Memory training: 5 tips & 6 exercises for easier memory

A good memory has not everyone. But everyone can train it. With memory training you can improve your memory and prevent dementia in old age. We show you practical exercises and useful tips on how to train your memory.

What memory training is

Memory training includes a variety of exercises that can improve Improve the brain’s ability to remember. Seniors in particular are afraid to Dementia to fall ill and want to prevent this with memory training. But even young people can train their memory and thus also their retentiveness with effective exercises, for example for school or for study.

Memory trainers use special techniques to remember large amounts of information. You don’t need to learn complex strategies though. Memory training you can easily do with different Playing and exercises into your everyday life.

Memory training: 5 tips for your retentiveness

Our brain can not always remember everything equally well. To improve your memory in the long term, you should take to heart a few basics. We’ll show you which tricks should make remembering a little easier.

Use a body list

To remember things such as a shopping list, you can create a body list. It works similar to the mnemonics that memory artists use to memorize. So you link new knowledge in your head with an already known anchor. With the body list you connect new information pictorially with certain body parts body parts. With milk, for example, you imagine how your shoes are filled with milk and spill over when you walk.

You associate the butter with your knees by imagining rubbing a stick of butter on them. So you can continue with your whole body. Then, when you want to remember your shopping list, all you have to do is go through each of the body parts.

Memory training with apps

There are many different Apps and Websites, that offer you exercises to train your memory. The basic idea is that you can train your brain like a muscle. The more often you stimulate it, the better. The exercises range from simple Memory tasks via Brain teasers up to reaction games. Many apps go beyond memory training and also improve the general performance of your brain and your ability to concentrate. Different exercises target different regions of your brain. But you always train your memory indirectly with.

Memory training with apps has both an advantage and a disadvantage. The advantage: There is a wide range of games and exercises that you can use individually according to choose and adapt. The disadvantage: many apps only offer a small selection of exercises in the free version. If you want to solve more or more difficult tasks, you also have to invest some money.

Improve your memory with pauses

Improve your memory with breaks

To exercise a muscle, you also need to break times Plan in periods where the muscle can recover (relaxation techniques). It’s the same with your brain: if you keep it busy, there’s hardly anything left to do Energy for new learning free (learning to learn). A completely underestimated factor in this is the smartphone: even if it feels like free time to you, it’s hard work for your brain to check social media, watch movies or play smartphone games. Give your brain real breaks on a regular basis, for example when meditating or taking a walk.

Train your memory regularly

To keep your brain at peak performance, you need to keep it regularly stimulate. Like other muscles, your brain will degrade over time if you don’t train it. You have to do mainly routine work in your job? Then in your free time you should learning new things. Find something that you enjoy and that stimulates your brain. For example, read a non-fiction book on a new topic or learn a musical instrument (how about piano, guitar or drums)?) or a new language.

Good mood improves memory

Your mood has a great influence on your memory. If we are sad or simply stressed, it is difficult to learn new things. When we are happy, we can draw on much more of our brain’s capacity. So to do something for your memory, you can simply put yourself in a good mood and think positively. Of course this is not always possible. But often a walk, exercise before or music while studying helps to put you in a happy mood.

6 exercises for effective memory training

Being able to remember things effortlessly is an extremely useful skill. Some people seem to find this much easier than others. But the good news is: You can improve your Train your memory. In your everyday life there are many ways to train your memory.

Repeat names

You meet an acquaintance at a game and despite a lot of thinking you don’t remember his name. Many people find it particularly difficult to remember names. Often you hear the name of your counterpart only once when you meet a new person. It is not so easy to link them correctly right away.

But there is a simple solution for this: It is easier for you, if you can remember the name repeat several timesImmediately after hearing it, say it out loud and confirm that it is correct. Then you can drop it once or twice in further conversation and once more when saying goodbye. This way you stand a good chance of getting the name firmly fixed. It’s best to make a habit of remembering people’s names no matter where you meet them. This will not only train your memory, but will also show your counterpart your appreciation for the last.

Another trick to remembering names: Take an interest in other people and gather information that you can then link. For example: Martin Schmied is a lawyer by profession, likes to listen to jazz music and is training for a half marathon. With this information you can build up a picture that your memory can absorb much better than the name alone.

