Life often confronts us with a situation where it is necessary to mobilize all the reserves of the brain. Preparing for an exam session, moving to a new job, having to learn new skills and memorizing a lot of faces and names - in these cases, a good memory will come in handy. Unfortunately, under stress, the brain experiences a colossal load and thinks worse. How to improve memory and brain function to overcome a difficult life situation?
Short-term brain improvement
In the event that you do any mental work - writing an essay, term paper or preparing for an oral exam - the brain gets tired of an unusually high load. The efficiency of his work is reduced, the perception, memorization and processing of information worsens. A number of simple tricks will help restore performance.
Breathing
It's no secret that metabolism primarily requires oxygen. Usually a person is engaged in mental work, sitting in a closed room. And may not noticethat it became stuffy, and he sat motionless for more than one hour. Breathing exercises will help improve memory and brain function. They will not only saturate the blood with oxygen, but also relieve nervous tension.
- Ventilate the room.
- Stand up straight, relax your arms and legs, and turn your head.
- Take a deep slow breath in through your nose. At the same time, fill the stomach with air first, then the chest.
- Hold your breath at the top of your inhale for a couple of seconds.
- Exhale slowly through slightly pursed lips. Also, first exhale all the air from the abdomen, then from the chest.
- Repeat the cycle 10-20 times. Try to make each subsequent inhalation-exhalation longer than the previous one in time.
Rest
The brain gets tired of the monotony of the situation. Psychologists recommend making a small (5-10 minutes) "switch" every hour, changing the type of activity. A simple exercise, a warm-up for the arms and spine will perfectly help to relax. If you work at home, you can turn on pleasant music and dance for 5 minutes. If in the office, leave the office for a while, take a walk to another floor or to the street and back.
Now about smoking. Everyone who seriously wants to help their brain should know that nicotine is the most destructive poison for the brain vessels. If you are unable to get rid of a bad habit, do not smoke at least while doing mental work. The same applies to alcohol. By drinking alcohol, you kill brain cells and poison it with toxic substances.
Green tea
Products that improve memory, we will consider below in more detail. Now let's move on to green tea. It is an affordable way to relieve stress and saturate the body with micronutrients during the working day. A cup of green tea relieves fatigue and stimulates the brain to work further.
Laughter and socializing
Ordinary laughter will help improve memory and brain function. Everyone knows that it prolongs life. In addition, it relieves stress and makes different areas of the brain work. As a result, you relax, blood circulation improves, the focus of excitation in the cerebral cortex calms down. Communication with colleagues and friends also has a good effect on short-term memory.
If the deterioration of memory is of a long-term nature, then you should take your he alth seriously.
Long-term brain improvement
Do not rush to buy drugs for the brain, if you find that your memory often fails you. First, help your body with non-drug methods.
Expensive memory boosting vitamins can be found in the simplest foods.
He althy food
We are what we eat. The brain will not respond to pills if it does not have the necessary building blocks. There are products that improve memory, and there are those that affect it negatively. Fast food, food high in sugar and other refined carbohydrates, coffee - such food clogs the vessels of the brain and slows down its work, significantly impairing memory.
Useful substances and vitamins forbrain are found in the following foods.
- Walnut, red fish, mackerel, seeds, legumes, pumpkin, spinach, broccoli. Among other things, they contain a high content of omega-3 fatty acids, which are necessary for the transmission of neural impulses to the cerebral cortex, and also help to improve the blood supply to the brain.
- Nuts - high in magnesium.
- Blueberries.
- Fresh vegetables such as cauliflower, spinach and broccoli contain significant amounts of choline. It helps to restore neurons and is especially useful for the elderly.
- Grapes, cranberries, berries contain resveratrol, which improves blood flow to the brain.
- Complex carbohydrates provide the energy you need throughout the day. They are found in wholemeal bread, rolled oats and other high-fiber cereals, peas, beans and other legumes.
Pharmacy preparations that improve memory, as a rule, contain the same trace elements and vitamins as natural products.
Proper nutrition also includes proper water intake. The brain, as a vital organ, suffers the least from chronic dehydration, but if something is wrong with the body, then it is difficult to expect it to work flawlessly. Drink at least 2 liters of clean water daily.
The best doctor for all diseases
Sleep is very important for the whole body, but the brain is especially affected by its absence. While sleeping inIn our head there are many processes aimed at recharging brain activity, improving memory and increasing creativity. It is very important not only the quantity, but also the quality of rest. For full recovery, the brain must reach a deep stage of sleep. Keeping the basic rules will help improve memory and brain function.
- The place to sleep should be convenient and comfortable. Pillow - not too high, so as not to pinch the vessels supplying the head with blood.
- Sleep with the window open or ventilate the room well at night.
- Sleep in total darkness. Before going to bed, turn off all sources of EMP (TV, phone, computer, etc.) in the room.
