Tag: Memory

Categories
Health

The Curve of Forgetting

The University of Waterloo has done some interesting research about how we can help ourselves remember better. Of course, they did this to help their students be more successful. But we can use this information to remember better too.

An example:

Here is the problem, using the example of a student attending a 1-hour lecture:

  • At the end of the hour: you know 100% of whatever you learned in that hour

  • Day 2: you will have lost 50 to 80% of what you learned (that is, if you don’t think about it, use it or re-read it)

  • Day 7: you will have forgotten up to 90% of what you learned

  • Day 30: you likely remember only 2 to 3% of the original material

If information is not used or retrieved from our memory in some way, the brain decides it is not important and dumps it to make “room” for other more necessary or useful information.

We can change this! Reprocessing the information reinforces its importance to our subconscious mind. Essentially, doing something (anything!) with the information we are trying to learn strengthens brain cell connections that store and retrieve this information. Information can also be retrieved (or remembered) more quickly with repeated reinforcement.

Here is a formula University of Waterloo suggests:

Spending 10 minutes within 24 hours of first learning an hour of information restores memory to almost 100%; 5 minutes seven days later reactivates the same information; and 2 to 4 minutes 30 days later is all your brain needs to say “yes, I remember”. Without any review of the material, though, you would need 40 to 50 minutes to read and re-learn everything after 30 days.

This is why the University of Waterloo recommends that their students spend 30 minutes each day reviewing the previous day’s lessons and 1.5 to 2 hours each weekend and reviewing material that was learned 7 days before and 30 days before.

This works well for the student example, where most students take notes or study from textbooks and these provide a source for review. But what about us “post grads” who just want to remember what we read or learn?

Helping our “mid-life” brain to remember…

The answer is to find a way to reinforce the knowledge you think is important to remember and not just let your brain decide subconsciously. This could be done by making a note to re-read an article or book with the information you want to remember, by discussing it afterward with someone, or by writing notes so you can re-read it later (as I do when I blog).

Another way is to reinforce memory is to use the information in some way. Even playing a game with the information can work to strengthen the memory. I use this technique daily to help remember Spanish vocabulary, using the free online game Duolingo. It’s amazing how 15 minutes a day is helping me to learn and remember words in another language!

Teaching someone else is also an excellent way to learn and retain information. Explaining it helps you really understand the subject plus you need to retrieve a high a percentage of the information in order to teach it well. I often do this with my hubby…explaining what I’ve read helps me to organize my thoughts around a subject. I think it drives him crazy sometimes though – he isn’t always interested in the same topics I am. He sometimes says, “Just pretend I’m listening…” But that works too. Just saying it out loud helps to organize and store the information in your brain.

More information is retained in your memory when you use more senses so reading, seeing images or video, hearing, and using the information all help, as opposed to simply reading. Handwriting notes rather than typing has also been shown to help memory for this same reason: using more senses. Using a pen or pencil, rather than a keyboard, also makes you slow down a bit and think about what you’re writing, since you don’t have a back-space key!

And when you want to forget?

On the other hand, if you want to forget something the worst thing you can do is focus on it. Deal with a negative or unpleasant event as best you can then put it out of your thoughts and focus on something positive and pleasant. You always remember what you focus on most.

Reference:

Campus Wellness–Waterloo University

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Health

The argument for doing “nothing”…

Do you remember being a kid, and having nothing to do for hours? Whole summer afternoons that seemed to last forever, just lazing around, being bored, thinking and daydreaming?

And, now that we’re adults, we make our lists, try to be as productive as possible, and want to squeeze as much “doing” in as we can.

But when is our time to think? If you’re a Big Bang Theory fan you may remember the episode with Amy, reading then just staring blankly off into the distance… When asked if she was OK, she answered: “Yes. I was reading. And now I’m thinking about what I read.” Sometimes we need time to just think, to figure out what to do with all that information coming at us.

Our brains work on several levels to process information. You may have noticed that something you were trying to remember will just pop into your head later when doing something completely unrelated. Especially when engaged in an activity that doesn’t require deep concentration, your subconscious will continue to work on solving a problem even though you weren’t actively trying.

And, even if it doesn’t find the solution for you, you’ll see the problem with fresh eyes and more energy when you return to it. Writers often use this technique to improve their ability to see writing problems – we walk away, take a break from our work, and magically can see lots we can improve when we return. I’m sure this process can work for many tasks and makes a strong case for taking regular breaks from any lengthy project.

