10 easy ways to improve your memory
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Got a bad memory? Forget it!
With our top tips, phone numbers escaping you and shopping lists getting sketchy will become, er, a distant memory.
1. Clench your fist
Balling up your right hand and squeezing it tightly while you try to memorize phone numbers or shopping lists can make them easier to remember, research suggests.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}HOW TAKING A HOT BATH COULD HELP YOU LOSE WEIGHT
Dr. Joanna Iddon, co-author of Memory Boosters, says: “When you want to retrieve the information, clench the left fist.
“The movements activate brain regions key to the storing and recall of memories.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}2. Sleep on it
The best way to strengthen a memory is to go through the information just before going to sleep, says Dr. Andrew Johnson, a memory specialist and lecturer in psychology at Bournemouth University.
THIS IS HOW OFTEN YOU SHOULD PEE EVERY DAY
He says: “There are fewer ‘new’ interfering memories (while asleep) so you will remember it better the next day.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}3. Say your A-Z
Going through the alphabet helps jog your memory.
Dr Iddon says: “When you can’t recall a piece of information, such as the name of an actor in a film, use the ‘alphabet search’ method — going through the alphabet to find the first letter of the word or name you are trying to remember. It really works.”
4. Stop drinking
Alcohol may help you fall asleep but it also leads to a disrupted night’s rest — hampering concentration and memory, say researchers at the London Sleep Center.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The more you drink, the less deep sleep you get.
FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS
5. Speak up
Saying what you want to remember out loud — or even just mouthing it — will help with recall, studies have found.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}This is said to be the easiest technique to use.