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Is Memory Enhancement Possible? 12 Simple Methods That Actually Work

Author: Chris Angell / Source: Lifehack

Memory enhancement is important for three things: Productivity, Personal Growth and Prevention. Whether you’re working on growing your business or career, leveling up your life or staying ahead of future health problems, the simple memory enhancement methods in this article could make or break your efforts.

If you look into memory enhancement just a little, you’ll see there are different categories you can focus on.

In this article we will look at three categories: Nutrition (what we put in our bodies), Physical (what we do with our bodies), and Mental (tools and hacks we can use to train our brains).

Nutrition

For many, what we put in our face goes widely unchecked. If we do filter what we eat or drink it usually is about losing weight. But much of our nutrition impacts our brain, which impacts our recall.

At work, your brain is a huge asset. Whether you’re sharp or fuzzy mentally will impact your productivity. Memory enhancement gives you a smoother track to run on as you tackle big projects for your company.

1. Water for Memory Enhancement

The first ingredient in memory enhancement, nutritionally, is water. Drinking more water is such a common problem that they make apps just to help you track your water intake.

Many scold themselves knowing, in a general sense, they should drink more water because it’s good for you. But when it comes to memory enhancement, there are specific benefits to drinking more water.

While the body is made up of 60% water, the brain is made up of 73% water.

A study conducted by The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that “drinking water improved memory and focused attention.”^[1]

This is such an easy one to add to your daily routine for memory enhancement. Find the easiest way you like to drink water and insert that into your day.

For me, I drink more water from a water bottle. Without my water bottle my water intake drops by more than half. Once you find the way you drink the most water, bring that method with you throughout your day and even to bed so that it’s ready for you first thing the next morning.

2. Fats for Memory Enhancement

Just like water, fats also make up a large portion of our brain. Fats feed our brain slow burning energy that allow it to function at optimum levels. So for memory enhancement, finding the proper balance of good fat in your diet makes a difference.

An article by Harvard Health Publishing found “polyunsaturated fats may be the heroes in the dietary battle to preserve memory.”^[2] These fats can be found in nuts, olive oil and fish.

This doesn’t mean that you have to chug a gallon of fish oil. You can start simply by reorganizing what you eat and observe the mental clarity you find. Instead of carbs for breakfast, just try eggs and bacon. Instead of a refined sugar snack in the afternoon, substitute it with a handful of nuts.

You don’t have to go to the extremes, just begin playing with the sequence of your food throughout the day and find where your mind most benefits from more fats.

3. Supplements for Memory Enhancement

Enhancing your memory can also happen through supplements such as fish oil supplements. The supplement industry is huge and there are many claims about improved cognitive function that aren’t founded in clinical studies.

If supplements are interesting to you for memory enhancement, the best course of action is to research your options. Look for blind and double blind studies if you want supplements with measured, unbiased results.

As with any of these methods, always research and test to see what works best for you.

4. Intermittent Fasting for Memory Enhancement

On the rise in the last several years is intermittent fasting. Common in the weight loss space, intermittent fasting has also shown benefits for brain and body chemistry.

Intermittent fasting can be done multiple ways. One of the most common protocols is to fast for 16 hours, then consuming your normal amount of daily calories in an 8 hour feeding window.

Many report mental clarity from intermittent fasting and studies show why the brain works well in a fasted state.

With the benefit of increased growth hormone and the healing effects of intermittent fasting, it’s worth a go for improved mental capacity.

Physical

How we treat our bodies is as important as what we put in our bodies.

Our brain needs both exercise and rest to perform at its best. We seem to get this backwards by working our brain overtime with an overload of tasks and interruptions while sitting at our desks, in our cars or on our couches and not getting enough sleep.

5. Sleep for Memory Enhancement

In extremes, it’s easy to see that with sleep deprivation your memory suffers dramatically. But with our busy lives, many of us don’t think about sleep as a bridge to memory enhancement.

A study by Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center found “a good night’s sleep triggers changes in the brain that help to improve memory”.^[3]

If you have trouble getting to sleep, here are some helpful tips for better sleep: