Boost Your Memory Today

By Rebecca Speechley

Health

03 February 2012 16:05

Make senior moments a thing of the past with our quick memory tricks. Forgotten where you left your keys? Can’t remember what you went upstairs for or the name of your next-door neighbour? Most of us become more forgetful as we get older, but losing your memory isn’t inevitable. With a few tricks you can maximise your memory and keep senior moments to a minimum.

How to: remember names

You might find it easy to remember someone’s face, but when it comes to their name it leaves you stumped – that’s because your brain finds it easier to recall images. The key is to associate a name with an image. “Notice odd details about a person’s face,” says Dr Bill Lucas author of Boost your Mind Power Week By Week (£4.99, Duncan Baird). “Does it have any unusual features? Is the nose long or bulbous? Are the eyes bright or feline? What about distinctive hair?  Now immediately associate these features with the persons name, saying to yourself “Sarah has a button-shaped nose” or “Ian has big ears”.”

How to: find your glasses

Concentration plays a big part in our memory – it’s often the little things, such as where we’ve left something, that elude us and it’s usually because we haven’t paid attention. “It’s good to have a routine when it come to things you frequently misplace,” says Dr Blissitt. “If you make a habit of always leaving your keys in a certain place and always putting your glasses in their case when you take them off you’re less likely to lose them. When you put something down focus on what you’re doing and actively try to remember where you’re putting the item.”

How to: remember important numbers

Remembering phone numbers or your pin number can be tricky mainly because numbers are boring and we don’t really want to remember them. The secret is to divide the number into smaller chunks to help your brain take it in. “Break the number into smaller sequences that mean something to you,” says brain-training expert Gareth Moore author of Keep Your Brain Fit (£5.99, Duncan Baird). “For example I might remember the number 421975 as “the meaning of life (according to The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy): 42” and “the year I was born: 1975”, make similar associations for your numbers.”

How to: remember why you’re there

If you often walk into a room and can’t remember what your went there for – you need to concentrate. When you think of something you need from another room pause for a moment, focus on what you need to do and form an image in your mind. So if you wanted to get a book from your bedroom imagine yourself picking up the book. Then head straight to the room without doing anything else on the way.

When to get help?

If your memory problems are becoming more common it might be worth getting checked for a more serious condition such as dementia. Try this quiz from the experts at the Birmingham and Midland Memory Clinic to assess your risk.
1 Have you forgotten what you heard on the news yesterday?  Yes/No
2. Do you mislay things around the house? Yes/No
3. Do you forget names of people and everyday things? Yes/No
4. Have you forgotten close family birthdays recently? Yes/No
5. Have you lost your way on a previously familiar route? Yes/No
6. Do you get muddled over the days of the week? Yes/No
7. Have friends or family commented your memory is getting worse? Yes/No
8. Has anyone in your family had a memory problem or suffered with dementia? Yes/No
9. Do you find that you need to make lists to remember things? Yes/No
10. Do you suffer with any of the following illnesses?
Heart problems Yes/No
Diabetes Yes/No
High blood pressure Yes/No
High Cholesterol Yes/No

If you have answered yes to five or more of these question see your GP for advice.