Want An Active Memory? Here’s The Ultimate Guide to Improve Your Memory

Have you ever felt suspicious of people who have extraordinary memories? Have you ever met someone who can acquire comprehensive knowledge with absolutely no effort, while most people can’t recall the name of the person they met seconds ago? If this is the case, don’t despair; there is still hope for everyone!

Like one can strengthen their muscles. Similarly, one can train their minds to remember and learn things faster. It is no longer necessary to be inherited with a perfect memory!

Whether studying for an examination, learning a new language, avoiding unexpected memory lapses, or simply staying mentally sharp, enhancing active memory is much easy than it appears.

All that takes is experimenting with new memorising strategies or making important changes to regular lifestyle habits. Here are some of the best techniques and tricks for improving students’ active memory in short and long term periods.

An Ultimate Guide for enhancing Active Memory: Best Techniques

On average, improving the overall health through quality sleep, regular physical activity, and better eating will benefit physical and mental well-being. These three are the most sensible things which can prevent memory problems and help in increasing active memory.

Take Sufficient Sleep

Here’s a quick approach to improving the memory: After learning something new, getting a full night’s sleep or taking a power nap can enhance the brain’s learning ability. One study discovered that students who slept for at least 8 hours after learning new concepts and theories were better able to memorise them than those who did not. Why is it so? Sleep appears to “reset” the brain, essential for learning and memory. 

When people don’t get enough sleep, their brain’s neurons become so over-connected with electrical stimulation that they can’t save new memories. As a result, this strengthens the argument for late-night cramming for an exam or staying up all night memorising the presentation. As a result, students are recommended to get enough sleep at night.

Get Involved in Physical Exercises

Like sleep is important for physical and mental well-being, exercise is also important for both an individual’s physical and mental health. 

The brains require oxygen to function adequately and to obtain that oxygen, people require a continuous stream of oxygenated rich blood to the brain. So guess what exercise increases the flow of oxygenated blood to the brain. According to research, aerobic exercises, such as jogging, have been related to increasing the active memory in students. Physical activity raises levels of a protein called cathepsin B, which rushes to the brain and stimulates neuron growth and new synapses in the hippocampus, a part of the brain known to be important for memory. 

Check on Diet Plan

A balanced diet may benefit the brain as it is the heart. Consume fruits and vegetables, as well as whole grains. Select low-fat protein sources like fish, legumes, and skinless fowl. What people drink is also important in retaining new memories. Aerated drinks can cause dizziness and memory lapses if consumed in excess. Similarly, saturated and trans fats (found in red meat and butter) have been related to cognitive deficits. High cholesterol food items (such as packed food items) can build up in the brain just as it might in the heart’s arteries causing unnecessary health issues.

Mnemonics can Assist in Memorising Better

The use of the most frequent mnemonics can improve recalling words or phrases. For instance, students might have learnt in elementary school that “My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas” was a good way to remember the order of the planets around the sun (where the first letter of each word represents for planets, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto, respectively). Students who learn and memorise using mnemonics are more likely to be involved in their studies. It is a fun learning tool that is useful and enjoyable for teenagers to utilise!

“Writing Notes is better than Typing Notes”

There are several grounds why handwritten notes are preferred over laptop notes when it comes to memory. To begin with, the act of writing activates cells at the base of the brain known as the reticular activating system (RAS). When the RAS is activated, the brain becomes more focused on what it is doing then. When students write by hand, their brain works more to construct each letter than when they type on a laptop’s keyboard, in which similar keys replicate each letter.

Furthermore, studies have shown that when students take notes on laptops, they prefer to copy lessons directly. When students take notes by hand, they reinterpret the content in their language, which is a more active type of learning.

Make use of Spaced Repetition

Do students know how they study for an exam or learn something new, such as important concepts from their textbooks, and then forget everything they learned? Why is it so? Students forget all those concepts in a fairly short period unless they actively work to keep them. That is the natural hyperbolic nature of forgetting that every student exhibits. 

If students want to memorise something for the long run, such as vocabulary in a foreign language or a particular information, spaced repetition is the most efficient technique to acquire that content. “A Spaced Repetition System (SRS) is a to-do list that varies based on the performance.” To overcome memory fading, employ a spaced repetition approach, either with actual flashcards or apps. This type of consistent habit can help students learn and memorise more quickly.

Discuss Your Learnings with Others

Lastly, as the adage goes, “the best way to understand and memorise something new is to teach it to somebody else”. 

