13 ways to boost memory

LEFT all your study to the last minute? These science-backed memory hacks will help.

Studying somewhere different might help you retain the information better.

ASSESSMENTS looming and need to cram in as much study as you can?

Here are 13 scientifically proven memory hacks to help you nail your pre-exam preparation.

Try placing the things you need to remember around a familiar space — your living room for example.

CREATE A MEMORY PALACE

A memory palace — also known as a mind palace or the Method of Loci — is a mnemonic device that uses visualisation and spatial memory to quickly and efficiently recall information. Ancient Greek and Roman orators are believed to have been the first to use the technique, which is now used by memory champions the world over.

The most common type of memory palace involves making a journey through a place you know well, such as your home or office. Along that journey there are specific locations — or loci — that you always visit in the same order. The theory is that if you attach the particular items you want to remember to these different loci then you will be better able to recall them when you take a mental trip through the palace.

A recent study by Dutch neuroscientist Martin Dresler found that those who trained using the method of loci showed substantial improvement in their ability to recall lists of words.

Pound the pavement for memory improvements.

EXERCISE

Forget reading and re-reading. If you want to remember something you just memorised you might be better off heading to the gym. New research from Edge Hill University in England has found that exercise can improve your short-term memory. In two experiments, healthy and active participants were given lists of words to learn and recall either after or before exercise, or before or after a period of rest. The results showed that the best recall was when participants exercised after learning the words.

LEAVE YOUR SHOES AT THE DOOR

For even better results, exercise barefoot. A new study published by researchers at the University of North Florida found that running barefoot is better for your working memory than running with shoes.

Up you intake of olive oil.

EAT MORE OLIVE OIL

There are myriad benefits associated with the Mediterranean diet, and researchers at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University in the US have found another to add to the list. A recent study found that consumption of extra-virgin olive oil protects memory and learning ability and may help protect against Alzheimer’s disease.

Captain Snooze clearly had the right idea.

DREAM ON

There are few things in life a good night’s sleep isn’t able to fix. Now, a study published in Science provides evidence that rapid eye movement (REM) sleep — or dream sleep — might just play a part in memory formation. In the new study, researchers from McGill University in Canada and Switzerland’s University of Bern used optogenetics — a new area of science that uses light to control cells in living tissue — to ‘switch off’ neurons in the hippocampus, an area of the brain that is critical for memory formation. “Silencing the same neurons for similar durations outside REM episodes had no effect on memory. This indicates that neuronal activity specifically during REM sleep is required for normal memory consolidation,” said lead author Richard Boyce, a PhD student who, ironically, often stayed up all night while performing the experiments.

ZZZZZZZZZZ

It turns out you snooze, you don’t lose. Memory that is. A good night’s sleep triggers changes in the brain that help to improve memory, according to research from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in the US.

TAKE A POWER NAP

A recent German study, published in the journal Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, found that a one-hour nap can significantly improve memory performance. Because we can never have enough reasons to take an afternoon snooze. BRB boss, nap time.

You’ll probably need to go out and get a smoothie bowl. Your education depends on it.

EAT MORE GREENS

It turns out eating your greens will help your memory grow up big and strong, too. A new study from University of Illinois researchers in the US found that participants with higher levels of lutein — a nutrient found in green leafy vegetables such as spinach and kale, as well as avocados and eggs — could help to improve cognition.

SWITCH OFF

Get old school with your study. Switch off your computer and leave your phone in another room — this is between you and your textbook. Researchers at the University of California and the University of Illinois in the US have found that ‘cognitive offloading’, or the tendency to rely on things like the internet as an aide-mémoire, increases after each use. Our increasing reliance on the internet is affecting our thought processes for problem solving, recall and learning. As they say: use it or lose it.

Like we needed any more reasons to study from a cafe instead of the dining table. You need a smoothie bowl anyway.

ADD SOME NOVELTY

If you want to remember something, try adding some novelty. Psychologists say that if we experience a novel situation within a familiar context, we will more easily store this event in memory. So try taking your studies to a cool new cafe. Or start by learning new information then reviewing older material. Rehashing the same old information over and over is dullsville for the brain, compared to exploring new information, according to research published in the journal Neuron.

Test yourself.

DO PRACTICE EXAMS

Practice makes perfect sense. Learning by taking practice tests, a strategy known as retrieval practice, can protect memory against the negative effects of stress, according to a study published in Science.

BUT FIRST, LET ME TAKE A SELFIE

A quick glance at any social media platform will tell you that people love taking photos of their experiences — whether they’re lying on the beach, touring a museum, or just waiting in line at the grocery store. New research, are published in Psychological Science, shows that choosing to take photos may actually help us remember the visual details of our encounters. Maybe that means we can just Instagram our notes and automatically be able to remember them. #ifonly

But first, coffee.

TAKE A COFFEE BREAK

Ah, coffee. How wonderful you are. Studies have long suggested the many health benefits associated with drinking caffeine and, now, research published in the journal Nature Neuroscience suggests that a dose of caffeine after a learning session may help to boost long-term memory. So go on, have another cuppa.