Memory training with games

One of the best known memory training games you know from your childhood: Memory. You have to remember which cards are in which position in order to find as many pairs as possible. Why don’t you play memory games to train your memory?! If you have children around you, they are sure to get excited about playing together. But playing memory games is also fun with adults. There are many versions that appeal especially to adults. The level of difficulty is slightly higher than in the children’s version.

There are also many Online games and games that you can play via App on your cell phone. In this way you train your memory playfully and have fun at the same time.

Visualize numbers as memory training

We often have to remember numbers: For example, pins, birthdays or phone numbers. Remembering pin numbers is especially important, because you should not write them down or save them. To remember such combinations of numbers more easily, you can make yourself a Introduce keypad, on which you enter the number. In this way you link the abstract numbers with a concrete action and that makes it easier to remember.

Also the Writing down by hand lets you memorize the number combination better. With pin numbers, however, you should destroy what you have written down afterwards. The best way is to use a blackboard on which you simply wipe away the numbers later.

Train your memory in everyday life

Memory training can be easily integrated into your daily routine. In your everyday life there are many small occasions, which you can use for practicing without much effort. Try, for example, visualizing a shorter Shopping list can not also remember. You can still have a piece of paper with you for cheating. Or you try, Phone numbers typing them in from memory instead of calling them up on your cell phone. Remember street names, which you pass, the Date for your next meeting or the Authors of the last books you have read.

With a little attention you will surely find many occasions in your everyday life to train your memory. By the way, you train your mindfulness for the things around you. Just try it out.

Learn vocabulary with the keyword method

Learning vocabulary with the keyword method

In almost no other area is the memory as important as in the Learning a new language. While some people just seem to have a natural talent for language, others have a hard time remembering even the simplest words (different learning types at a glance). However, there is also a simple method for learning vocabulary: associate the word in the foreign language with a similar sounding German word.

Two examples: To remember the English word "belt", imagine that a belt barks like a dog. If you want to remember "caterpillar", imagine a caterpillar giving a pill to a tomcat. Such pictures can be anchored much easier in the memory than the vocabulary itself. You will certainly not find a word for every word matching keyword but you will find a lot of. And with time your imagination and creativity will increase, which will help you for this exercise.

Remember more with Reminiscent Reading

Practice reading by memory

If you want to remember the material from a book, you should read "with a pencil. This means: after each paragraph, think about what the most important statement of this section was. Underline them or write them down. After a few pages, repeat the most important information from the text in your mind or out loud. This will take a little longer than just reading, but you will remember much more of the content. You can train this method not only with reference books, but also with novels.

Memory training for seniors

In old age, the brain’s performance gradually decreases (tips for the right old age care). This is a natural process. But older people in particular can improve their short-term memory with regular memory training Slow down the decline in performance. For seniors, there are simple exercises to combat forgetfulness. This is how the daily Crossword puzzle for example, not a mere pastime, because you have to remember many words at the same time and go through your vocabulary internally.

But also this Recite poems (40 beautiful poems) or the Singing old songs (learning to sing) from childhood days are helpful. Because here you have to remember the text on the one hand and the meter or the melody on the other hand.

Memory training for dementia

With a Dementia disease the memory decreases even faster. Depending on the progress of the disease the memory training should be adapted. Because too difficult tasks or questions can create too much pressure on the person affected. And then the head closes even faster. As a rule, exercises that improve the brain’s ability to remember words are suitable Long-term memory appeal to dementia patients rather than exercises that train short-term memory.

Here, for example, the Showing photos of the patient’s old friends or to train the Practicing poems or songs as memory training. They should short questions about existing knowledge put. In any case, relatives or caregivers of the ill person should keep patience and not follow up directly with every hesitation.

Train the long-term memory

The Long-term memory is the long-term memory of our brain. If we perceive information as particularly important to us, or simply repeat it often enough, we store it in our long-term memory. So when training your long-term memory, you should learn and repeat content not just in one day, but in ever increasing intervals. Repeat new words, for example, every day for three days, then once a week, and finally only once a month. Should you forget the information again, however, repeat it again more often.

Train short-term memory

In short-term memory, also called working memory, your brain stores only information for a few minutes from. on average only for about 18 seconds. Everything that goes beyond this ends up in the long-term memory. Repeat new contents thus immediately, when you perceive them. For example, by immediately repeating a name that you have just heard. You can also do the following exercises for short-term memory: