HealthWatch: Sharpening Your Memory
July 25th 2009 21:34
Signature Tune
Key May Be Paying Closer Attention To Details; Foods Like Fish, Berries Are Good Brain Boosters
Reporting
Dr. Holly Phillips
NEW YORK (CBS) ―Many Americans are finding that there is much
Or at least that's what New Yorker Harly Golub thinks.
"Life's certainly gotten a lot busier, and there's so much more going on and there's all of these extra numbers and things that we have to remember," Golub said.
Good Housekeeping's health editor, Toni Hope, claims one of the main reasons people forget things is that they often fail to pay close attention to their surroundings.
"You can practice paying attention," Hope said. "Like by noticing whether your husband was wearing a tie this morning or what your friend ate for lunch."
But Jenny Cook, also of Good Housekeeping, said that grouping together the information one sees as necessary to remember can make it all easier to recall.
"Basically, what you're doing is trying to organize information into smaller bits so that you're brain doesn't have to remember as much," Cook said.
Cook added that the use of "common sense" techniques, such as creating to-do lists each morning, finding specific spots to store items one often forgets about and repeating the name of someone you've just met, can also significantly increase memory.
"Most of us think, 'oh how could I have possibly forgotten that persons name,' but in fact, you never really remembered it in the first place because you weren't focusing on remembering the name," Cook said.
Regular exercise of the brain spurs the development of new nerve connections that can drastically improve memory. One common method is to practice memorizing the order of a deck of cards. Although this sounds tedious, it can help fine tune memory skills and keep the brain sharp.
Food choices like fish, blueberries and walnuts, which are normally viewed as heart-healthy, can also be great brain boosters.
On the contrary, anxiety can often serve as a distraction to the brain, resulting in less information being remembered – so reducing stress by taking deep breaths, thinking of something pleasant or taking a short walk can also be beneficial to the memory
link to CBS article - click here
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