Learning New Things To Improve Memory
By Mike Paetzold
Introductory comments by Royane Real
Author of: “How You Can Be Smarter - Use Your Brain to Learn Faster, Remember Better and Be More Creative
The following article by Mike Paetzold shows you how you can boost your memory by learning new things. Why does learning something new help to boost your memory?
The reason is simple. When you are trying to learn something new and challenging, there are actually changes that happen to the brain cells themselves. Your trillions of brain cells make new connections with each other every time you make the effort to learn something.
It’s these connections between your trillions of brain cells that seem to have a big impact on how smart you are, and how long you can stay smart. When you have more brain cells that are really well connected with each other, it seems to build in some extra protection for you as you age. Having a lot of brain cell connections helps to boost memory.
Even if some of your brain cells and some of the connecting receptors fall prey to the ravages of aging, it’s good to have a lot of extra functioning brain cells and connections in reserve.
Those people who give their brains a good workout throughout their lives seem to have brains that function better in old age than those people who are mentally idle and don’t bother to learn anything new. They have a better ability to think and to remember.
One famous study of nuns who were aging discovered that those nuns who kept on learning new things their entire lives were able to compensate for some of the devastating effects of Alzheimer’s disease because they still had a lot of extra brain cells that kept on functioning.
On the other hand, those nuns who had not made a commitment to life long learning were devastated by Alzheimer’s much sooner and were no longer able to function.
So, if you are interested in improving your memory, making the effort to learn new things is one of the best forms of exercise you can give your brain!
(The above comments were written by Royane Real, author of the popular book “How You Can Be Smarter - Use Your Brain to Learn Faster, Remember Better and Be More Creative” To learn more ways to boost your brain power, download it today at http://www.lulu.com/real )
Feature article:
Learning New Things To Improve Memory
By Mike Paetzold
Keeping our brains active can help improve memory performance. While the old tried and tested method of repetition is still an important part of memory techniques, we also need a bit of novelty to keep our minds awake and to stimulate our brains.
We all have times when we'd love to be able to improve memory – for school tests, college exams, business presentations or even just in our day to day lives. Pregnant women are particularly prone to memory loss, and often seek ways to improve memory.
Age is also a consideration. As we get older, our ability to remember things slows down and we find ourselves misplacing things or forgetting appointments. By learning new information, we can help improve memory in the long-term. The part of our brain that produces the chemical dopamine responds better to fresh images, ideas and experiences, and can improve memory retention more effectively than simply repeating the same information over and over again.
To improve memory techniques, there are plenty of things we can do in our day to day lives:
Improve memory – with word games.
By simply doing the crossword or word game in your daily or Sunday newspaper, you'll help improve memory by learning new words or phrases. Each day will bring a new challenge so you will be stimulating your brain regularly.
Improve memory – with number challenges.
Sudoku is a popular number game, but there are many other number puzzles you can try to help your quest to improve memory. Again, you will be keeping your brain active and opening up your mind to new challenges on a regular basis.
Improve memory – learn a language.
Exposing your brain to anything new will help improve memory function, but learning a language can be a particularly rewarding experience. You don't need to go as far as taking classes, simply watch some of the foreign language learning programs on TV or learn a few words of Spanish or French, for example, each day.
Improve memory – play an instrument.
This is another fun way to get round the problem of increasing memory loss. Picking up a guitar or sitting for an hour or two at a keyboard could be a great way to improve memory performance. You'll be stimulating your brain function by practicing new chords or melodies!
Of course, many of us lead very busy lives and don't always have the time to take up a new hobby or pastime. We can still improve memory techniques in our day to day lives, simply by paying attention to the things around us. Instead of walking or driving home in a daze, we can help improve our memory just by looking around!
Mike Paetzold is the webmaster at Improve Your Memory where you can find more tips to improve your memory.
Article source: www.article3000.com
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