How can I train my memory?

There are various methods to train and possibly even improve memory and brain performance as such. What they all have in common is the challenge of new, previously unknown tasks. As an alternative to memory training, terms like brain jogging or brain meditation are also used.

They all refer to exercise units that are intended to counteract natural aging and thus the decline in memory performance. In order to actively halt the decline in memory, new nerve cells in the brain must be stimulated, thereby activating areas that are otherwise less active or reestablishing connections between brain regions. Pure memorization does not have these effects and is therefore only an endurance exercise for the brain.

On the other hand, exercises in which you have to actively establish new connections and thus require a lot of concentration tend to even improve your memory performance in the long run. If you adapt the exercises to your everyday life, the effects of the training are mostly noticeable there as well. An illustrative example could be the following: While the stubborn memorization of number sequences or city names can be classified rather as brain jogging, one challenges the memory in an interactive way for example with the fact that one does without the used way to work times and takes a detour or turns the used magazine times on the head and reads the other way round.

The main point is to break through habitual activities and procedures from time to time and to vary them creatively.Learning a new language in old age can also be a good training for the memory. The most suitable language is one that can be used on the next vacation. This helps on the one hand with motivation, on the other hand the brain can store things much more easily, which can prove to be useful.

But also emotions and pictures can be useful. If someone feels well, his brain is flooded with several messenger substances that can significantly improve the learning process. Many memory trainers also rely on the link between memory content and images, which can be better retrieved as a condensed story, for example, than the individual items on a shopping list.

An important criterion for the selection of the appropriate memory training should be that it corresponds to the individual performance of the user. Exercises that are too easy can quickly lead to underchallenge and thus to boredom, while tasks that are too difficult can lead to frustration. A good marker for the degree of difficulty can be fatigue.

A slight fatigue after demanding tasks, for example, is a sign that the brain has been working and thus also trained. In addition, care should be taken to ensure that the exercises do not become monotonous and that there is enough variety. On the one hand, this increases motivation, but on the other hand it also constantly challenges different regions of the brain, which can be of decisive importance for the overall performance of the brain.