Short Term Memory : Ways To Improve Your Memory

Article by Mike Myers

Memory improvement is not as hard as it may seem. Many people think of the human memory as something of a still and unchanging nature. This is not the case however as memory improvement can occur in the same way that an improvement in a skill or hobby can. What is required is the simple day to day practice of well-known and effective techniques to enhance your memory.

Types of memory are two, long-term memory and short-term memory. Long-term memory is for any kind of event [be it a future one or a past one] that does not require you to remember it instantly. An example is scheduling an appointment for an event due to take place in a week or a memorable event that occured long ago. Both examples are stored in your long-term memory. Whereas, short-term memory is the type of memory used by our brains for the purpose of storing smaller amounts of information we require the recall of instantly for example, the name of an individual you meet for the first time.

According to performed research, the capacity of short-term memory equals around seven bits of information. Anything greater than the stated amount is left out.

So how do you improve your memory? Let us find out below.

While it may be a very well known fact, it is in the brain that memory is formed. This means that any kind of happening that affects the health of your brain in a positive way, might also affect your memory positively. Engaging in playing sports or fresh activities that stimulate your brain such as crossword puzzles or cryptograms are some of the very popular techniques known to help keep your brain in good health.

Keep in mind that when your body is healthy, your brain is too. Avoiding stress and eating in a healthy way, not only helps you focus better on new information your brain consumes, but also impacts positively on your body. It is also very important to sleep well continuously. The consumption of herbal extracts and vitamins differ result-wise from the consumption of omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins which of course are consumed naturally through our daily food.

The process of memory improvement

So would you like to improve your memory? To do so, it is required that you pay attention in every task you undertake and on the information you plan to encode in your brain in a stronger way. The following stated tips aim to help you achieve exactly that.

-Learn in the form that suits you best. One may get stuck in the thought that there is one way only to memorize things. This is not true as every person has their own way of learning new things. You can simply stick to the way you find most suitable even if the way is not common to other people. For example there are those who might prefer to record the information they are trying to learn and return later to note down what they’ll have heard when they find it convenient for them to do so. While others might prefer to note things as they learn them immediately.

-The use of mnemonic devices. Many types of mnemonic devices can be found but they all have one thing in common and that is the fact that they aid us in remembering informations of a more complicated nature through rhymes, images, songs and acronyms. Given is the example of medical school students who convert body bone-memorization or other symptoms into sentences, which the first letter of every word represents a specific symptom or bone.

-Organize your information. The organization of information is a process that is very liked by our brains. The reason schools recommend the ‘outline’ method as a method of study and why chapters are contained in books is for the purpose of remaining organized. When you organize carefully what you have to remember, you engage in facilitating the process of information encoding for your brain.

-Relate new information to older information. In the process of learning, people miss creating associations as a result of forgetfulness and only remember at a later date. According to some carried-out research, your memory can get strengthened as a result of those associations being created at an early stage, I.E when the information first gets taken in. For example, thinking about how things are related can enhance your memory for all of them. Try connecting experiences and both existing and new information in your mind.

-The importance of repitition. You might notice in some people you know that they always tend to repeat information several times over. This is because reptition [what has been classified as “over-learning” by psychologists] seems to work for a lot of people. Not jamming things can help though. You can try instead to create a gap between times in which you repeat the information you need to remember.

-Use all your senses. When in need of encoding memory, it is advisable that you involve more of your senses as such involvement is known to further strengthen your memory. If ever you become in need of remembering the name of a new person you meet, then involving eye-contact, a hand-shake and repeating their name out loud when you are socialising with them results in you having used four out of five of your senses.

-The importance of focusing. The process of multi-tasking can sometimes get people stuck which can lead to their failure in focusing on what is very well known to have the ability to improve their memory almost every single time and that is, to pay attention to what one is doing the moment they do it. It is highly important to pay attention to the current task because the brain is in need of a specific amount of time to take in information properly. Whatever never gets into your memory, cannot get recalled later. When you need to memorize anything, it is strongly suggested that you stop multi-tasking.

Sometimes aging can mean a decline in memory performance. Things dont have to end up this way however. You can maintain a healthy memory regardless of your age and also enhance it further at any time. Visit my page for more ways and information on how you can improve your memory.

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