Friday, December 9, 2022

Retaining Information - Doing Better

Help our brain to help our game. Many say we want to retain more information. Age and time work against us, but brain "neuroplasticity" is on our side. Research high performance.

What tools help us?

  • Mindfulness
  • Exercise
  • Metacognition (learning about learning)
  • Nutrition 
  • Sleep 
  • Writing 
  • Analogies 
  • Medication 
Mindfulness improves focus leading to better grades and standardized test scores. It changes brain structure and function, improving density in the learning and memory centers and reducing it in the 'stress' center (amygdala). It takes a small time commitment. 


Exercise has established benefit in improving memory. "Many studies have suggested that the parts of the brain that control thinking and memory are larger in volume in people who exercise than in people who don't. "Even more exciting is the finding that engaging in a program of regular exercise of moderate intensity over six months or a year is associated with an increase in the volume of selected brain regions."

Metacognition means learning how to learn. Breaks (25 minutes on, 5 off), spaced repetition (learn over multiple sessions), and self-testing are proven learning techniques. 

Nutrition "The Mediterranean diet includes several components that might promote brain health:

  • Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, and olive oil help improve the health of blood vessels, reducing the risk for a memory-damaging stroke.

  • Fish are high in omega-3 fatty acids, which have been linked to lower levels of beta-amyloid proteins in the blood and better vascular health."

Sleep as Shakespeare wrote, "knits up the raveled sleave of care." "A number of studies have shown that a reduction in total sleep time or specific sleep stages can dramatically inhibit a person's ability to consolidate recently formed memories." Make time for eight hours of sleep. 

Writing outperforms typing in recalling concepts.
 

Analogies Analogies help us clarify and associate pieces of information. 


Analogies are everywhere. See how we can apply them.

Medication is not well-established to improve memory in normal people. But alcohol is proven to cause memory impairment. "A single night’s alcohol use impairs hydration (alcohol is a diuretic), muscle recovery, healing, and can cause memory deficits for three days. Alcohol damages sleep. It limits absorption of key vitamins. It decreases endurance."

Bottom line? Use available tools to study, learn, and recall better. 

Lagniappe. Bring extra effort. 
Lagniappe 2. Raise our mental game. 
Lagniappe 3. 










 

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