10 keys to boost your memory

10 keys to boost your memory

1- Like Proust, we train his multisensory memory

We all have in mind Marcel Proust's famous madeleine, able to bring back the past. Olfaction has direct connections to the cortex, hippocampus and other areas involved in the treatment of emotions and the "storage" of our memories. To exercise his memory in a fun way the neurobiologist Lawrence. C. Katz * advises to be led by the nose! How? Soak five cubes of sponge lemon, lavender, vanilla ... and place them in airtight boxes. Humid a few seconds the number 1 box in front of such building, then the 2 in this street ... Objective: create an olfactory "road map" by associating an odor with a place or a person. These combinations increase the number of "available paths" to store memories. And better find them.
* Have a brain in good shape (Leduc.s)




2- We move to keep a triathlete brain!

With age, our head works a little slower. Sports regularly compensate for this loss. In addition to preventing cardiovascular risks and Alzheimer's disease, moving improves brain plasticity by increasing cerebral blood flow and creating new neurons. Active women score better in memory than sedentary women, regardless of their level of education or initial health. And people who are active regularly have a risk of dementia decreased by 40% compared to sedentary.
3- We are reconciled with the (good) fat
Our brain is made up of about 60% fat, according to nutritionist Charlotte Deubeugny. He needs omega 3 fatty acids to make neurotransmitters and keep our memory at the top. They are found in oily fish, walnut oil, linseed ... And they are better absorbed associated with vitamin E (present in sunflower seeds, olive oil), vitamin C (broccoli) , citrus fruits) and B vitamins, present in green and dry vegetables, cereals, poultry, eggs ... Even if there is no magic pill for "megamemory", one can complement in zinc, magnesium and selenium , three essential minerals, advises the pharmacist Danièle Festy.

4- We sleep!
Lack of sleep causes, in addition to a lack of clarity of mind and slow reasoning, short-term memory failures. To "code" memories and fix them, it takes 7 to 8 hours of sleep for an adult brain. And studies have shown that we better consolidate the storage of information assimilated in the day after a good night says Bernard Croisille *, neurologist and head of the neuropsychology department at Pierre-Wertheimer Hospital in Lyon. In short, "who sleeps records! "
* All about memory (Odile Jacob)



5- We plunge into video games
Scrabble and Sudoku are good, but that's not enough because in the end, routine activities put the brain to sleep. On the other hand, the more we innovate, the more it creates neuronal connections. Including as you get older! People playing interactive games, at least four times a week, have an additional 65 to 75% likelihood of maintaining their cognitive potential than those who do not. A good reason to try video games!

6- We wake up his artistic fiber
Painting, DIY, sculpture, pottery, computer aided design, gardening ... Stimulating creativity in 3 D allows to exercise its concentration and preserve its ability to pay attention. And memory has everything to gain. "These activities are eminently cognitive," says Dr. Bernard Croisille. It also boosts its visual memory and occipital lobes by going to see exhibitions of art and photos, while touring ...

7- We empty ourselves
MRIs show that meditating increases the thickness of the prefrontal cortex involved in attention and neural connections related to memory. Effective also, progressive muscle relaxation. The principle ? Seated, the back straight and the feet flat on the ground, we contract three times 10 seconds then release a specific muscle group, from head to toe: toes, ankles, calves, and we go back gradually to the belly (in contracting the abs), the neck and the face.

8 - We count on figures
You do not have to be a champion. Simple calculations, at the primary school level, which mobilize the prefrontal cortex, are enough to cause our short-term memory, which tends to be less efficient over the years. MRI studies have revealed the same phenomenon when we read aloud.

9 - Effective cunning

To memorize one's name when a person shows up, the psychologist John Arden * advises him to repeat it, then to repeat it himself mentally and then out loud. And imagine an association of ideas related to his attitude, or his distinctive features. For example, the amiable And
D, Madame Grande Dents or Gérard la Girafe if André is cordial, if Madame Dupont does have an imposing jaw or if Gerard is long and thin!
* Improve his memory for dummies (First editions)




10 - On positive!

Stress kills the memory. By generating intense hormonal and neuronal changes, it "blocks" the hippocampus. While "positive thinking improves brain health over the long term and can have a beneficial effect on your ability to manage information," says Bernard Croisille. Moreover, people who experience positive emotions more often are 60% less likely to develop mild cognitive impairment. "