The other problems we can have from constant “busyness” with little time to think are fatigue, stress and burn-out. But taking a break from work and spending it reading our devices isn’t really a break for our mind. A really helpful break is more like what Amy was doing: staring off into space. Closing eyes and listening to music or meditating give a similar effect. The Dutch call this “niksen” – doing nothing.

Taking short but regular “niksen” breaks during the day, even if it’s just a few minutes to relax and take a few deep breaths, can help you to be more productive when you return to work at the same time as it’s preventing overload, stress and burnout. Any sort of breathing exercise can help by distracting, giving you something else to concentrate on – I often used this technique to distract patients before giving them their flu shot. It worked well, giving the person something else to focus on besides the needle I had in my hand. Studies say distraction actually lessens the pain experienced during an injection.

Now, I’ve never been able to sit still and meditate without getting antsy, but I have found repetitive activities like knitting or jigsaw puzzles seem to fit the bill, occupying the mind and giving it a break from being busy. The key is creating a break for your mind, letting it wander and giving it time to process.

So, make time to be bored (or at least to do something mindless) on a regular basis – your brain will likely thank you for it!

And, if it’s time to give your brain a break and just do nothing, here’s a link to “The Nothing Song”

Read more here:

The Case for Doing Nothing – The New York Times

Categories
Health Menopause

Mid-life Memory Problems – Part 3

Brain “overload”

One factor that is problematic for our generation, is the level of information and distraction we are exposed to every day. Advertisements compete for our attention constantly – advertisers are expert at stealing our focus from what it is we want to accomplish.

We know that to remember something, we need to pay attention, take the information in, process it and store it properly. Studies have shown that multitasking, doing two or more things at once, takes longer than doing each separately. The brain can only focus on one thing at a time and switching between tasks wastes time as we refocus on the new activity.

At least some of the large companies that have been so successful at grabbing our attention, like Facebook, Instagram and Amazon, are realizing the damage they are doing and have started to talk about changing their strategies. Both have recently rolled out programs to meter your time on their platforms to enable us to regain some control.

So, if you want to remember something, turn off the social media and its advertising, give it your full attention and only take on one task at a time.

Medications

Sleeping pills and tranquilizers are known to decrease memory and can even cause periods of amnesia in some people. While this may be due to the drowsiness they cause, slowing brain function, it could also be because of the receptors for messaging chemicals (or neurotransmitters) that they block in the brain.

Receptor blocking is thought to be the problem with anticholinergic drugs that can cause marked memory decrease in some people. These drugs block the neurotransmitter, acetylcholine, from doing its work in the hippocampus memory center, either as their mode of action or as a side effect. Anti-nausea drugs, antihistamines and some anti-depressants have this anticholinergic effect; the more drowsiness the drug causes, generally the greater the anticholinergic effect it has.

Beta-blockers, a class of drugs used for blood pressure and after a heart attack, can also reduce memory, as can some stomach drugs, in particular, Zantac and Pepcid.

Corticosteroids such as prednisone, which mimic our cortisol, can decrease memory by the same mechanism that high natural cortisol levels can when we have a lot of stress, as described in last week’s blog.

And chemotherapy can cause a general brain fogginess, due to its toxicity, that is nicknamed “chemo brain” by some patients.

Diseases and medical conditions

Lastly, some medical conditions can reduce brain function. Weight loss, where sugar intake is reduced, results in a decreased supply of the brain’s favourite food.

Lyme Disease, caused by a bacterium that is carried by infected ticks, can eventually affect brain function and memory if the initial infection is not detected and treated.

Insulin resistance is a condition where the body becomes insensitive to insulin, requiring higher amounts to be released into the blood to move blood sugar into muscle and storage sites. It is present in people with Type 2 diabetes (adult onset) and pre-diabetes. Researchers have found a strong association between people with insulin resistance, those with declining memory, and risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

Minimal Traumatic Brain Injury

Next, we know that concussions cause brain damage, but minimally traumatic brain injuries can cause problems too, especially if repeated. These are bumps or sudden direction changes that don’t cause loss of conscience but are still traumatic enough to create microscopic tears and bleeding in the brain. Sometimes the results of this damage only show as headaches or dizziness but can return in mid-life, as memory loss.

How can you know if it’s more than just “age”?

