What Did You Have for Breakfast Yesterday?

As the baby boomers get older, the topic of memory and memory loss is brought up more frequently in the news and on television. Regardless of your age, losing your memory is a concern most people have. There are some ways you can help improve your memory; try these exercises daily.

Nothing is better for your memory than getting the proper amount of sleep. Sleep seven to nine hours every night. Every individual requires different amounts of sleep, make yourself aware of how much sleep you require, then make it a point to stick to that. The proper amount of sleep will help to improve your memory by allowing you to focus during the day. If you can't focus during the day then you won't be able to retain the things you want to remember.

Another important thing to remember is that you need to exercise daily. Regular exercise helps to increase blood flow to the brain thus keeping you sharp minded.

You cannot expect your brain to remember every single thing you encounter in your daily routine. Try making notes. You can help yourself remember things if you jot down key details from your meeting, conversation with a friend, something you saw on the news, etc. You may never need to look at your notes, but why not have them to spark your memory if need be?

Games are not only for children. Keep your mind sharp by playing some games (crosswords, word searches, etc.) for 10-20 minutes a day. There are many games available in retail stores targeted for adults that help to exercise the mind and keep your memory at its best.

The best way to remember something is by repetition. The more your read, hear, or see something, the more likely your are to remember it. Have you heard those commercials on the radio that repeat their phone number five times in a one minute period? They want you to remember their phone number., and you are far more likely to remember their number than the number of a company who's billboard you just passed on the interstate. If you're trying to remember a phone number or address, try repeating it to yourself several times in a row. Keep saying it if you need to. Write it down if you can. You may not need to look at what you have written, but better safe than sorry.

When trying to remember more advanced information, there are several ways to imbed the information into your brain. The best way being repetition with a small variety. Say you are studying for a test and you need to remember 3 paragraphs of information. Start by reading the paragraphs. Next read them aloud if you can...you have already read it once, so you will remember bits and pieces, and reading it again will only help you to remember something you may have forgotten already. Finally, write down the information you're trying to remember. This increases your chance of remembering the small details later. The key is to keep your mind stimulated and train it to remember in as many ways as possible.

Have fun with word games to trigger your memory. I remember something from math class that I learned when I was 14. PEMDAS is a word game for the Formula of Operations in math. PEMDAS; Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally, it stands for Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition and Subtraction. Using word games like that, or little hints to help yourself remember things is perfectly acceptable. Have fun with it and your memory will be more likely to recall the information you need later.

Sometimes people choose to go the supplement route. Some studies show that supplements like gingko biloba have a positive effect on a healthy memory. If you have tried to other tricks and are still having trouble remembering things, consult your doctor and see if you should add a supplement to your diet.

Remember that practice makes perfect, so if you're having trouble remembering things, try the steps listed above...and repeat them day after day until you notice a considerable difference in your knowledge retention.