If you happen to forget about various things – from the date of the Battle of Grunwald to the title of the movie you watched yesterday, you have no reason to worry. Short-term and long-term memory deteriorate with age, but there are ways to delay this process. All you need to do is spend some time each day on performing a few simple tricks, and over time they will become your habit.
- Chew gum People who chew gum are more focused and score significantly better on memory tests than people who don’t. This surprising fact was discovered by scientists in the UK in 2002. Although it is difficult to explain this phenomenon clearly, there is a possibility that this activity stimulates the center in the brain – the hippocampus, due to the increased secretion of insulin.
- Smell the rosemary – another slightly strange trick, the effectiveness of which has been proven on the basis of tests. People staying in the chamber filled with the smell of rosemary achieved significantly better results in memory tests than those who stayed in the room without the smell. More interestingly, people placed in a chamber filled with the scent of lavender performed the worst in the tests. This proved that the smell changes our cognitive abilities and affects the degree of mental activity – people staying in a lavender-scented room felt much more focused and active.
- Sleep as much as you need – in another study, it was shown that a long sleep after studying causes students to achieve significantly better results on tests. In the first phase of night sleep (when we are asleep, but not in the dream), the brain produces more theta waves. During this time, it processes, categorizes and combines the impressions and information gained throughout the day. Naps are also effective, especially when we are extremely tired during work or study – relaxation definitely improves memory.
- Do sport – Regular physical activity has many advantages. It not only affects the secretion of endorphins, i.e. happiness hormones, but also guarantees health and a slim figure. It turns out that exercise not only builds muscles, but also supports brain activity. Physical effort causes “mild stress”, which affects the increased production of growth factor in the region responsible for memory. It also increases blood flow to the brain, oxygen and nutrients.
- Use Google – that is, use internet search engines. When searching for various information on the web, the brain is extremely stimulated. Using, for example, Google exercises the gray cells, because you focus on finding the most relevant passwords and pages. Within a few days of intense focus on this activity, the parts of the brain responsible for making decisions will become active, which will improve your intellectual performance.
- Breathe deeply – that is, oxygenate the brain. Too shallow breathing means that you do not provide it with the right amount of oxygen, while too deep breathing makes it difficult to absorb it at the cellular level. The best way is to learn diaphragm breathing: slowly inhale through your nose so that it is your belly that fills up and moves (not your chest). Then exhale slowly.