Doctors will often use a simple test, called the Mini Mental State Exam (MMSE) to evaluate brain function. It consists of 30 questions that assess language, orientation, calculation, attention, recall and visuospatial function (the ability to analyze space and visual forms). However, the test is really geared to detect people with overt dementia. It isn’t sensitive enough to detect early stages of a dementia like Alzheimer’s. A person with high mental functioning can drop to normal – a serious change for them – but still test out as having nothing wrong, especially when the various test results are totalled and averaged.

Specialized centers, however, can conduct in-depth memory and brain function tests that can detect changes in individual areas of the brain by testing the memory and cognitive functions specific to each area of the brain. These tests are expensive and time-consuming, however, and are not commonly done.

Generally, though, you don’t need to worry if you’ve just misplaced your keys or lose your train of thought occasionally. Being unable to find your way home when doing errands, for example, is likely to suggest a more serious problem. However, if you notice a dramatic change in your memory or ability to accomplish daily tasks, it’s reason to have a discussion with your doctor.

I hope this series of articles has given you some ideas for changes you could make to improve your memory or perhaps has helped you detect an underlying cause of your forgetfulness!

References:

Finding it hard to focus? New York Times

Insulin Resistance May Boost Risk of Memory Loss

Categories
Health

Mid-Life Memory Problems – Part 2

There are many factors that can dull your memory… Here are a few more to be aware of:

Sleep

Getting a good night’s sleep is crucial to having your brain perform at its best. However, sleeping pills can leave you drowsy and can even impair your memory. There are many ways to improve your sleep, starting with good “sleep hygiene” or sleep habits. A good place to start is with the Sleep Well Nova Scotia website, https://mysleepwell.ca/ created by the Nova Scotia government to help reduce use of sleep pills.

For women – Hormones: Estrogen and Progesterone

Hormones can help to improve brain function. Sufficient levels are necessary for optimal function of the frontal lobe and hippocampus of the brain (centers for memory and decision-making), to increase neurogenesis (formation of new nerve cells), as well as being needed to properly use the neurotransmitter, acetylcholine, that passes messages from one neuron to the next. Estrogen also acts as an anti-oxidant and appears to reduce the effects of beta-amyloid (the protein that causes problems in Alzheimer’s Disease). Studies of women who take estrogen supplements after menopause report improved brain function, but those who take the synthetic progestin, medroxyprogesterone, along with it, do not. Unfortunately, real progesterone has not been widely tested for its effects on the brain, but progesterone receptors have been identified on the myelin that protects nerves, indicating that it is active in this tissue.

I recall a co-worker who had early menopause explaining the difference she noticed in herself when she changed from medroxyprogesterone, which was causing several side effects, to progesterone capsules. She had been having difficulty remembering drug names (so embarrassing for a pharmacist!) but improved dramatically after the drug switch to having no difficulty with names at all. I also had several women clients who referred to their progesterone cream (that I compounded for them) as their “memory cream”, as they had noticed a distinct difference with its use. I suspect it would only have this effect if the woman was lacking progesterone, but this is an area where I would like to see more research.

However, research into hormone effects on the brain (and elsewhere) slowed after the release of the results of the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) study in 2002. Although this study was intended to examine the benefits of estrogen in older women who were well past menopause (the date of their last period), the results were thought to apply to all women, and many doctors and patients thought it was too dangerous for general use.

Reanalysis of the results of the WHI study and further studies have shown that hormone replacement provides more benefit than risk if started soon after menopause to control symptoms of hormonal change. Women at risk of breast cancer, blood clots, or heart disease, however, are still recommended to avoid use, and doctors screen women carefully before prescribing hormones. Now, hormones that are exactly the same as those produced by women’s bodies are available in tablets, creams and patches. It is recommended to use the lowest amount of hormone for the shortest time necessary until further long-term safety studies are done to show how long it would be safe to use them for issues such as memory and decision-making problems. However, progesterone (the hormone that is the same as the one our bodies make) is considered a very safe hormone – federal law in US actually does not require a prescription for its sale, although some pharmacy state laws override this.

Cortisol

Cortisol is a long-acting stress hormone. When it prepares you to deal with a stressful event, it increases blood pressure, speeds the heart, raises cholesterol, and pushes blood away from digestion and to the muscles to ready them for action. Just this much description of its effects suggests it causes several health problems if it stays in your blood stream constantly because of ongoing stress. Although it is necessary for life and initially sharpens memory and brain function, too much in your system for too long creates many health problems, including lack of sleep which will dull your memory. Studies in rats showed that excess cortisol caused neurons in the hippocampus (an important area of the brain for memory) to shrink, and reduced branching, connections and formation of new brain nerve cells.

