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Use your memory efficiently

We should never mistake understanding with memorizing. Often, we enjoy our studying because we find ourselves understanding and assimilating what we are reading. After several hours, you find that you have understood more things than you can remember. The opposite might also be the case: the text is so complex that you try to understand it by reading it over and over again. Time goes by, hours, days and, eventually, you become extremely frustrated.

This is because we have an infinite capacity for understanding and assimilation, while our capacity for memorization is extremely limited. As a consequence, if we do not administer our memory efficiently, we will have to devote extra time to incorporate concepts in our mind.

If you want to understand and memorize at the same time, optimizing, thus, your studying, you have to keep in mind the following:

When you are learning, our memory's capacity tends to drop gradually (after 2 hours of study, it drops to 50%, after 3 hours of study, to 30%), and so on.

However, we have to maintain a realistic attitude. If the list of topics you have to study is extremely long and you only have a certain number of days to cover them, you will have to add more hours to your study session. To somehow counter the memorization level during prolonged study sessions, you will have to learn to give your mind strategic breaks.

TECHNIQUE: If every 30-40 minutes, we rest between 5 and 10 minutes, you allow your mind to recover initial levels of memorization. To take a break does not mean to have a snack, make a phone call, etc. To take a study break involves doing mental relaxation exercises such as deep breathing, napping, etc.

To conclude, there is an important factor that is disregarded by most students and professionals: short-term and long-term memory. Some people take a long time to study a topic in depth; however, when the time comes to take an exam or remember a vital concept learned (in other words, to apply all they have been studying) they can hardly remember anything. They are forced to review the complete list of topics because they cannot recall what they thought they had studied "in depth."

Reviewing is a very important part of the process of studying, since 80% of what we have studied will be lost after 24 hours.

TECHNIQUE: After studying a chapter, book or topic, you should carry out a strategic 10-minute review on the following two days. Repeat this review session after a week, then after a month, and then after six months of having first studied it. After a few months, you will realize that you only need 10 minutes every six months to review the concepts and remember them.

A good nutrition can improve your memory

The first of all the mental faculties that deteriorates with time is memory. In the average adult, this deterioration begins at the age of 30. You can only alter your behavior, develop your abilities, and energize your life only if you are capable of storing new information in your long-term memory and then retrieve it. If this ability declines, you become an automaton, incapable of learning anything new, always reenacting habits and recalling memories that seem increasingly distant in time. The amount of neurotransmitters, i.e. substances that allow the exchange of information among neurons, determines how certain information is going to be stored in your memory. If the amount of neurotransmitters is insufficient, the data is distorted in the process of storing it in your mind.

Serotonin.
It has been proven by a series of scientific experiments, that serotonin is the neurotransmitter that plays a central role in the process of memory. This is why it is easier to remember things if you go to sleep right after you have been studying: serotonin levels increase during sleep.

Serotonin is produced in the brain cells by the aminoacid L-Tryptophane. To increase the levels of this aminoacid in your blood and to allow it to get to your brain in larger amounts, it is advisable to consume protein (found in beef, fish, poultry, dairy products, soy bean, etc) regularly, along with some other food rich in carbohydrates, such as wheat bread or rice. Carbohydrates lower the levels of neuter aminoacids, except for tryptophane, allowing a larger amount of this chemical substance to get to your brain and to produce, in turn, serotonin. L- Tryptophane complements are available also in tablets in nutrition centers.

Acetylcholine.
With a regular intake of soy lecithin, pantothenic acid, and vitamin B, you will notice a sensible increase in the functioning of your memory. Of course, the results will be noticeable if the memory loss has not been significant in the past four years and if you have not suffered any serious cerebral trauma.

Anti-oxidants.
The process of oxidation is what causes greater damage to your neurons. Therefore, you will lengthen your brain's life and capacity if you add to your diet a nutritional complement that includes vitamins A, E, C, selenium, coenzyme Q10, and, if possible, acetyl-l-carnitine.

"Mens sana in corpore sano"

Remember that any kind of physical activity, triggers your blood circulation to feed and bring more oxygen into your brain. Your vertebral and carotid arteries expand in order to keep your brain's "carburetor" in perfect condition. So keep your memory in good condition: walk, climb stairs, etc.

A tip for "hypersedentary" people: If you are the type of person that finds it really hard to incorporate exercise as part of your daily routine, try the following: several times a day keep your breath for a few moments and then breathe deeply for a few moments as well. This will allow the blood vessels in your brain to expand and to allow your brain to be better oxygenated.