing something you need to remember. Math teachers teach order of operations in Algebra using "Please excuse my dear Aunt Sally." The first letter of each word represents when to do a specific operation. The operations are parenthesis, exponents, multiply, divide, addition and subtraction. Art teachers teach the color wheel using the name Roy G. Biv. The letters in the name represent red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet, which is the order of the colors on the color wheel.

Other Memory Improvement Tips

• 14

  Keep yourself organized. Make lists of events, grocery lists, daily activities and other important items. Make sure you write down important information, keep it in a datebook or notebook. Check the book every day.

• 15

  Get plenty of exercise. Exercise reduces the chance of getting diabetes or heart disease that can cause memory loss.

• 16

  Make sure you get plenty of sleep. If you're tired, you have problems focusing on remembering important items.

• 17

  Pay attention to important information, so you remember it later. People who are distracted easily are more forgetful.

• 18

  Lower your stress level. Stress produces cortisol, the stress hormone, which causes concentration problems. Concentration is essential for memory.

• 19

  Repeat important items over and over. Repeating such things as phone numbers or names several times makes them stick in your head. This works well for remembering small things.