Want to improve your memory? Try these 10 brain exercises

With so many ‘brain training’ apps and software available, you might be thinking that to improve your cognition and memory, you need to make use of these kinds of technological tools. But many things you might already be doing in your everyday life can contribute to improving your memory.

In fact, studies have shown that memory loss may improve by 30-50% when we perform regular mental exercises that show up in our daily lives. Just like exercising our muscles helps them grow, exercising our brain will also help give it a boost of power that will keep us sharp as tacks.

So what are some of the best brain exercises to improve memory?

1. Physical activity

Just when you thought physical exercise wouldn’t come into it, it’s actually been found that physical activity is one of the best forms of brain exercise. This is because when we exercise, the blood flow to our brain is increased, and our blood pressure is better regulated - this kind of outcome is important to keep our risk for dementia in later life at bay.

To really give your brain a boost, choose an activity that also challenges you to think or learn a whole new skillset – such as tai chi – and aim for 30 minutes each day.

2. Socialising

Interacting with people is another way to work our brains, and an enjoyable one at that! During our interactions with other people, our brains are working hard to follow the conversation, especially if there are multiple people involved, and we’re thinking about our own opinions and how we’re going to form a response.

3. Playing games

Playing games that challenge you mentally and force you to think, such as chess, Scrabble, Trivial Pursuit, and card games, gives you even more cognitive bang for your buck when spending time with friends.

Not only are you having fun, but you’re also challenging your brain as you remember the rules of the game - especially if you’re playing a game you’ve never played before.

4. Reducing stress levels

Because excess cortisol can be harmful to the information-transmitting neurons in the brain, it’s important that we reduce stress as much as possible to help boost our memories.

Meditation is a great tool for reducing stress and helping us to be present in our lives - it’s even been linked with better attention and working memory.

5. Reducing risk factors

Brain health is also linked to body health, so not smoking, getting checked for blood pressure and diabetes, getting enough sleep, and eating a nutritious diet are all vital for maintaining our brain health.

6. Looking after mental health

As you might have experienced, depression and anxiety can have a negative impact on our memory and overall cognition. If you experience either of these, it’s important to seek help and create a plan for managing it so you can keep your brain function optimised.

7. Reading

If reading is already a passion of yours, then you’ll love this one! It’s no surprise that when we read, our brains are firing on all cylinders, engaging in the story and learning new information.

Find a genre that you’re interested in, and read everything from books and magazines, to articles and newspapers.

8. Learning something new

Learning something new is also a great way to keep our brains engaged and healthy. Learn a new language or enrol in a short course or workshop that interests you, or take up another new hobby.

9. Working with your hands

You don’t just have to hit the books to improve your memory. You could even learn a new manual skill, such as woodworking, which can improve other skills such as spatial awareness.

10. Becoming a quiz master

If you don’t already, give crosswords and quizzes a go! These kinds of activities can be found in your local newspapers and magazines, or you can even follow along with general knowledge game shows on TV to improve your knowledge and test your memory.