Exposure to stress as a very young child, often results in an increased stress response as an adult. Studies have identified that highly stress-prone adults have considerably more memory impairment and risk of developing Alzheimer’s than their non-stressed counterparts. So, not everything is under our control for ourselves, although we may be able to make a difference for our children.

But, it makes sense to try to reduce stress (and consequently the stress hormones that accompany it), by using techniques like yoga or meditation, as part of a strategy to help improve your memory. Personally, I’m a big fan of just listening to relaxing music or taking a walk on the beach to release stress. But note that the vitamin, B5 (pantothenic acid), is reported to reduce cortisol levels. Taking this vitamin (or a B-complex vitamin that contains it) at bedtime can help some people with high cortisol get a better night’s sleep. Remember that cortisol keeps you awake, activating your stress “fight or flight” system that keeps you alert and ready to fight off danger or run away from it.

Brain Derived Neurotropic Factor (BDNF)

Scientists have suggested that cortisol may interfere with the production of Brain Derived Neurotropic Factor (BDNF) which stimulates branching and growth of new brain nerve cells. BDNF is controlled by a particular gene – one-third of humans inherit a variation of the gene that results in poor production of BDNF, so if you seem to have inherited your mothers “poor memory”, it could be that you’ve inherited this less-effective gene. Interesting… but environmental causes of poor memory are at least as important as the genes you inherited.

On the up side, essential fatty acids, like omega-3’s can help to counteract cortisol’s effect of reducing growth of new neurons… another reason to have a healthy diet with plenty of “good fats”.

Medications

Sleeping pills and tranquillizers are known to decrease memory and can even cause periods of amnesia in some people. While this may be due to the drowsiness they cause, slowing brain function, it could also be because of the receptors they block in the brain.

Receptor blocking is thought to be the problem with anticholinergic drugs that can cause marked memory decrease in some people. These drugs block the neurotransmitter, acetylcholine, from doing its work in the hippocampus memory center, either as their mode of action or as a side effect. Anti-nausea drugs, antihistamines and some anti-depressants have this anticholinergic effect; the more drowsiness the drug causes, generally the greater the anticholinergic effect it has.

Beta-blockers, a class of drugs used for blood pressure and after a heart attack, can also reduce memory, as can some stomach drugs, in particular, Zantac and Pepcid.

Corticosteroids such as prednisone, which mimic our cortisol, can decrease memory by the same mechanism that high natural cortisol levels can, as described above.

And chemotherapy can cause a general brain fogginess, due to its toxicity, that is nicknamed “chemo brain” by some patients.

Diseases and medical conditions

Lastly, some medical conditions can reduce brain function. Weight loss, where sugar intake is reduced, results in a decreased supply of the brain’s favourite food. Insulin resistance is a condition where the body becomes insensitive to insulin, requiring higher amounts to be released into the blood to move blood sugar into muscle and storage sites, resulting in less sugar available for brain function.

Lyme Disease, caused by a bacterium that is carried by infected ticks, can eventually affect brain function and memory if the initial infection is not detected and treated.

Stroke can also affect the memory if it occurs in one of the areas of the brain where memories are processed. And, of course, a brain tumor in one of these areas could show up initially as a memory problem.

So, as with any serious change in your health, it is always wise to consult your doctor if you detect a noticeable change in your memory to find out whether there is an underlying cause of your memory problem.

References:

Carved in Sand ; When Attention Fades and Memory Fails in Midlife by Cathryn Jakobson Ramin

Finding it hard to focus? New York Times

Categories
Health

Mid-life Memory Problems – Part 1

Have you ever gone to the kitchen or bedroom, only to completely forget what you wanted to do once you’d arrived? Have you ever been unable to find a common word or lost your train of thought, mid-conversation? It’s enough to make you worry you might be losing your mind… and it happens to too many of us after age 50 or even 40…

Yes, it’s happened to me too – so embarrassing and frustrating – and to many of my friends and family. We try to laugh it off as an “old-timer moment” or a “brain fart” although secretly we worry it might be an early sign of serious memory problems. But how would you know? I decided to do some reading to see what I could learn…

Like every part of the body, your brain cells age over the years. Researchers once thought we were born with all the brain cells we would ever have, but in more recent years they’ve realized this isn’t correct. Your brain is “plastic” – it grows and changes with use, creating new nerve cell branches and connections as you make new memories and learn new skills. And new neurons are created too, a process called “neurogenesis”.

