Most of us can lose our train of thought midway through a sentence but lots of us just put it down to having a ‘senior moment’.
But absent-mindedness is not just about ‘senior moments’, says neuropsychologist Dr Joanna Iddon, co-author of Memory Boosters (Hamlyn Press, £6.99)
“In a recent study of healthy adults, the average number of memory slips, like putting the coffee jar in the fridge, was around six per week, irrespective of age, gender and intelligence,” says Dr Iddon.
“In fact, it was the younger, busier people that were the most absent-minded.
“Remembering is an active process and making the most of your memory involves paying better attention, planning and organising.
“Luckily, there are some tricks and strategies to help you banish those thingumabob moments.”
- What is the best supplement for memory?
There is no cast iron scientific proof that any supplements can help improve your memory, but there are some supplements that it has been suggested may have some potential to improve cognition.
Vitamin E may not decrease the risk of developing Alzheimer’s, but it may slow its progression. According to the NHS, if you take vitamin E supplements, don’t take too much as this could be harmful. Taking 540mg or less a day of vitamin E supplements is unlikely to cause any harm.
Studies have suggested that a higher intake of omega-3 fatty acid from foods such as cold-water fish, plant and nut oils, and English walnuts are strongly linked to a lower risk of Alzheimer’s. However, there are not enough studies currently available to say whether omega-3 supplements will give these benefits.
- What is the best vitamin for concentration and memory?
Take Vitamin B12 for memory (Image: Getty Images)
Vitamin B12 is thought to help you with memory and concentration by maintaining your myelin sheath, which is a substance that is essential for the proper functioning of the nervous system
Without vitamin B12, this breaks down, and it causes brain cells responsible for cognition to no longer function properly. Long-term vitamin B12 deficiency can cause memory loss and dementia.
- Associate the memory with your environment
So if, for example, a joke is learned in the presence of a particular smell, that same aroma may cue the memory for that joke.
“More simply, when in an exam, I advise my students to visualise the place in which they were revising as a cue to memory,” says Andrew Johnson, memory specialist and lecturer in psychology at Bournemouth University.
- Clench your fist
A surprising way to remember (Image: Digital Vision)
Research suggests that balling up your right hand and squeezing it tightly actually makes it easier to memorise phone numbers or shopping lists.
Later, when you want to retrieve the information, clench the left fist. Researchers think the movements activate brain regions key to the storing and recall of memories.
- Learn something before bed
“The best way to ‘consolidate a memory’ is to go through the information just before going to sleep,” explains Dr Johnson.
“This is because there are fewer ‘new’ interfering memories so you will remember it better the next day.”
- Aah! Look at cute kitten pictures
This little kitty can help you concentrate (Image: Ryan Poplin)
Looking at cute images of baby animals doesn’t just make you feel warm and fuzzy inside, it can also help the brain to concentrate.
Researchers at Hiroshima University in Japan split 132 students into three groups and gave each one tasks such as playing the game Operation – where body parts are removed without making contact with a livewire – or finding a number in a random sequence.
After one attempt, they spent several minutes looking at cute pictures of kittens or puppies and did it again.
Performance scores improved by an average of 44%.
- Drinking more milk can improve your mind
Dairy is good for the brain (Image: Moment RF)
Scientists asked 972 people to fill in detailed surveys on their diets and to complete eight rigorous tests to check their concentration, memory and learning abilities.
Adults who consumed dairy products at least five or six times a week did far better in memory tests compared with those who rarely ate or drank them.
URL Source :https://www.mirror.co.uk/lifestyle/health/improve-your-memory-fast-tips-1864549.amp