How to Improve Memory: 7 Ways to Increase Brain Power
Have a regular sleep cadence
Photo by Luciano Zanollo on Unsplash
Ever walked into a room and instantly forgot why you’re there? And that important thing you had to remember — the meeting, the anniversary, the milk on the grocery list — vanished like a ghost?
Yup, happens to the best of us. It’s like your brain decided to play hooky. Frustrating, isn’t it? Feels like catching smoke with bare hands.
But what if we could turn that smoke into something tangible? Beef up your brain a bit, flex those memory muscles?
No hocus pocus, just doable, science-backed stuff. Stick around, we’re about to dive into seven strategies to crank up your memory and juice up your brain power.
Ready to put forgetfulness on the ropes? Let’s roll!
1. Nourish Your Mind
Imagine eating your way to a sharper mind. Science shows there’s a clear relationship between a healthy diet and a healthy mind. So, try introducing some of these foods into your diet.
Eat more of these foods
Foods with refined carbs, saturated fats, and added sugar may harm memory. But there’s a handful of foods that are perfect to help enhance your memory.
Fruits are rich in flavonoids and antioxidants. Flavonoids help delay aging and improve memory. Berries, in particular, can slow memory decline.
Walnuts have omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants. This helps to combat stress and inflammation that contribute to brain aging.
Green tea contains caffeine and antioxidants, which may protect the brain from neurodegenerative diseases.
Vegetables, like spinach and broccoli, are high in flavonoids, antioxidants, and vitamin K. Vitamin K helps to support brain health and reduce cognitive decline.
Whole grains are a great source of vitamin E and complex carbohydrates. The complex carbohydrates provide a steady stream of energy, boosting concentration and memory.
Fish & fish oil supplements have omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids play a huge role in retaining your cognitive abilities as you get older.
Photo by Jacopo Maia on Unsplash
Drink more water
It’s important to stay hydrated because your body and your brain depend on having water. Water makes up 60% part of your body, with a large part of it going toward your brain.
Dehydration can have a negative impact on your short-term memory. In fact, mild-to-moderate levels of dehydration can impair short-term memory.
Drink more caffeine
Caffeine has the distinct benefit of improving memory. It does this by boosting your energy at non-optimal times of the day, like the morning. Evidence suggests caffeine aids in memory consolidation.
The effect may vary from person to person, so be aware of your reaction. Too much caffeine can lead to anxiety and sleep disturbances, harming your memory. Some people may have a lower tolerance for caffeine, so drinking more of it might not be a good idea.
Drink less alcohol
While alcohol may be okay in moderation, excessive drinking can harm your memory. A normal serving for a woman would be one drink, and for a man it’s two drinks.
Drinking too much alcohol shrinks your hippocampus and interferes with your sleep. During sleep, your hippocampus converts short-term memory to long-term. The excess alcohol impairs the hippocampus from working properly. It also inhibits the function of your neurons, which can affect your energy levels.
2. Move Your Body
Diet may be a huge part of health and memory, but exercise goes with it hand in hand. Exercise is good for your entire body, including your brain. It not only boosts your lung and heart health, but it also boosts your memory.
Regular exercise plays a significant role in maintaining and enhancing cognitive function, memory, and overall brain health. Your heart will pump faster and get more oxygen to your brain.
Moderate exercise for short periods has been shown to improve cognitive function. Try incorporating 150 minutes of mild to moderate exercise each week. You can do things like:
Walk
Bike
Swim
Yoga
Dance
Regular movement will have you asleep in a second.
Photo by Aleksandar Cvetanovic on Unsplash
3. Catch Some Zzz’s
While you’re at it, make sure you’re getting the rest you need. When you sleep, your brain converts short-term memory to long-term. A lack of sleep can cause poor memory.
The average adult requires 7–9 hours of sleep each night, and experts recommend 7–8 hours of sleep. Sleep is paramount to your health. Not only does it allow your body time to process and regenerate, your brain takes the time to solidify neurons and memory.
Lack of proper sleep can take a huge toll on your health. You’re way more likely to remember things when you’re well-rested. To get more rest, try following some of the tips below.
Have a regular sleep cadence
Your sleep and wake times are dependent on your circadian rhythm. Your circadian rhythm is how your body naturally works and cues itself.
When you establish a routine, your body will adjust. Try to wake up and go to bed at the same time every day, and try to avoid napping for too long.
The occasional nap is fine, but naps that are too long may interfere with your regular sleep schedule.