“Use it or lose it”

So, the first piece of advice for maintaining a good memory, is to continue to learn throughout your life so you will constantly create new brain nerve cells (called neurons) and new connections between these neurons in your brain. If you aren’t building new connections and reinforcing old ones by using them, the number of connections (and the efficiency of your brain!) will gradually decrease over time. And it’s never too late to start…

The more complex the skill is that you are learning and the less familiar you are with the concept, the better it is for your brain function. For example, learning a new language is highly recommended to keep your overall brain function sharp. I guess I made a good decision when I started learning Spanish several years ago. Trying something that is out of your comfort zone is also recommended, as you will need to work harder at learning – presumably creating more new brain pathways in the effort.

Another approach you could consider, to use and build your brain, is one of the online “brain exercises”. One I came across, MyBrainTrainer.com, is worth looking at, especially if you have frequent memory problems and want an easy way to start rebuilding. It uses a gaming format and compares your scores with their average user, so you can track your improvement. It’s free for the first 3 months to see if you find it useful.

Diet

The second piece of advice I learned, is to look at your diet. While a healthy, balanced diet is recommended to support all parts of the body, fats are needed for healthy brain cells, and specifically omega-3 fats. Nerve cells in the brain have a fatty coating called myelin, that you could think of as “insulation”. When it becomes damaged, the nerve can short-circuit. In Multiple Sclerosis, many nerves lose their myelin protection, and nerve signals to muscles and organs (such as the eyes) can completely fail resulting in inability to move or blindness. In the brain, with its billions of nerve cells, the loss of function of individual neurons is not always so obvious.

Omega-3 fats are found in seafood but be aware that some fish contain methyl mercury which can harm your memory, especially large lazy fish like tuna (albacore and ahi tuna), swordfish and shark, that eat smaller fish, concentrating the mercury or those caught in lakes that contain large amounts of run-off surface water (the Great Lakes, for example). Salmon, shrimp, tilapia, canned light tuna and catfish are said to generally have lower mercury levels. And little fish like sardines, anchovies, and scallops tend to be low, being lower in the food chain that concentrates mercury. An omega-3 supplement that has been tested for methyl mercury content might be a good choice to increase your intake, unless you can verify the mercury content of the seafood you purchase.

The main fuel for your brain is glucose, so eating complex carbohydrates is thought to be helpful for memory. These foods – whole grains, beans, peas and vegetables – release their glucose more slowly, keeping your brain supplied with its favourite fuel much longer than simple sugary foods do.

You also want to avoid “brain rust”, oxidation damage to your brain cells. Oxidation is a natural process: oxygen radicals, that are produced as a by-product of our metabolism, cause damage to healthy cells. As we age, we become less efficient at repairing the damage they cause. Eating anti-oxidant foods can help prevent as much damage from occurring. Colourful fruits and vegetables contain lots of antioxidants, hence the recommendation to serve a colourful plate. But other foods can contain high levels of antioxidants too. These include onions, artichokes and russet potatoes; green and black tea; red wine, grape juice, and pomegranate juice; nuts, such as peanuts with their skin, almonds and pecans; and spices, such as cinnamon and turmeric. It’s been reported that in India, where the average diet contains plenty of turmeric-containing curry and seafood, the occurrence of Alzheimer’s disease is one-quarter of the rate in North America.

I have more to say about helping your memory, but it’s August and I know there are too many things to do outside to spend time reading a long article… So, I’ll continue this topic next week with other information I learned about how to keep your brain at its best!

If you haven’t already, sign up to my mailing list to make sure you don’t miss Part 2 of how to improve your Mid-life Memory Problems… just click the red button beside or below!

References:

Carved in Sand – Cathryn Jakobson Ramin

Mercury guide

Progesterone: The Multiple Roles of a Remarkable Hormone – Dr. John Lee

Categories
Health

Memory problem? Take note…

My mom has always had the best memory of anyone in the family…and she’s over 90 now (though she wouldn’t want me to tell anyone that!). She keeps a journal… about everyday things: the weather, appointments, who visited, prices of things, interesting articles in the news.

And now there’s research that says we remember better when we write something down using pen and paper than when we type on a computer.

Researchers have found that physical writing uses more parts of the brain than typing does, and involving multiple senses helps us remember better. Years ago, I read that we remember more when we both hear and see information, compared to just reading it. And doing something (anything!) with the information, whether actually using it or simply playing a game with the information, helps us remember even more – all because we’re using more of our senses.

