Use natural methods to boost your cognitive function and improve your performance and attention span

Are you forgetful? Do you mislay things? Do you forget appointments if you don’t make a note of them? Memory loss is a common concern among people of a certain age, but young people sometimes forget things, too. They worry about this even though the only reason is that they are not exercising their brains the way they could.

Here are some tips to help you to boost your memory and attention span and to improve your ability to work and study.

• Use memory tricks

Learning numbers and memorising facts. It is easy to remember numbers if you divide them into parts, and facts are far easier to remember if you imagine that you are a part of them.

Use mnemonic strategies such as acronyms, which consists of forming a word with the first letter or syllable of a list, or acrostics, which consist of creating a sentence for remembering a list of names. Although it may seem silly, rhymes can also be an effective way of remembering an appointment or task.

• Positive thinking

If you are keep telling yourself that you are bound to forget something, your brain won’t make the effort to recall the fact.

• Exercise your brain

Doing crossword puzzles or Sudoku can help you to keep your powers of concentration and exercise your brain by using the word and the mathematical areas. “Brain training” video-type games that you will find online and on different platforms are also useful. They are also fun and encourage you to compete with yourself as you overcome challenges and do better and better.

• Use all your senses

Scents can bring back memories, sometimes of things that happened long ago, in the past. If you write a note on a piece of paper and then read it aloud, you are using your sense of sight and your sense of hearing and you are more likely to remember it.

• Be organised

Sometimes we forget things because our lives are a bit disorganised. Plan your day, prioritise tasks and tick them off as you complete them. It is a good idea to write down what you need to do and make lists of the most important.

• Eat a healthy, balanced diet

Food is as important to your brain as mental exercise. Make sure that your diet includes foods rich in phosphorus (egg, blue fish, milk, cocoa…), magnesium (sunflower seeds, dried fruits, whole grains…) and potassium (bananas, oranges, chard and potatoes). Increase your intake of foods rich in antioxidants to protect cells from premature ageing, particularly fresh fruits and vegetables.

• Get enough rest!

Getting enough sleep is essential to recharge your batteries and boost your memory. Keep to your schedules, stay cool, turn off the light, avoid noise, have dinner early and eat foods rich in tryptophan to help you to get to sleep.

• Take regular exercise

Sport improves self-esteem and self-confidence. It encourages oxygenation and circulation and helps your ability to pay attention and concentrate, favouring coordination and memory.

Laugh at life. Laughing stimulates areas of the brain responsible for memory and alertness and also produces very pleasant sensations that the body will tend to repeat. Don't forget it!

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