Saturday, 05 December 2009

• The Best Way to Keep Your Memory in Shape

  
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  Memory is an integral part of life. Recalling the detail of particular event and bring them to the current awareness clear and sharp.  There are many people who feel that they easily forget thins or lack enough concentration to remember things, such as what's the date today? most people look at their newspaper or watch.

  To improve ability memory requires slightly more effort. Memory, like other powers, must be cultivated  and practiced. There are simple ways, which you can follow to keep your memory in shape:

  1. Healthy Food: Eating foods rich in essential fatty acids can improve brain function considerably, including memory and concentration. Foods such as such as salmon, herring, tuna, halibut, and mackerel; walnuts and walnut oil; flaxseed and flaxseed oil  are all rich in various fatty acids. Also, eating foods rich in vitamin B, especially B6, B12, and folic acid, protects neurons by breaking down homocysteine, an amino acid that is toxic to nerve cells. They’re also involved in making red blood cells, which carry oxygen. Some of the best food include spinach and other dark leafy greens, broccoli, asparagus, strawberries, melons, black beans and other legumes, citrus fruits, soybeans. Foods rich in antioxidants that can help and benefit the nervous system. The best are vitamin C, berries, sweet potatoes, red tomatoes, spinach, broccoli, green tea, nuts and seeds, citrus fruits, liver. Cut down on sugar and refined carbohydrates such as white flour. sugar and refined carbohydrates can cause lowered brain funcion, trouble remembering things, and lowered concentration. 

  2. Physical Exercise: Any physical exercise that stimulates better blood circulation can be beneficial for memory improvement. Physical activity can improve the flow of oxygen through the body and brain. It is enough to exercise for 20 minutes everyday in simple forms of exercise such as walking, cycling, swimming and dancing.

  3. Stop smoking: Smoking increases your risk for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.Smoking heightens the risk of vascular disorders that can cause stroke and constrict arteries that deliver oxygen to the brain

  4.  Drink in moderation: Moderate alcohol consumption can improve memory and cognition. Though more research needs to be done, some studies have found that moderate drinkers do better on certain tests of memory and cognition than non drinkers and heavy drinkers.  Too much drinking will have a negative effect on the cells of the brain related to memory. Studies have found that Drinking a glass of wine a day (but not more) has been correlated with a reduced risk of dementia.

  5. Reduce stress: The studies have found that chronic over-secretion of the common stress hormones can cause a decline in brain function, especially memory. Stress causes an increase of cortisol levels in the bloodstream.This hormone can interfere with newrutransmitter funtion, causing memory problems and reduced concentration.

  6. Exercise your mind with games: This gives you the double impact of improving your memory and having something to do during boring moments. They more help your memory stay in shape. Backgammon, chess, puzzles and many other board games, offer you entertainment and also help you improve memory.

  7. Good sleep habits: Getting a good night’s sleep is absolutely necessary to get through the work day while having a clear mind and having focus. Sleep disorders like insomnia and sleep apnea leave you tired and unable to concentrate during the day. Research has shown that it takes at least 6 hours of sleep for the memory to function at its maximum potential.

  8. Pay attention and focus: Attention is one of the major components of memory. Sometimes we can't remember things because we don't pay attention on what we were doing. Minimize distractions such as music, television or cell phones to focus fully.

  9. Visualization and Association: One of the best ways to improve working memory is visualizing the information. You can use visualization to remember an entire list of things if you associate the images together.  Creating a virtual image of each in the list helps people to recall faster. By doing such associations, people can actually improve their memory. In addition, they may realize connections between the items of the list. When this is done, people are able to remember the order of the elements.

  10. Never stop learning: Most people are visual learners; they learn best by reading or otherwise seeing what it is they have to know. But some are auditory learners who learn better by listening. They might benefit by recording information they need and listening to it until they remember it. Learning following lectures, programs, information on television and the Internet, are sources of continuous education for your brain with beneficial results to your memory.

   

  Do you take the time to work on your memory? Is your memory getting worse with age and lifestyle?

  Post contributed from www.chicnhealth.com

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