All this suggests that children should learn to write, not just use a keyboard. The slower speed of writing and the increased difficulty of altering what you’ve already put down makes you organize your thoughts more concisely. As an adult, if you’re reading an important book or information article, take notes…the process of writing down what’s important to you will help you remember the details and organize the information in your mind.

There’s something about pens and paper I’ve always loved… a special pen, multiple colours of ink, a beautiful hardcover notebook to write in. Perhaps that’s part of why I like to write. I often write out an outline for a blog article with a nice sharp pencil as I’m reading and researching. The lined book I’ve been using for the past year and a half is almost full. But, I think I’ll start a journal too – one on paper. I tried an online version a few years ago, which offered the bonus of allowing me to add photos, but it seems what I wrote just disappeared into a list of dates. Maybe I’ll look for a really nice pen to write it with… and have a section for blog ideas!

How about you? Want to improve your memory? Try making notes of what you want to remember, or things you’d like to accomplish. Review your notes later to help your recall of the facts and check off items on your “to do” list – you may find that you feel better about your memory and your achievements!

Reference:

Michael Hyatt’s newsletter

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Book review

Memorizing numbers can be easy

This week I want to tell you about a nifty system to remember numbers that I read about in Kevin Horsley’s book, Unlimited Memory. Here is how it works:

Each number is represented by a sound. The letters A, E, I, O, U, W, H and Y are filler letters that “don’t count” and are used to make words from the sounds that represent the sequence of digits you want to remember.

Learn the sounds that stand for each number, then create words using filler letters to form sentences or phrases you can easily remember and convert back into numbers.

Here is the list of sounds associated with each number:

0 = s, z, or soft c (think of a hissing wheel)

1 = T or d (think of the upright line in these letters)

2 = N (picture the 2 as a sideways N)

3 = M (picture the 3 as sideways M)

4 = R (a bit of a stretch, but superimpose a 4 on top of the R…)

5 = L (picture your hand with fingers together and thumb extended, forming an L …like the loser thing but with all 5 fingers)

6 = J, SH, soft CH, soft G (6 could be imagined as looking like a writing J, and the other sounds are similar)

7 = K, hard C

8 = F, V (associate the digit 8 with a hand-written curvy f)

9 = b, p (can you see the 9’s there?)

This visual version might help you remember more easily…

So, here is an example. An old phone number I once had is 506 – 458 – 0201. Using the code above, and a little imagination, I came up with “lazy Jerry – life snoozed” (no one says it has to make sense -just make it something you can remember!). With practice, you’ll be able to quickly code and decode lists of numbers you need to remember.

In summary, there are several things you can do to improve your memory.

  • Learn and use memory systems to attach new information to old memories/knowledge

  • Use senses, exaggeration, and action when using memory systems to make new knowledge more memorable

  • Eliminate blocks to improving memory: multitasking, stress, being unwilling to try

  • Review information regularly to form solid long-term memories

  • Practice techniques regularly to improve

Reference: Unlimited Memory by Kevin Horsley – an entertaining read!

If you’re interested in reading this book, it is available at Amazon.com or Amazon.ca

Categories
Book review

Unlimited Memory…

You have two choices: accept the memory you were born with and believe that it cannot be changed, or decide that remembering is like a habit and can be improved with practice and training… What you believe is your choice!

“Unlimited Memory”, by Kevin Horsley, documents his journey from having difficulties in school to achieving success in memory contests… by learning and practicing established memory techniques. He explains in detail the tested memory techniques he uses regularly to be able to quickly memorize lists, facts, people’s names… or anything else he wants to learn. This is a review of his book… I hope you can use these techniques to improve your memory too!

Horsley describes the “4 C’s” of improving memory:

  • Concentrate

  • Create imagery

  • Connect new information to something you already know, and

  • Continuously use memory improvement techniques so they become a habit

CONCENTRATE

You are much less likely to remember something (like where you put your keys, for example) if you do it absent-mindedly. Focussing on what you are doing will help you remember later.

Worry and conflict can occupy your mind and distract you, reducing your ability to concentrate on the present moment. Deal with your conflicts and do something positive to lessen your worries, and you may find your memory will improve.

CREATE IMAGERY

Your mind likes and remembers images and action more than words and numbers. Creating “stories” using facts you want to remember helps your brain form more solid memories that are more easily retrieved later. The more outrageous and the more action in the story, the more easily you will recall it later!