Meditate before bed
Meditation is a simple practice you can do at any point during the day, even a few minutes before bed. You don’t have to do anything fancy.
Take a moment to breathe deeply and fully. You can sit or lie down, and you can use an app or do a self-guided meditation.
Meditation is proven to help you fall asleep 2x as fast, enhance rapid eye movement (REM) states, and preserve deep sleep.
Practice meditating for ten minutes a day and watch how it improves your health and memory.
Decrease screen time
Your use of electronics may disrupt your sleep. Bright screens stimulate the parts of your brain that keep you awake.
Using electronics too close to bedtime interrupts melatonin, your body’s sleep hormone. The use of screens stimulates your brain and makes it hard to wind down.
Experts suggest avoiding electronic devices an hour or two before you go to sleep. It could help if you put your phone and electronics in another room.
4. Cultivate New Skills
Memory is a muscle. To grow your muscle, you have to use it. Growing muscle means you need repeated practice. So, anytime you learn and practice something new, you’re working your memory.
If you’re learning a new skill, you have to retrieve the information in your brain, strengthening your neural pathways.
Try learning something new, like learning:
A language
An instrument
To dance
Coding
Another skill
Any of the above gives you the chance to practice retention and retrieval. The more you do it, the better you’ll be.
5. Talk With Friends
Human beings are inherently social creatures. When you go without human connection, it takes a toll on you. Socializing can stimulate your mind, keeping it sharp and focused.
When you talk to other people, it stimulates your brain. Conversations mean you have to recall information like names, facts, and details from previous conversations.
It’s an excuse to hang out with your friends and favorite humans. Spend ten minutes talking to a friend and improve your memory.
Photo by Aline Kircchinbauer on Unsplash
6. Decrease Your Stress
Your body releases cortisol when it’s stressed. Cortisol is a hormone that reduces and strains your memory, igniting the “fight or flight” response.
So, it would be helpful to find ways to reduce your cortisol levels and stress. Stress can be good in short bursts, but chronic stress damages your hippocampus.
If you need help managing stress, here are a few ways to get started.
Laugh more
Laughter is known to boost mood and cognitive function. When you laugh, you decrease your cortisol and improve your short-term memory
Take breaks
You can’t push your body to work full-time, unless you’re looking to burnout. Take regular breaks to rest and relax.
Manage your time
Effective time management, such as setting priorities, breaking projects into smaller parts, and avoiding procrastination, can help reduce stress.
7. Use Memory Boosting Techniques
On top of taking care of your health for better memory, you can use a host of techniques to make remembering things easier.
Here are some techniques that help you remember better.
Mnemonic devices
Menomics are devices that allow you to learn and remember larger pieces of information. These devices are creative ways of engaging your brain.
You can use spelling, features, rhyming, or anything to create a mnemonic if it helps you remember.
Chunking
Chunking, also known as grouping, allows you to break down large pieces of information into smaller ones. If you were trying to memorize a long string of numbers, it would be easier to remember in short chunks.
Take a phone number, for example, 10 digits long. 10 digits can be a lot to remember. But if you break it up into the area code, the first three numbers, then the last four, it becomes way easier to remember.
Write it down
Writing it down by hand can be a powerful way to remember. Your brain remembers things you write down on paper due to the active process of writing.
You’re more intentional and thoughtful when you write on paper. Pair this with repetition by writing it out a few times, and you’ll be golden.
Say it out loud
Reading or hearing something isn’t as memorable as saying it out loud. This is because the act of speaking involves more cognitive processing.
You process the information twice because you think it first and then say it, enhancing your memory.
Create a mind palace of senses
One of the best ways to remember something is to use all five of your senses. The more complex a memory is, the more likely you will remember it.
For instance, you can tie things you want to remember to your house or a regular driving route. Imagine what you want to remember and place them in a location in your house.
Reigniting Your Memory Power
We all grapple with forgetfulness — lost keys, forgotten names, elusive to-do lists. But remember, you’ve already embarked on your memory-boosting journey, and that’s half the battle won.
You’ve learned about smart food choices, regular movement, good sleep, new skills, socializing, and stress management.
This isn’t about overnight transformations but gradual, impactful change. So implement these tools, let your brain shine, and step into a future of fewer ‘oops’ and more ‘aha’ moments.
Take a bow, get set, and let forgetfulness be history. Here’s to a mental prowess that’ll leave the world in awe!
Ready to level yourself up and become the best version of yourself? Download my free journaling guide now.
Maggie Kelly is a freelance writer who writes about mental health, self-help, and psychology. Contact at maggiepkelly@gmail.com
