According To One Study, This Is The Secret To Improving Your Memory

The secret to improving your memory is very simple: take breaks. The brain has more limited energy resources than you think. He tires quickly and his attention levels start to drop between 30 and 45 minutes. After all, we are not machines, we are made of cells, nerve connections, tissues and a heart that pumps blood, oxygen and nutrients.

We get exhausted very easily, and there are regions of the brain that need our help to perform basic tasks like consolidating memory. However, we are experts at pushing our bodies to the limit. We are those beings addicted to multitasking, spending the night studying before a test and getting used to clearly harmful lifestyle habits.

If you want to improve your memory, you need to dig a little deeper into the world of neuroscience. Knowing how your brain works will allow you to reach your full potential and, most importantly, live better.

Remember, this is the secret to improving your memory.

Magnesium, zinc, B vitamins, vitamin D… The brain needs several nutrients (including glucose) to function normally. We cannot forget that this organ consumes almost 20% of our total energy. Now, in addition to good nutrition, the secret to improving your memory is in your lifestyle.

It is important to emphasize this point. According to neuroscience, the way we organize our day and even the methodology of study in schools do not harmonize with the way the brain learns, memorizes or processes information.

For example, stress is a highly harmful element for the proper functioning of the brain and its cognitive processes (attention, reflection, memory, etc.). Likewise, tiredness and poor quality of nighttime sleep are other variables that we must take into account. So it’s important that you remember what the secret to improving your memory really is.

9 to 15 minute breaks reset your brain

Michaela Dewar, a researcher at the University of Edinburgh, UK, conducted a study with other experts to understand how to improve memory consolidation processes. What they found is that something as simple as taking 9 to 15 minute breaks improves memory, in both healthy people and those with neurological damage.

Now, you have to take into account a little detail. This rest must be real, meaning you have to go to a dark and silent space and have no distractions around. This includes not having your cell phone with you.

The connection between the hippocampus and the cerebral cortex is critical.

The hippocampus is the critical area of ​​the brain for our short-term memories to consolidate in the long term. It processes declarative, episodic, spatial, etc. memory. Now, for this consolidation to be possible, there must be an adequate connection with the different regions of the cerebral cortex.

Currently, we know that for this connectivity to be performed optimally, we need to rest. Factors such as exhaustion, negative valence emotions, or stress make it difficult to link one area to another.

The hippocampus and a small area of ​​the lateral occipital complex coordinate to reproduce everything that is experienced and thus consolidate memories while we are relaxed or asleep.

The secret to improving your memory requires “recharging” your mind

It’s true that, for a long time, it was assumed that the key to consolidating memories was a good night’s sleep. Now we know that the short intervals also optimize data retention and information. However, experts highlight something important.

In this age of constant hyperconnection and hyperstimulation, people have forgotten how to rest. We have a hard time sitting and not thinking about anything. We no longer know how to go anywhere without our cell phone and check it every few minutes. Our gaze, our mind and our attention are always on the screen. All of these dynamics make it difficult to properly consolidate memories.

The secret to improving your memory requires you to rest for between 10 and 15 minutes, leaving your mind blank, doing nothing and in a quiet place. Knowing how to rest is crucial for your cognitive functioning, to balance your emotions and renew your energies.

Recharging your mind is much more important than recharging your cell phone. Because in addition to the classic memory techniques, in addition to vitamins and minerals, there are our lifestyle habits. Resting is not wasting time; to allow us short breaks is to invest in health and well-being.