Are you want to keep your memory sharp? (Learn with Pictures)
7 simple steps to keep your memory sharp at any age
No matter your age, there are times when memory lapses seem to get you down. Fortunately, there are ways to keep your mind sharp, which can also help improve your attitude. Keeping a sharp mind also enables you to figure situations out more effectively and make wiser decisions as you age. There are numerous ways to keep your mind sharp while keeping a positive attitude
1. Keep learning
A higher level of education is associated with better mental functioning in old age. Experts think that advanced education may help keep memory strong by getting a person into the habit of being mentally active. Challenging your brain with mental exercise is believed to activate processes that help maintain individual brain cells and stimulate communication among them. Many people have jobs that keep them mentally active, but pursuing a hobby, learning a new skill, or volunteering for a project at work that involves a skill you don't usually use can function the same way and help improve memory.
2. Use all your senses
The more senses you use in learning something, the more of your brain that will be involved in retaining the memory. In one study, adults were shown a series of emotionally neutral images, each presented along with a smell. They were not asked to remember what they saw. Later, they were shown a set of images, this time without odors, and asked to indicate which they'd seen before. They had excellent recall for all odor-paired pictures, and especially for those associated with pleasant smells. Brain imaging indicated that the piriform cortex, the main odor-processing region of the brain, became active when people saw objects originally paired with odors, even though the smells were no longer present and the subjects hadn't tried to remember them. So challenge all your senses as you venture into the unfamiliar.
3. Believe in yourself
Myths about aging can contribute to a failing memory. Middle-aged and older learners do worse on memory tasks when they're exposed to negative stereotypes about aging and memory, and better when the messages are positive about memory preservation into old age. People who believe that they are not in control of their memory function — joking about "senior moments" too often, perhaps — are less likely to work at maintaining or improving their memory skills and therefore are more likely to experience cognitive decline. If you believe you can improve and you translate that belief into practice, you have a better chance of keeping your mind sharp.
4. Use your mind instead of a calculator
Math helps strengthen reasoning and problem solving skills, and you can easily practice, especially simple things that you can easily total up in your head or on a piece of paper. Many people haven't done long division since grade school; give it a try sometime.
- When you are in the grocery store, try keeping a running total of the items in your cart. You don't have to add the exact amount; round each price up to the nearest dollar. When you get to the check-out you'll find out how close you were!
5. Flex your mental muscles
You can improve your mental ability in domains such as logic, problem solving, mental orientation and corrective thought process by working puzzles and doing difficult mental tasks. Challenging yourself mentally can help increase your rational thinking skills, giving you more confidence problem solving in a given situation.
- Try crossword puzzles. Older people who do crossword puzzles have better scores on a variety of cognitive tests than those who don't. Although researchers aren't sure if the puzzles cause better mental ability or if people with better mental ability just tend to do puzzles more because they can, it can't hurt to try!
- Try computer games. In one study out of Harvard, a game called NeuroRacer was found to improve elderly participants' ability to multitask, retain working memory, and maintain attention.
6. Exercise daily
Exercise has a whole host of benefits for your mental and physical health, including warding off depression and bolstering the immune system. But physical fitness also has been shown to increase mental sharpness as people age.
- Especially past the age of 40, daily exercise helps maintain acuity in the prefrontal cortex of the brain. In one study, elderly men who were aerobically fit were able to outperform men who were unfit in decision making tasks.
7. Get enough sleep
The fog of exhaustion will cloud your mental ability, but a well-rested mind is able to perform at its optimal ability.
- Our brains store daily memories while we sleep, so you need rest in order to remember even mundane details of daily life.
- You might even consider taking a short nap after learning something new or important, to help store it in your long-term memory.
