Find yourself thinking about summer coming up, and you just can’t focus on your finals and other tasks that need to be done first? Well check out the health tips below for some easy ways to increase your memory and focus your attention span on your work that is needed to be done!
Try Choline: a Vitamin B Derivative
Choline is a precursor that is needed to produce acetylcholine and research has shown that acetylcholine helps mediate your memory, as well as your other cognitive functions. So if you don’t have enough vitamin b then you are not getting enough choline, which means you are not producing enough acetylcholine and this therefore can cause a decline in your memory. So during exams make sure you are taking the proper amount of vitamin b and you will find that you are having an easier time memorizing facts/concepts for your classes. Some foods that also contain choline are egg yolk and soy-beans.
Research has also shown that omega-3-fatty acids also play a role in our mental health and neurological processes. Omega 3 fatty acids help with learning new concepts and memory. Also an added benefit of omega-3-fatty acids is that it can help prevent many mental disorders such as depression, schizophrenia and dementia. If you read the article “10 Brain Foods” you can learn about more foods which contain omega-3-fatty acids and also are beneficial to your brain.
The Best Times to Study:
We all run on a circadian rhythm cycle so this means that at certain times in the day our brains are more active as compared to other times. Here is a guideline on when we are most alert and when we are most fatigued.
1. It has been found that the brain is highly alert around 10 a.m. since certain hormone levels have started to increase, including cortisol, and these certain hormones which are released aid in your brain’s concentration.
2. After 11 a.m. now melatonin levels have dropped significantly which means your brain has a high level of alertness, which makes it easier to concentrate, especially on those difficult classes which require more attention.
3. In the afternoon your brain is fatigued (around 2 p.m.) so this is a good time to take a break from studying.
4. Start studying again around 3:30 since this is when your brain has the fastest reaction time, making it easier to grasp concepts.
5. Around 7 p.m. melatonin levels are essentially zero so this is another good time to start studying again, since it is very unlikely to be tired around this time
6. Around 9 p.m. melatonin levels start to increase, so now your brain will start to get more fatigued since it is getting ready to go into sleep mode.
Sleep is essential when it comes to learning and memory and it has been proven that without a sufficient amount of sleep cognitive functions decline. However, it is okay to have 6 hours of sleep some nights, but if you are getting less than 7 hours every night it will be harder for you to concentrate and memorize.
Some other things to note is that you should not focus on one subject for more than 2 hours since the brain does tend to get bored, and if you focus on a subject for too long your brain will stop processing effectively. Mix it up a bit and do multiple courses throughout the day or try different studying methods. Try not to just read for 4 hours straight, instead do practice questions or watch videos pertaining to the concepts.
Also the brain likes things organized so make a plan of what you need to learn and a schedule of what you need to do and set a deadline. You will be surprised how big of a difference it makes to have a schedule.
Take Breaks:
Take 15-20 minute breaks after studying for 2 hours. It is more effective to walk around and get your heart rate going, rather than just sitting on Facebook.
Stress:
Depending on the amount of stress you have it can either be beneficial or detrimental to you. It is good to be stressed somewhat over exams rather than not being worried at all; this is because stress releases epinephrine which allows more blood and oxygen to circulate to the brain, which makes it easier to concentrate and learn. However when you start to stress too much then stress can have a negative effect. It elevates cortisol levels above the normal baseline levels and this influx in cortisol actually reduces the number of cells in the hippocampus. It is not good to damage these cells when studying since they are responsible for your memory formation. So if you stress too much then this is going to make it difficult to memorize certain facts about the course.
A Better Alternative to Coffee?
Some studies have show that yerma mate is actually better for you than coffee (and cheaper to buy). Yerma mate has a better nutritional profile since it contains more vitamins and amino acids, which your body needs. Also a good thing about yerma mate is that it has a calming ingredient so it doesn’t make you anxious or tense. However one thing to note is that it does have a lower caffeine concentration than coffee, but it is greater than tea. So when choosing between tea and yerma mate, yerma mate is the way to go!
Read THIS article for foods that help increase memory!
