Forgetting Something? 7 Tips to Improve Your Memory

Your memory is like a muscle. With proper nutrition, a bit of mindfulness and regular brain exercises, your memory will be in tip-top shape.

Keep busy

Keeping your brain active with new challenges is an essential part of improving your memory and concentration. Learn a new language, play cards with friends, do brain training games online, or puzzle out a Sudoku or crossword. Keep your powers of logic and reasoning in peak form by exercising them (and your body!) daily.

Fontastic work

If you’ve got a test or presentation coming up and you need to prepare, you can make your work more memorable with the click of a button. Try changing the font of your text from something clear to something a bit quirky like a cursive script. The new font will be harder to read so your brain has to work to make sense of the text, and so can commit it to memory more firmly.

The Name Game

Hands up if you’re hopeless at remembering names of people you’ve just met! It can happen to all of us, but keeping your mind on the task of the introduction can assist in retaining this information. Repetition is the key here. Say Hi [name], straight back to them, and offer your hand to shake at the same time. This combination of repetition and using the sense of touch can work wonders for memory.

A Natural Boost

Ayurvedic medicine uses natural ingredients like Ginkgo biloba and Ginseng to improve blood circulation, which in turn can boost brain power, memory and concentration. A daily supplement like Fontanella’s Memory Boost is an easy lifestyle change to support healthy brain function.  https://fontanella.com.au/memoryboost.

Have a nap

Researchers* believe that when we sleep, our brain’s hippocampus is busy making sense of all we have just experienced, and these memories are transferred to the neocortex for longer storage. Increasing our overall sleep each night, or even having a power nap, allows more time for this important memory-making and transfer to occur.

Chew gum

When students prepare for big exams, they are often encouraged to chew gum. Why? According to Japanese researchers, activity in the hippocampus (see above) increases when we chew. One theory is that chewing increases the heart rate, which delivers more oxygen to the brain. So, if you’ve got a list of things you don’t want to forget, get chewing!

Keep focused

Sounds straight forward but one of the main reasons we forget things is that we’ve got too much going on at once. Improve your concentration – and memory – by eliminating distractions. If you’re trying to focus on a task or issue, keep your smartphone out of sight to avoid the temptation of a quick, distracting scroll through social media. One of the main reasons we forget things is that we have too much going on in our thoughts. Getting rid of distractions can improve our focus.

*Queensland Brain Institute https://qbi.uq.edu.au/brain-basics/memory/where-are-memories-stored

This content is of a general nature and does not take into consideration your unique circumstances. Consult your health care practitioner for more information.