They say the human brain has a storage capacity that is in the range of 2.5 million gigabytes. That said, our memory can be rather selective. Fresh things are easily accessible. Over time, those memories, especially less significant ones, fade away. For instance, you can probably remember any of the conversations you had yesterday fairly well, even if not word for word. Now try to remember a conversation you had 10 years ago on this day. For most people, that’s an impossible task. If something was significant to you in an emotional way, it will probably be gone forever. But there are some things you can do if you want to improve your memory, and some of them are quite unexpected. Make sure to bookmark this one in case you forget about it.
10. Apple Juice Stimulates Neurotransmitters
They say an apple a day keeps the doctor away, but no one specified if you needed to eat the thing. Some research suggests you can juice it if you want and still get some remarkable benefits. In specific, apple juice has been shown in animal studies to help increase production of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. This is a key component in brain function and, in particular, memory. Patients who suffer from Alzheimer’s have shown that, when acetylcholine levels are increased, it lowers the rate of mental decline.
The working theory based on the observations is that, if a person regularly drinks apple juice, they’ll be able to maintain proper functioning of their brain and memory, as well as potentially delay Alzheimer’s. Apples also contain antioxidants which are believed to help memory and cognition as well.
A 2006 study involving a small group of patients aged 72 to 93 who had Alzheimer’s showed that drinking 4 oz of apple juice three times a week could reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s by as much as 75%.
9. Doodling Can Boost Memory By as Much as 30%
Good news if you’re one of those people who can’t resist doodling on paper when you have a pen and an idle moment to spare. The simple act of doodling can apparently help focus your mind and improve memory and even understand new concepts and ideas better.
To test the potential usefulness of a doodle, participants in one experiment were forced to sit and be bored. They were given a boring test then moved to another room with nothing in it to hold their attention. They had to listen to a pre-recorded, monotone phone message about people being invited to a party and write down the names of people who were coming while ignoring those who were not coming.
One group had to only focus on the long, boring message. The other was allowed to use a pencil to fill in little holes and boxes on the paper, a very basic kind of doodling. The doodlers were better able to remember the necessary names and, in a surprise memory test after the fact, their results were 30% better than the non-doodlers.
8. Weight Loss, Including Surgical Weight Loss, Can Improve Memory
Weight issues are something of a modern plague among humans. In 2021, about 45% of people polled across 30 countries said they were actively trying to lose weight. There are a lot of reasons people may want to do so ranging from wanting to look better, to feel better, and to help deal with serious medical issues like heart disease or diabetes which can be exacerbated by weight problems. And if you’re in the same boat as so many others, here’s another reason to consider shedding a few pounds. Losing weight has been shown to help improve memory.
Kent State University conducted a study of 150 overweight people. It’s known that being overweight is a risk factor for Alzheimer’s so the study wanted to see if reversing the condition would have any effects on memory. Of the study participants, some underwent gastric bypass surgery while others did not. Within 12 weeks, those who had undergone the surgery actually showed significant improvement.
Researchers at Harvard have also researched into the links between the kinds of bad cholesterol from saturated fats and trans fats. They’ve concluded it’s not just your heart but your brain that suffers when bad cholesterol builds up. Diets high in fat and cholesterol seem to contribute to the creation of beta-amyloid plaques, which are found in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients.
Women in the study who ate diets high in saturated fats and butter scored worse on memory tests than those who ate very little. Plaque from these diets seems to build up in brain tissue and deprive your brain of oxygen, thus causing poor performance on things like memory tests.
7. Laughing Releases Hormones That Improve Short Term Memory
There’s an old saying that laughter is the best medicine which has probably been of little to no help to most people suffering from fatal illnesses. That said, there is evidence that laughter does have some benefits to your mental health, including improving your short-term memory.
Humor, and in particular laughter, has been shown to reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol. In one small study, participants had to sit still and do nothing for 20 minutes, or watch a self-selected comedy video. After 20 minutes, a test was administered to both groups to assess short-term memory including delayed recall, learning ability and visual recognition. Cortisol levels in saliva were measured throughout.
Members in the human group showed improved results in all three areas. Salivary cortisol was considerably less, as well. The conclusion was that laughter, and humor, have a noticeable effect, at least in the short term, on memory and recall.
6. Taking Naps Can Boost Cognitive Function
If you ever find yourself feeling a little draggy in the afternoon and think maybe a quick nap will get you back on track, science has your back. There’s evidence that nap time isn’t just a nice way to get refreshed, it can also improve your memory and other cognitive functions. All it takes is 30 to 90 minutes per day, or even less in some cases.
A 2009 study showed that people who memorized a list of words and then took a nap, even just a six-minute nap, were better at recalling the words later than those who didn’t nap. Those who take longer 30 to 90 minute naps don’t just have better word recall, they’re also better at figure drawing.