CONNECT

Associating new information with already-formed memories and lists you can easily recall, helps your brain create a storage place for the new information. Remembering the associated old memory, will help you to recall the new information you have mentally attached to it. Many memory techniques use associations like this, often linking with something as simple as numbers, the alphabet or rooms in your house.

CONTINUOUSLY PRACTICE

Like anything you want to improve, using memory techniques will become easier and more automatic if you practice them every day. Start by doing an intentional exercise each day, using one of the techniques I will describe below. Challenge yourself, for example, to memorize a list of groceries you need to pick up or errands you need to do. Bring a backup list if you think you need it, but look for real life memory exercises you can do each day.

So, here is your first memory technique:

  • Associate items you want to remember with things in a room. Let’s use items on your grocery list and make up a story about things in your kitchen:

    • Here is your list: milk, fruit, coffee, bread, flour, dish detergent, garbage bags

    • Now, create a silly story…maybe about monkeys having fun in your kitchen (did you see the movie, Jumanji?)

      • Wild monkeys invade your kitchen, open the fridge and spill milk on the floor, and throw fruit around the room from the bowl you keep next to the fridge. One is up on the counter eating a sandwich and he’s white from flour that’s been spilled on him. The coffee maker is next on the counter, and it’s been knocked over into the sink. You’ll need dish detergent and garbage bags to clean up the mess!

      • Did I cover everything on the list? When you enter the kitchen, you pass the fridge, a bowl you use for fruit, a stretch of counter, the coffee maker, then the sink, and the garbage is kept under the sink: milk, fruit, bread, flour, coffee, dish detergent, garbage bags.

  • The sillier the story and the more action it has, the easier it will be to remember – use your imagination. Associating details of the story with items in a room will help you to remember each detail. If you run out of items in one room, just move on to the next one!

Of course, no one needs to know your silly story. Just let them be impressed by how good your memory has become!

Today I wanted to remember several things to pick up at home while checking up on the work being done on our house – we were hit by lightening last Friday, so I’m having quite a week… I used my body, top to bottom, to map out my simple list: ears, eyes, body, feet, and hands to remember that I wanted to get my headset, contact lens solution, bathing suit (there’s a pool at the hotel we’re staying in!), more socks and a pair of light gloves in case I decide to do some walking in our new temporary neighbourhood! I also made a point to remember that I needed 5 things in total. It wasn’t a long list, but I’m just learning to use these techniques…trying to “continuously practice”! This is the same technique as above, but using parts of the body instead of items in a room.

Next week, I’ll share more techniques you can use to help your memory along. Meanwhile, have fun with this approach – be sure to practice every day! Click “JOIN MY MAILING LIST” if would like the link for part 2 of Unlimited Memory sent directly to your email inbox!

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Categories
Health

Is Your Memory a Little Foggy?

I’ll bet you’ve gone to a room to get something, only to have no idea what it was when you arrived there… It’s enough to make you wonder if you’re losing your memory! But I’ll also bet you were thinking about something else more important at the time that had nothing to do with the item you were looking for…

Even though you’re not aware of it, your brain is constantly deciding what information is more important and prioritizing the formation of new memory circuits for this information, at the expense of remembering what it was that you wanted in that room.

How Does Memory Work?

Your brain actually changes when you learn something new or have a new experience, forming new connections between brain cells or neurons. This is called “neuroplasticity”.

Memories are formed in 3 stages:

  • Stabilization is the initial encoding of a memory that takes only 6 milliseconds (0.006 seconds!). This encoding happens when you decide to get something from another room.

  • Enhancement is the process of consolidation of the memory that occurs over minutes, several hours or days (depending on how complex the memory is). When you’re busy thinking about something else, the memory for what you wanted to get doesn’t get enhanced properly for easy retrieval. However, when you stop and think for a minute or two, you can usually find the initial encoding of the memory for the thing you wanted…

  • Integration is the process of connecting recent memories into existing memory networks and takes hours to years. Integrating new memories with old ones helps us recall the information more quickly. This might be the stage where you connect the memories of how often you are forgetting what you were looking for, and start to wonder if you’re losing your memory!

  • Reconsolidation is the retrieval of a consolidated memory into short term or working memory. At this stage, new information and experiences can “interfere”, altering the memory. This is called “retroactive interference” and is important in eyewitness testimonies in court proceedings. If, for example, you were the victim of a robbery, it might be a good idea to write down your memories right away to prevent this from happening.

Factors that affect your memory

Neuroscience, the study of the brain and nervous system, has identified 10 factors that help rehabilitation of people with brain damage. These factors were also found to affect memory in healthy people.

