We use memory in every moment of our lives, and it’s an essential part of being able to understand and adapt to the world around us. Whether it be to recall a friend’s birthday, teacher’s name, or complex information for an exam, you need memory.
The way memory works is by having the information we take in go through three different stages: encoding, storage, and retrieval. During the encoding process the brain converts information into a construct that it can store, then the information is stored either as a long-term or short-term memory, and finally the information is available to be retrieved from storage.
Since memory is such an important part of life, it’s important to work not only on improving the process, but also protecting it. There are a number of ways that you can help boost brain health. Eating a healthy diet that limits saturated fat, refined sugar, and alcohol, and exercising regularly, have been shown to promote brain health. Additionally, it’s critical to get enough sleep, as a lack of sleep can impair the brain’s ability to consolidate memories.
There are also specific tips and tricks you can try to help you memorize and recall information. The science-backed memorization tips covered below are great for students who need to memorize large amounts of information. Before you start studying and trying these techniques, you’ll want to find an environment where there are not too many distractions. It’s also ideal to space out study sessions, as studies suggest that spacing out learning over a longer period of time is a more effective way to memorize information than trying to “cram” a lot of information into your brain over a short period of time.
The science-backed memory tips below from University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences can help you memorize the information you need to ace your next test.
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