One thing worth remembering is that longer naps actually become detrimental to your cognitive function rather than beneficial. At some point you’ll start experiencing the opposite results if you nap for too long, so keep them brief and to the point.
5. Riding a Motorcycle Improves Cognition
Many of the grandmothers of the world will assure you that there’s no good reason to ride a motorcycle, and it’s terribly dangerous and irresponsible. But if you are a fan of the open road and the wind in your hair (under your helmet), then good news. Riding a motorcycle actually seems to have a beneficial effect on various aspects of cognition.
Research into men who had stopped riding motorcycles for over a decade. Half the group started riding again every day while the other half kept driving cars or bicycles. After two months, the motorcycle group showed higher marks in cognitive function and their results on simple memory tests increased by 50% over their pre-riding results. Those who weren’t riding were actually a little worse after the two months.
The speculation is that the heightened alertness required for riding a motorcycle engages more of your brain and thus has an improved effect overall.
4. Chewing Gum
It used to be an insult back in the day to tell someone they’d have trouble walking and chewing gum at the same time. You don’t hear that so often anymore and maybe that’s a good thing because apparently chewing gum is actually doing you some good. Chewing gum has been linked with information retention and improved memory.
In one study, students cramming for a test were split into groups where one chewed gum during their study session and the other did not. Those who chewed gum performed better and also reported feeling more alert for the exam. This may be due in part to the act of chewing gum increasing overall blood flow as, mild though it may be, it’s still physical activity. It increases blood flow to the brain and can make you feel more alert. That alertness from gum chewing has been shown in more than one study. It’s also been shown to reduce stress which can help with focus. The exact reasons are still speculative.
Another test on adults split participants into three groups. One chewed gum, one mimicked chewing gum and one did nothing. They were given memory and attention tests and the gum chewers scored 24% higher on immediate word recall and 36% higher on delayed word recall. Whatever the scientific reason, the results seem to keep indicating that gum will help improve your memory.
3. Pink Noise During Sleep Helps Improve Waking Memory
Many people like to have some white noise playing in the background when they sleep. A machine that plays nature sounds, or just a fan running. But some research suggests you want to do away with the white noise and get yourself some pink noise.
Pink noise, like white noise, is still relatively random. However, it has equal energy at every octave which means it includes high frequency and low frequency sounds that makes it more natural and soothing than white noise. Listening to pink noise can help improve your sleep and your waking memory as well.
In a test to determine if participants would have better recall of a memory test they took before sleep. Pink noise, which essentially sounds like rushing water, was played at regular intervals during the night on one night and not on another. After a night of pink noise enhanced sleep, participants performed three times better on memory tests than on nights without it.
2. Sex Can Improve Memory
It’s always good when something you like turns out to be good for you, so raise a glass to the research that suggests having sex can actually improve your memory, at least if you’re old enough.
Research has shown that sexual activity in adults aged 50 to 89 has noticeable benefits for their memory and cognitive abilities. Interestingly enough, there was actually an observed difference between how this affects both men and women as well. Men and women of the right age who were sexually active were tested on both word recall and number sequencing. Men showed increases in both areas while women seemed to receive no benefit to number sequencing.
In animal studies, rats that were allowed to have sex every day for two weeks showed more neuron growth than those that had only had sex once in that time.
A later study of women aged 18-29 showed that those who had more regular sexual intercourse had improved their ability to recall abstract words. However, there was no improvement in other areas such as the ability to recall faces.
1. Controlling Fire May Have Improved Memory in Our Ancient Ancestors
Think of how cool it must have been when one of our ancient ancestors first realized they could make fire. Not just by accident but by performing the same task again and again to ensure they could always have fire when they wanted it. No doubt that guy was super popular until everyone else figured it out.
Fire was mastered even before homo sapiens were strutting around, and homo erectus was likely using it not just to cook but to scare away predators and make inhospitable locations more tolerable so they could expand their territory.
Cooking food, both meat and vegetables, would allow for changes such as smaller jaw size, smaller gut, and other digestive differences between us and our distant ancestors. Also, the nutrition received altered us as well which improved social and intellectual abilities.
Fire offered artificial light so that our day didn’t have to end with the sun. Instead of sleeping for 12 or more hours a day, our ancestors could stay awake in their caves and spend more time doing literally anything. Thus began a progression of cognitive growth including problem solving skills and long-term memory. It’s also believed fire would have allowed for more consistent REM sleep because these ancient ancestors wouldn’t have to fear predators nearly as much with fire as a protector. In REM sleep, the brain is able to process memories, develop, build, and retain skills and essentially learn from what we’ve done. All of that can potentially be linked to fire. Arguably, fire allowed us to have memory period.