10 Effective Ways to Improve Memory and Concentration

Have you ever heard that the average human only uses about 3% of the actual brain ability? That the human brain also turns out to be far more powerful than a computer that can store billions of data. The human brain has been designed to have the ability to adapt and continue to change even though it is old. This ability is called neuroplasticity.

With the right stimulation, the brain can form new neuron networks and react with fantastic changes to remember and concentrate. Of course, the brain's ability to remember and increase concentration needs to be trained with the following:

1. Exercise regularly

Even though exercising is the physical part, the brain also increases its ability. When humans exercise, the brain will work at its maximum capacity, triggering the multiplication of nerve cells which will then strengthen the bonds between brain cells and guard it against damage.

2. Pay attention to food intake

To improve the memory of the brain, of course, your brain needs to be given good nutrition to maintain memory. Actually, it is quite simple to maintain food intake for the brain, by consuming more vegetables and reducing foods that contain lots of sugar.

Some other additives that are very good for brain development are omega-3 and MCT (medium-chain triglycerides). Omega-3 is very easy to get from salmon, fish oil, soybeans, spinach, and seafood. Meanwhile, MCT is a substance that is very high in coconut oil.

3. Keep Learning New Things

The brain must continue to work so that the cells in it remain connected to each other. One way to strengthen memory and concentration is to learn various new things. Learning new things that require cognitive abilities such as sewing or knitting according to a study is quite successful in maintaining memory for the elderly.

The key is only one, which is to look for activities that are preferred and stimulate the brain. Various choices can be made such as reading books, learning musical instruments, assembling puzzles, gardening, or making crafts.

4. Avoid Multitasking

Multitasking is indeed needed in everyday work, especially for housewives who are always busy at home every day. However, it turns out that too often completing work in multitasking can have a negative impact on memory.

Several studies have shown that every human needs an average of about 8 seconds to store memory in the brain. So when, for example, someone calls while transporting groceries and puts the key down, chances are you will be out of focus and a few minutes later you can't remember one of them.

Conversely, people who focus on completing a job will have better memories. Therefore, complete one job before you start working on another.

5. Train the Concept of Mnemonics

The mnemonic concept is also known as the donkey bridge. You may have been taught to more easily remember something by making this donkey bridge.

Mnemonics can be done in various ways, including:

• make acronyms or abbreviations

• visualize an object to remember things to do

• cutting information so it's easier to remember, like when trying to remember a telephone number.

6. Get enough sleep at night

A study conducted at Harvard University proves that humans will have a brain that is stronger in memory if they get enough sleep at night. Getting enough sleep can also increase your ability for things that are more challenging.

Adequate sleep also applies to toddler brain development. Toddlers who are accustomed to naps are proven to have better cognitive abilities as adults later.

7. Do Brain Games

Another way to improve memory is to do brain games, which can make the brain think a little so that it remains connected to the cells in it. If someone doesn't or rarely sharpens the brain's ability, the cells in the brain begin to degenerate and become easily forgotten.

Playing brain games, for example, is playing chess that requires focus to think about a few steps forward. Now there are also many websites that provide free brain games.

Try routinely training the brain by playing brain games for at least 20 minutes a day. If you don't really like brain games, you can learn foreign languages ​​or develop new hobbies and abilities.

8. Memory Repetition

Even a good memorizer needs time to repeat the memorization so that it is more perfect. Repetition or repetition is a way that feels necessary if you want to increase the brain's ability to remember something.

After learning something, give a pause for a few moments, then do a review of what you have learned. This will make the brain trained to open memories of the past so that it is not easy to forget important things.

Memory repetition can be done with the help of noting important things in a notebook, repeating the name of someone who has just been known repeatedly and repeating the sentence someone said to you.

9. Organized Life

Often forgetting an event, birthday, or appointment with a colleague? Start to live more organized to reduce senility due to carelessness yourself. Have a daily agenda or install many organizer applications for free to share for use on your smartphone.

Having a daily agenda will make a person more focused and improve memory. If you have an agenda, try to bring wherever the agenda is so that when there are things that need to be noted, you are ready and don't forget to record it.

10. Visualize

For people who don't have a photographic memory, remembering people's names and faces can be difficult. Sometimes people only recognize other people's faces without being able to remember their names. At other times, there are people who are only able to remember names and do not imagine their faces.

For this problem, it's a good idea to do visualization for a better memory of others. Visualization can be done for example by taking a photo together when meeting, and storing it on the cellphone as a contact photo so that when contacted later, you already recognize the person's name and face.

Visualization can also be done by likening someone's name to something else. Suppose for a person named Alissa, visualize in your mind that Alissa has beautiful eyebrows, so when you meet again, you can immediately focus on her eyebrows and remember her name correctly.

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