Everyday Care & Nutrition

7 SHARP TIPS FOR IMPROVING YOUR MEMORY (THAT YOU WON’T FORGET!)

Older man reading a newspaper while an older woman reads over his shoulder

Every time we leave our keys in the wrong place or walk into another room without a clue why, we can’t help but wonder what’s happening to our memory. Everyone can be subject to memory lapses. In fact, it’s perfectly normal! If you want to improve your memory, however, you can.

Our brains can get exercise just like any other muscle, so here are a few tips that’ll have you feeling more like an elephant and less like a goldfish. 

1) Learn to Solve a Rubik’s Cube

close up of hands solving a rubik's cube

A Rubik’s Cube is a classic toy that’s regularly used to illustrate intelligence. You have to be really smart to solve one, right? It’s actually a bunch of really simple steps, based on the current pattern of the squares — which are usually included in a little manual in the toy’s packaging. Once you memorize them, it’s a matter of quickly identifying patterns and responding to them.

Your brain will thank you, and your friends will be impressed. Tip #1 – the color of the square in the middle is the color that whole face is supposed to be!


2) Take a New Route Home  

Woman in blue driving a car and looking around

Try this the next time you drive home — Instead of spending miles and miles on a long, straight highway get off a few exits early and try to keep an eye on the general direction you’re meant to be going until you get home.

Before you know it, you’ll be saying “I remember that corner!” to yourself again and again, and you’ll be forming a better picture of your town in your head, improving your memory in the process. Be careful, though — this isn’t an exercise you’ll want to do if you’re in a hurry.  


 3) Take an Improv Class

blond woman apparently singing at an improv revue

It can often be difficult to use your memory to react quickly to things, but that might honestly be the best thing that improv can teach you. In a “scene” with your partner in improv, you’ll use the tools your partner gives you, and you have to give them tools in return. You’ll have to draw from real-world experiences to get everything where it’s supposed to go.

You’ll build a world together, but you’ll have to be very careful about where your body is in the space you’ve created. If everything clicks well, improvised scenes will really sharpen the spatial awareness and reaction times from your memory. 


4) Get a Good Night’s Rest

bald man sleeping in a comfy bed

It can be so hard to remember anything if you’re particularly tired, but why is that? Turns out, it’s a two-pronged problem.

When you don’t get enough sleep before a task, it’s hard to focus, and anything you’re trying to learn or remember won’t latch on inside your brain. And if you don’t get enough sleep afterwards, it won’t be easy to recall the memory later. That’s why if your choices the night before a test are either cramming or getting some rest, you’re better off hitting the sack than the books.  


5) Use Different Fonts

metal letters from a printing pressed arranged artistically

If you’re making out a list of chores for the kids, here’s a weird tip to get them to remember – write it in the funkiest-looking letters you can! The whole list might blur together if you just write things out with your standard handwriting but mixing block letters and cursive might jar their memories enough to get them to put their clothes away.

In a 2010 study [1] by researchers from Princeton and Indiana Universities, students who studied classroom material in bizarre fonts performed better on their tests than students using a normal font.  


6) Take an Exercise Break

woman dressed in yellow tshirt stretching her arm

There is so much evidence that our minds and our bodies are so much more intertwined than we’ll ever know. That’s why studies show that moderate exercise {2} really impacts our mind’s ability to recall and remember things.

For example, if you’re trying to get more comfortable learning lines for a speech, try taking a break and going for a run or a bike ride every once and a while. The stimulation of your body and brain may make it easier to retain what you are studying.   


7) Try Some Turmeric

black woman in pink shirt smiling, she is about to take a pill with water

Though it’s long been used in teas and other tonics, turmeric has largely enjoyed mostly anecdotal benefits until the past few decades. Now, thanks to a study {3} by scientists at UCLA, we have a better idea about turmeric’s effect on memory. Participants who took turmeric curcumin twice daily showed significant cognitive and memory.

Ready to get started with improving your memory a little each day? Everyday Care & Nutrition can help. Our Turmeric Curcumin supplements are there to give you the brain boost you need!  


References 

[1] https://www.princeton.edu/news/2010/10/28/font-focus-making-ideas-harder-read-may-make-them-easier-retain
[2] https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/regular-exercise-changes-brain-improve-memory-thinking-skills-201404097110
[3] https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/curcumin-improves-memory-and-mood-new-ucla-study-says

Posted in Tips