- Half an hour before bedtime it is not recommended to watch TV, work on the computer, read. Do a set of relaxing exercises, take a shower or take a short walk. You can sort things out, prepare for tomorrow. The main thing is to calm the activity of the brain so that it smoothly passes into sleep in a relaxed state. It is very useful to meditate or do auto-training before going to bed.
- Duration of sleep is individual. For those who do not get enough sleep, at least 8 hours of sleep is recommended. On weekends, allow yourself to relax for 1-2 hours more. But don't sleep too long - it unsettles the body.
Physical Education
A he althy mind in a he althy body. This applies to a greater extent to brain activity. No wonder many of the great scientists of antiquityconcurrently were also Olympic champions. Exercise at least three times a week, and do morning exercises daily. Strengthening the vascular system has a very positive effect on improving memory. In addition, during exercise, the hormone of pleasure and substances that stimulate the development of new neurons are released.
Meditation
Yoga and meditation are wonderful and widely available memory boosters. Anyone can learn simple meditation. In terms of the strength of its effect on the functioning of the brain, it is equal to a full sleep.
- Choose a quiet, pleasant place, preferably in nature.
- Sit in a comfortable position, close your eyes, relax your body muscles.
- Breathe calmly through your nose. Concentrate on inhaling and exhaling, feel how the air moves through the nasal cavity, nasopharynx, fills the lungs.
- Gradually shift your attention to the body, trying to feel all its parts at the same time, as a whole.
- Then you can concentrate first on the sounds coming from outside, then on the smells. The point is to not think about anything but the subject of concentration during the moment of meditation.
Exercise
All memory training games are based on memorizing something new. Also, a great way to strengthen the work of the brain is to learn a foreign language, master knitting, study on a musical instrument or mastering culinary recipes. Psychologists recommend the following techniques to improve memory at any age.
- Write a few lines a day with your left hand if youright-handed.
- Try walking around the house with your eyes closed, doing simple actions using your other senses.
- Look at an unfamiliar drawing for a few seconds, then turn away and write down or list the details in it.
- Take pencils in both hands. At the same time, draw different shapes for them: for example, the left hand draws a circle, and the right hand draws a square.
Very common memory training games are puzzles, match problems, and crossword puzzles. Chess perfectly develops thinking and trains brain activity.
Don't rush to drink pills that improve memory. A mnemonic will help you remember the required amount of information - a series of techniques that involve figurative thinking.
- If you need to remember the first and last name, link them to some way or people you previously knew.
- Split long numbers into groups of three or four digits. Numbers can be written in memory with fiery ink or correlated with any object by building a visual image.
- Shopping lists are easy to remember by placing items on a route you know well, in a room, or in pockets. For example, “put” bread on the sofa, “put” milk on the table, place onions near the flower pot, and so on.
- Memorizing new information, correlate it with the knowledge you already know. Something that surprises or evokes strong emotions is also well remembered: disgust or admiration.
- To consolidate the studied materialrepeat it the next day to “write” it into your long-term memory.
Vitamins
Some chemicals are very important for memory. Preparations containing omega-3 fatty acids are recommended by doctors to improve brain function. Also favorably affect mental performance:
- B vitamins - B1, B3, B5, B6, B9, B12.
- Vitamin D, E and P (bioflavonoids).
It is advisable to drink vitamin complexes with the addition of an Omega-3 capsule.
Such vitamins for the brain will play the role of natural stimulants.
Medicines
Sometimes exercise and vitamins alone are not enough. For severe memory impairment, doctors prescribe drugs for the brain. Most of them are nootropics.
- "Piracetam". Improves metabolism in the brain.
- "Aminalon". Stimulates the absorption of glucose and the removal of metabolic products from the brain, increases resistance to oxygen deficiency.
- "Phenibut". Stimulates blood circulation and normalizes vascular tone in the cerebral cortex.
These memory-enhancing drugs are prescribed by a doctor for severe disorders in the brain: strokes, depression, anxiety, circulatory problems, to restore speech. They can have side effects such as nausea, vomiting, seizures, insomnia, dyspepsia, andblood pressure disorders. Therefore, you should not take them without consulting a therapist. In addition, severe memory impairment may require long-term examination and hospital treatment.
For a gentle effect on the cerebral cortex, you can drink an amino acid found in green fruits and vegetables.
"Glycine". Regular intake of this amino acid in tablets reduces irritability, increases efficiency, and normalizes sleep. It has minimal side effects in the form of individual intolerance (allergies)
Specialists say that after thirty years the perception of new information is significantly deteriorating, and memory weakens in the period of 40-50 years. In order for thinking to remain clear until old age, you should eat right, load the brain with information or learn new skills. There is a big connection between the active activity of the fingers and the work of the cerebral cortex. As you can see from the article, there are many simple memory exercises. Drugs that improve brain activity should only be taken after consulting a doctor.
