How to Train Your Memory Every Day: Ten Expert-Backed Techniques
The British newspaper The Guardian and the US clinic Mayo Clinic have compiled advice on improving memory in daily life, from learning new skills to sleep and exercise. Experts note that commercial brain-training apps do not significantly improve everyday memory.
Memory can be trained with simple everyday habits, without expensive apps or complicated exercises. That is the conclusion of advice compiled by the British newspaper The Guardian, while the US medical organisation Mayo Clinic stresses that memory is also affected by sleep, physical activity, diet and social life. The brain can learn and adapt throughout a person's life.
Mental exercises
Barbara Sahakian, professor of psychiatry at the University of Cambridge, explains that learning new things helps keep the brain active. A foreign language, a musical instrument, photography or dance all work; the key is that the activity is enjoyable.
After finishing a chapter or an article, it helps to try to retell it: what the text was about, what the main facts were and what seemed most interesting. Active recall works in a similar way: information should be remembered without notes rather than simply re-read.
To memorise information, experts suggest creating vivid, unusual associations, and using a "memory palace" – placing items to remember at points in a familiar place, such as a home. The method dates back to Ancient Greece. For long-term retention, spaced repetition is recommended: review on the same day, the next day, after a few days, a week and a month.
Attention, sleep and exercise
Information is hard to retain when attention constantly switches between tasks, so it is better to put the phone aside during a conversation. Important dates are best written down, with reminders used as needed.
Mayo Clinic recommends that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity a week, such as brisk walking, and seven to nine hours of sleep a night. During sleep the brain consolidates what has been learned. Conversations with others also keep the mind active and can reduce stress and the risk of depression.
Apps and warning signs
There is not enough evidence that commercial brain-training apps significantly improve everyday memory or prevent dementia. The US National Institute on Aging notes that training can improve the specific skills practised, but the result does not necessarily carry over to other situations.
If memory problems worsen and interfere with daily life – a person gets lost in familiar places, repeats the same questions or cannot manage routine tasks – a doctor should be consulted. Causes can include sleep disorders, stress, depression, hearing problems, chronic illnesses or medication.