  1. Brain circuits that are not being used begin to degrade over time, so when it comes to memory, “use it or lose it”!

  2. “Cognitive training”, using memory techniques such as repeating out loud, using imagery, etc. helps improve memory.

  3. Learning a new skill or information produces significant changes in patterns of connections between neurons in the brain, not seen with repetition of known behavior. Our brains continue to grow and develop if we practice life long learning.

  4. Repetition may be required to induce long lasting memories, and makes it easier to retrieve and process information needed for a task. Repetition also makes memory retrieval faster and more automatic.

  5. Intensity and emotional involvement increase the degree of long-term memory formation. Memories from early childhood are often associated with a time of emotion.

  6. New learning brain cell connections are more likely to degrade more quickly. Stable consolidation of memories requires time. Summarizing what you’ve just learned helps to enhance memory formation and is a common technique used in adult learning programs.

  7. The more important you judge the information to be, the more likely you are to remember, encode and recall it. Often this judgment is an unconscious one.

  8. Aging causes a reduction in the ability to form new connections in the brain. New connections can still be formed but may be less profound or slower to form than in the younger brain. Older folks just need to work a little harder at it!

  9. “Transference” can occur, where the formation of one set of connections can increase the ability to form new, similar connections. Behaviours similar to those we already know are easier to learn.

  10. “Interference” can also occur. Having strong circuits for one brain activity can potentially interfere with formation of new memories that use the same circuitry, disrupting learning and task performance. These last 2 factors may explain why we find some things easier to learn than others.

How can you improve your memory?

Chronic and acute stress has negative effects on memory. When we’re stressed, we produce increased amounts of cortisol, the stress hormone that is known to affect memory negatively. So, decreasing stress often helps to improve memory.

Attention is crucial to processing information and forming memories so focusing on information helps you to remember it better.

Sleep and even daytime naps enhance the processing of memories into a more consolidated form. Sleep disruption, with less time in deeper stages of sleep, affects this processing of memories and memory function the following day. Interestingly, Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) patients have more sleep disruption than healthy elderly adults, and increased time in the deeper stages of sleep improves memory in these patients. The AD drug, donepezil, was found to increase time spent in deep sleep in a study in healthy adults.

Another study found caffeine helps memory more in sleep-deprived people than in those who had a good night’s sleep. Interestingly, sleep deprived people in this study were also more likely to believe their memories were correct, when they were actually wrong.

Nicotine was also found to improve learning and memory tasks in a study setting in Alzheimer’s, schizophrenia and ADHD patients. This is certainly not a reason to start smoking, but might explain the high smoking rates found in patients with schizophrenia.

And what about diet? Sugar may have a positive impact on memory, but not in young adults. Animal studies suggest that saturated fats, hydrogenated (trans) fats and high cholesterol diets may impair memory. Human studies suggest that saturated fats, high cholesterol and high calorie diets deficient in vitamins and antioxidants tend to promote Alzheimer’s Disease, whereas diets with good fats (omega-3’s and mono- and polyunsaturated fats) may decrease risk.

Studies found that exercise speeds mental processes and enhances memory storage and retrieval. Exercise also lowers levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, so may enhance memory by this mechanism also.

Inhaling oxygen before a word list recall test improved memory, although only short term. Blood oxygen saturation and heart rate are correlated – increased heart rate is associated with improved memory in the short term, so an increased heart rate from exercise could be helping boost memory. However, oxygen seems to only help with forming memories, not with recall, so exercise should theoretically help more before you study than before your test.

Music training, for example piano lessons, was noted to improve memory in adults and children. Learning a new language is also reported to improve brain function and memory.

I had many women clients with low levels of progesterone report that their memory for words and names improved when they started using progesterone cream. In contrast, allopregnanolone, the hormone produced when progesterone is broken down, seems to make memory worse. Large amounts of allopregnanolone are produced when progesterone is taken by mouth causing drowsiness not seen with the cream form. This has created conflicting results to studies of progesterone and memory, but my clinical experience suggests that progesterone itself improves memory recall, specifically for words and names.

So, focus on what you want to remember and use memory-enhancing tricks like repeating or associating facts with imagery. Consciously decide which information is important for you to remember. Get your rest and deal with the stress in your life as a strategy to improve your memory. And, if you do happen to have a rough night, that coffee the next day probably will help your memory!

And, did you notice that I bolded some key words to draw attention to them and help you to remember? 🙂 Have a memorable day!