How to Increase Your Memory

by Alden Smith

We all know that as we grow older, our memory functions decrease. Part of the aging process, people become unable to remember figures, phone numbers, and people's names. Although this is inevitable, scientists agree – you can increase your memory through different techniques. Many of these techniques are simple to implement, and require nothing more than a bit of focus and concentration. In this article, we will discuss how to increase your memory – a bit about the brain, common methods used, and things that work for everyone, regardless of age.

About The Brain

The brain, like the heart, is an electrochemical organ. Doctors and scientists can easily trace the patterns of brainwaves because of this effect. Although the functions of the brain are beyond the scope of this article, a brief explanation of brainwaves is in order. The brain functions on these levels:

Alpha waves – when you are relaxed, your brain is in alpha mode. Watching television is a good example of brain activity in alpha.
Beta waves are present when a person is in a state of arousal, such as deep in conversation, or actively engaged in mental activities.
Theta waves are active when a person day dreams, or engaged in a monotonous task, such as driving on the freeway for long periods of time.
The delta wave is present when you are in deep dreamless sleep.

Each of these brain wave conditions evokes different responses in an individual. Understanding them helps you learn about increasing memory.

Theory

First of all, scientists say you must have great interest in what you wish to remember. The brain will prioritize by meaning, relevance and priority, meaning that the subject needs to be of interest for you to remember it. The content should add relevance to your life, and you must be able to understand what you are trying to remember.

Because the brain just isn’t designed for textbook memory such as professional knowledge or academic ideas, it has a weak retrieval system. Finding ways to make information relevant is the challenge we face. In order to learn and remember, we must pay strict attention to what we are studying, and have the proper attitude that we will get it right the very first time. Attitude is especially important, because if we approach the subject without prioritization and interest, the subject matter will be stored in short term memory, and later will be declassified by the brain as not important enough to remember.

Techniques From The Experts

Memory is almost always linked to association. If you see the word “apple” you immediately associate it with something round, red with white interior, and juicy. You don’t associate “apple” with “automobile”. It works the same with the alphabet. We learn it at a very early age, and if asked what letter “E” ranks in the alphabet, we think “A, B, C, D, E”. E=5. This is number by association.

So how do we utilize this? Here is a trick I learned ion the service. I visualize a large clock on the wall when I go to bed. This clock displays the time I wish to get up. I focus on it for a minute, and then go to sleep. I will wake within a minute or two of the correct time. There are other ways to do this picture game. Let’s say you have a flight at 2 PM. To remember that, think of a large airplane with a number 2 painted on the side. Planes have two wings. See the association?

Get Creative

Sometimes, making associations is not easy. We all learned in school that “i before e except after c, or when sounded like a as in neighbor and weigh.” We learned “all good boys do fine” to remember the notes of the scale. Sometimes, though, it can be difficult to make a proper association. Experts say be creative, but be very silly. Here’s an example. My daughter in law’s name is Sara Lee. Every time I buy a loaf of Sara Lee bread, I am reminded of her. Not only does it make remembering fun, but it is good exercise for the brain to make up silly associations.

Numbers And Things

Experts say to break a long string of numbers into groups of three. Look at your driver’s license, or a credit card. These long numbers are broken up into groups to aid memory. Remember, too, that we do not visualize numbers, so setting up an association involving consonants is a helpful aid.

We do not have bad memories. What we have is stress, distraction, and the wrong tools to learn to aid our memories. Try these tricks today,