How to improve memory before exams

How to improve memory before exams!

Every year each and everyone of us has to go through some sort of exam & sometimes it seems that our memory does not help at all, lets find out how we can improve our memory!

There are exercises & also foods that help us have more memory & when it comes to studying in order too memorize better without exaggerating we have also discovered that sports is very helpful.

Lets start by understanding what memory really is.

Memory is the ability to save & keep information, images, sounds, smells, tastes, in time & this ability belongs to our brain, the more we keep our brain young, the more we are able to have a good memory.  Infact its as if our brain was our operational centre, it sends, receives & interprets the messages, through a myriad of molecules, the neurotransmitters, that are received & transposed by antennas present on the cells (receptors).  The signs sent are spread out from one neurotransmitter to another thanks to a very complex electrochemical reaction, and to do all this, our brain consumes 20% of the calories ingested every day that is why eating healthy & a correct lifestyle are necessary including also adeguate physical activity.  Lets start right from the physical activity & from a recent study published by the Current biology Magazine reveals that practicing sports after a full day of studying helps strengthen the information received as a sort of information fastener.  The study also reveals that the best results are obtained if the sports are practiced 4 hours after studying.

The scientists of the Radboud University Medical centre of Nijmegen (Netherlands) to obtain these results tested 70 people into a studying session with physical training afterwards.
The researchers have than discovered that those who had undergone physical training 4 hours after the studying session were able to remember more things than the others who had either trained in other hours or not trained at all.  The most astonishing result however came from the diagnostic test that showed a major activity on hippocampus level, which is a fundamental area for learning & memory. Physical activity always does well but if you have to undergo exams try to practice it after studying!

As we have already mentioned food also plays a fundamental role because it preserves our brain, and there are certain foods & nutrients that particularly help, our brain must be able to use all the nutrients & therefore the following are indispensable; protein, carbohydrates & fats, to keep not only our brain in perfect shape but all our organism, however some nutrients are more indispensable than others if we want to have a good memory & also improve it in time:

• Omega 3 & fatty acids (fish like salmon, mackerel & blue fin).  They are required for the correct functioning of the brain & help in the formation of the cells structure.  They also keep membranes flexible & affect the cognitive abilities.
• Whole grain foods (bran, bread, cereals, barley ecc) as long as they contain thiamine, that improves memory & helps the brain in all its functions.
• Food containing group B vitamins like B6, B12, folic acid; such as fish, milk, cheeses, lentils, asparagus, egg yolk, oranges ecc which release substances that are useful for the transmission of information.
• Food containing vitamin C such as broccoli, tomatoes, forest fruits & citrus fruits, which help protect from the formation of free radicals.
• Peanuts give us choline, very important for brain functioning.  Choline infact helps memory but also brain development.
• Foods containing zinc like fish, nuts, pumkin seeds & red meat.  Zinc improves the memory.
• Foods containing vitamin E like walnuts, hazelnuts ecc help protect the cells from the damage caused by the free radicals.
• Foods containing vitamin D such as milk, yoghurt, certain cereals & milk prevent brain ageing
•  Vegetables like brussel sprouts, broccoli & spinach help prevent diseases caused by age, hence attention, a fundamental part of the brain.
• Fat such as Olive oil, sunflower seeds & flax seeds, help keeping our nervous cells elastic & ease the connection through neurons.

On the other hand we must avoid foods that contain phenylalanine such as aspartame & almonds, because large quantities in the brain can cause mental retard, accretion retard, we must also avoid foods that are hard to digest & cause drowsiness & limit caffeine that reduces concentration abilities.

Apart from all this it is also good to train our brain with games like chess & sudoku, learn poems by heart, or other games that require concentration.

Last but not least & most probably the best technique to evolve our brain & keep it active is enclosed in the following principle:

Improve your social relations
A recent study has infact proven that interacting with other human beings is a very stimulating activity for the brain, which consequently will tend to improve its abilities & process information in lesser time.  Furthermore it seems that a good approach towards social relations slowers brain ageing, delaying also the problems caused by senility.

Whats left to say: go out more often, read more, eat well, do sports & HAVE FUN, you will see that your memory will immediately improve.

Take a look at our tried and tested method: Anti-Diet