5 Ridiculously Easy Ways to Improve Memory

June 21, 2014

By Mariam Jehangir

Viewing this on a mobile device? Scroll down to read the reasons why these things help your memory!

Monday morning haziness, mid-week brain drain, Friday frazzle. We all experience that scatterbrained feeling when we just can’t seem to think straight or make simple mistakes that usually don’t happen. Most of us have learned to live with that as a way of life but when it starts to negatively affect your memory, that’s when things become really problematic. From missing appointments, to forgetting to pack an essential item for a business meeting and more, poor memory can wreck havoc on anyone’s day.

That’s when you need to start thinking about doing something about the problem. Fortunately, there are a few simple things you can start with that can you you remember things much better. And none of them involve sticky notes!

Susan Hall from Health.com offers the latest on how to keep your noggin in tip-top shape. From including certain fruits in your diet to hitting the hay sooner and more, these are simple things you can start incorporating in your life today and reap major benefits. How do we know it works? Aside from the scientific studies and research backing these claims, we have taken these tips to heart and have been practicing them ourselves — and let’s just say, we haven’t “misplaced” our car keys or forgotten an important date recently!

So what are you waiting for? Check out these 5 easy tips below and never forget another moment.

1. Sleep more
Getting at least six hours of sleep every night will help retaining information much better, suggests a study in the Journal of Learning and Memory. Researchers think sleep improves memory by consolidating and organizing information in your brain so that it comes back correctly. So turn off the TV and get your Zzz’s on.

2. Look up some Italian recipes
Research suggests people who have a consistent Mediterranean diet have a 36% less likelihood of suffering from the damage linked with thinking impairment and memory loss associated with aging. So cook some fish and veggies, drizzle on some olive oil and enjoy a cup of wine for dinner tonight.

3. Munch on some blueberries
A study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry looked into the antioxidant-rich fruit and found that the high supply of anthocyanins can encourage the neuron communication in the brain, which in turn can help prevent memory loss.

4. Play brain games
Numerous neuroscience studies confirm what your mom always told you: Exercising your word skills helps to keep it all together and prevents memory loss. Whether you’re playing online brain training games or reading a new book, just keep your mind working.

5. Just relax!
A study from the University of Rochester suggests a busy, anxiety-inducing lifestyle makes it nearly impossible for your brain to take in new information. In order to help you relax, try regular deep breathing for a while, or take a stroll in the park during your lunch break to help ease your mind.

http://firsttoknow.com/nurture-your-noggin-5-simple-ways-to-improve-memory/

Laughing Makes Your Brain Work Better, New Study Finds

By SARAH FIGALORA

Ever have trouble remembering where you just left your keys? Just laugh it off. New research suggests that humor can improve short-term memory in older adults.

In a recent small study conducted at Loma Linda University in Southern California, 20 normal, healthy, older adults watched a funny video distraction-free for 20 minutes, while a control group sat calmly with no video. Afterwards, they performed memory tests and had saliva samples analyzed for stress hormones.

You guessed it; those who got to laugh the 20 minutes away with the funny video scored better on short-term memory tests, researchers said. And salivary levels of the stress hormone cortisol -- a memory enemy of sorts -- were significantly decreased in the humor group.

"Learning ability and delayed recall become more challenging as we age," said study author Dr. Gurinder S. Bains, a Ph.D. candidate in Rehabilitation Sciences. "Laughing with friends or even watching 20 minutes of humor on TV, as I do daily, helps me cope with my daily stressors."

The less stress you have, researchers said, the better your memory. It works like this: humor reduces stress hormones, lowers your blood pressure, and increases your mood state, according to Dr. Lee Berk, a co-author of the study and associate professor of Allied Heath.

The act of laughter -- or simply enjoying some humor -- increases endorphins, sending dopamine to the brain to provide a sense of pleasure and reward, Berk said.

That, in turn, makes the immune system work better and changes brain wave activity towards what's called a "gamma frequency," amping up memory and recall.

Want to lower your stress levels?

"Begin by laughing more daily," Bains said. "It will improve your quality of life."

So, maybe you don't have to feel bad about all that time you spend watching funny videos at work?

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/laughing-makes-brain-work-study-finds/story?id=23393053