Health Tips For a Better Memory

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 be afraid to make written lists of what you need to do or to remember. When you keep a written list this will free up your brain to remember other things that are more important.

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.

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 are trying to learn and remember something important, say it out loud either to yourself or to other people. Making the effort to speak the words and hearing yourself say them will get more of your brain cells involved in forming the memory.

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.

Avoid using drugs and alcohol. These brain altering substances can interfere with your long term ability to think, learn, and remember.

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.

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, and difficult to remember what you need to remember.

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 www.royanereal.com