As per studies, students organise their knowledge as they prepare to deliver. It enhances their comprehension and memory. And when they explain their knowledge to peers, groups, or friends, they uncover loops and holes in their understanding. 

Conclusion

The human brain is an amazing organ. Because the brain can store several memories at once, the mental storage capacity of a brain is estimated to be in the 2.5 petabytes (million GB) range, enough to record three hundred years of uninterrupted television shows. Because memorising information requires work, students should concentrate on the facts they need to memorise. According to studies, the techniques mentioned above will help students hold more of what they have learnt. Students must use at least three approaches listed above to observe effective outcomes in their active memorising abilities.

FAQs

Question: How does the brain memorise information?

Answer: For at least 2,000 years, scientists have been attempting to understand how human memory works, and they’re continuously making new findings. According to studies, a protein in the brain plays a critical role in memory creation. There’s still a lot to learn and discover. Memory processing is divided into three phases or steps: Encoding, Storage, and Recall.

Encoding

Encoding is the initial stage in forming a memory. It occurs when one sees an event or comes across information, and the brain actively perceives the sounds, visuals, physical sensations, or other sensory aspects involved.

Storage

All of these fragments of knowledge are then stored in various brain areas. The neurons (nerve cells in the brain) communicate by sending signals about what they saw by effectively “talking” to one another and forming temporary or long-term connections. Memory is formed through this brain activity and strengthens these connections.

Recall

Finally, the brain “replays” or recreates the neuronal pathways that form the memory to access the memory. Repeatedly recalling material strengthens those connections and the memories, which is why strategies like reviewing the notes or utilising flashcards aid in memory retention.

Question: Suggest some dietary food items to enhance active memory.

Answer: The following dietary suggestions will help enhance the brainpower and active memory among individuals:

Get omega-3 fatty acids: Studies reveal that omega-3 fatty acids are very important to brain function. Coldwater “fatty fish” such as salmon, tuna, and trout are particularly high in omega-3. Non-fish omega-3 sources include walnuts, flaxseed oil, ground flaxseed, kidney beans, pumpkin seeds, spinach, broccoli, and soybeans.

Limit saturated fat and calories: Studies reveal that meals high in saturated fat (from whole milk, red meat, cheese, butter, cream, and ice cream) increase the risk of memory loss and affect concentration and memory.

Consume more fruits and vegetables: These are high in antioxidants, which protect the brain cells from damage. Colourful vegetables and fruit are high in antioxidants and are considered “superfoods.”

Green tea includes polyphenols, potent antioxidants that protect brain cells from free radicals. Green tea can enhance mental alertness and memory and slow brain ageing, among other benefits.

Question: How does meditation help in boosting the learning abilities of the brain?

Answer: Meditation has been proven to aid in various diseases, including anxiety, depression, neuropathy, diabetes, and hypertension. Meditation can also help people increase their attention, concentration, creativity, memory, understanding, and reasoning abilities.

Meditation performs its “magic” by altering the brain itself. According to brain imaging, regular meditators had increased activity in the left prefrontal cortex, a part of the brain related to feelings of joy and peace. Meditation also thickens the cerebral cortex and promotes connections between brain cells, improving mental sharpness and recall ability.

Question: How to improve the learning and memorising skills?

Answer: Students must follow these simple techniques to improve their learning and memorising skills:

• It takes roughly eight seconds to concentrate and memorise a piece of information. If students are easily distracted, choose a quiet location where they will not be interrupted.
• While learning new topics or information, use as many senses as possible.
• Students must try to connect whatever they have learned to what they already know.
• Make memorisation easier by using mnemonic devices. 
• Students must focus on comprehending underlying ideas rather than memorising specific details when dealing with increasingly complex topics.
• Lastly, students must review what they’ve learned on the same day.

Question: How does laughter play a role in boosting the learning and memorising process?

Answer: Laughter is considered the best medicine for the brain, memory, and body. Apart from emotional responses, which are restricted to specific brain regions, laughter participates in multiple regions throughout the entire brain.

Additionally, hearing jokes and figuring up punch lines engage parts of the brain that are important for learning and creativity. Laughter appears to help people think more extensively and interact freely.

Here are a few suggestions for increasing the amount of laughter in life.

• Find fun in every activity. 
• Play with youngsters and try to be like them.
• Move toward the sound of laughter.
• Spend time with friends who are fun and playful.