Brain exercises: how to improve your memory in five minutes a day

A good memory and a sharp mind are not innate human talents, but skills that can be developed and trained by both children and adults. For this, there are series of exercises and special methods aimed at improving brain activity and synchronizing the functioning of the cerebral hemispheres.

Human brain and memory training

Just like the body, the brain also needs training. Many tasks that once created new neural connections gradually become routine and reduce the brain's ability to focus on new things. The reason for this is a violation of interhemispheric interaction and the lack of their equivalent development.

A person's desire to learn new things, which forms new neural connections, helps to normalize the functioning of the brain. But the lack of "nutrition" for the brain slows down the learning process, due to deterioration of memory, lack of quick reaction and the ability to think creatively.

An effective way to restore and improve mental and cognitive abilities is to perform special exercises to train the brain. Daily training helps improve brain activity and, consequently, a person's cognitive abilities, which include thinking, memory, speech, perception, imagination and attention.

Benefit

What are the benefits of gymnastics for the brain:

• increases concentration and reaction speed;
• memory improves;
• increases emotional resistance to negative factors;
• improves coordination of movements;
• has more energy to complete daily tasks;
• the hidden capabilities of the brain are revealed;
• the quality of sleep improves.

Brain gymnastics is often prescribed by psychotherapists to treat neurosis, depression and emotional exhaustion. Exercise helps overcome negative thoughts, distract oneself and restore a person's productivity.

Peculiarities

You need to train your brain throughout your life, starting in childhood and continuing into adulthood. In its principle, gymnastics for improving memory and brain activity is the same for both children and adults, but it has a number of features.

In adults

Forgetfulness, poor spatial orientation and a general decline in performance can be observed in every person over the age of 20. The most common reasons include bad habits, poor sleep and irregular working hours, which overload the brain with an abundance of information. To normalize brain function and regain the sharpness of your intellect, you need to reconsider your lifestyle, be physically active, be able to rest and devote 5 minutes a day to thematic exercises.

Also, adults should not forget about brain development methods for children: fine motor skill exercises, studying poems, retellings, etc.

In children

The degree of development of interhemispheric connections determines the child's academic performance, correct coordination of movements, communication with peers, quality of speech and emotional intelligence. The development of new neural nodes should begin at age 2-3, when a child's brain absorbs much more energy than an adult's.

The main and popular way to develop the brain in children is through educational games that combine activities to improve hand-eye coordination, concentration and motor skills. Furthermore, the equal development of the cerebral hemispheres is favorably influenced by:

• finger gymnastics;
• breathing exercises;
• logorhythmic;
• listening to music;
• dance;
• read and tell what has been read;
• creativity: modeling, drawing, weaving, etc. ;
• self-massage;
• kinesiological exercises;
• educational games: comparing objects, guessing an object by description, etc.

All this helps to improve interhemispheric interaction, which influences the formation of healthy self-esteem and the success of the child. And the desire to learn new things can become a useful habit for a child that will help him throughout his life.

How to develop memory

Memory is closely related to other cognitive abilities that also require development. Therefore, its development should be approached comprehensively, performing special exercises and changing one's daily life using other interesting ways, which we will consider later.

The best exercises

Lessons must take place in a quiet environment. The duration of the training ranges from 5 to 20 minutes. It is also important to complicate the exercises by increasing the number of repetitions, adding additional gestures, movements and sounds.

For the brain

The following series of neurogymnastics exercises was developed by American psychologists Paul and Gail Dennison on the basis of educational kinesiology.

Exercise 1. "Buttons of the brain"

Exercise helps "jump start" the brain and tune into work.

1. Stand up straight, back straight.
2. With one hand, massage the depressions between the first and second ribs in the area on the left and right under the collarbones. The other hand is placed on the navel, which allows you to focus on the center of gravity.

Exercise 2. "Hooks"

1. Take any comfortable starting position: standing, sitting or lying, crossing your ankles.
2. Extend your arms forward, folding your palms towards each other and clasping your fingers.
3. Turn your arms inward at chest level so your elbows are pointing down.
4. Return to the starting position. Repeat 8-10 times.

Exercise 3. "Knee-elbow"

1. Starting position: standing.
2. Raise and bend your left leg at the knee.
3. With the elbow of your right hand, touch the knee of your left leg. Then repeat the movement with your right leg and left arm. Do 8-10 reps.

Exercise 4. "Elephant"

1. Starting position: standing, in a relaxed position. Knees slightly bent.
2. Tilt your head towards your shoulder. From this shoulder, extend your arm forward, like a trunk, and draw a horizontal figure eight, starting from the center of your field of vision, upward and counterclockwise. Important: the eyes follow the movement of the fingertips.

Perform the exercise slowly 3-5 times with your left hand pressed on your left ear and the same number of times with your right hand pressed on your right ear.

Exercise 5. "Mirror drawing"

1. Grab some markers or a pen in both hands.
2. Draw numbers, letters, etc. in a mirrored manner with both hands at the same time on a sheet of paper.

Additional exercises to maximize brain involvement in work:

1. "Fist palm. "Extend both arms in front of you. Squeeze the fingers of your left hand into a fist, straighten your right hand. After that, constantly change the position of the fingers, gradually accelerating the movements.
2. "Winner". The fingers of one hand show the "V" gesture, the other "OK". Alternate hands, gradually increasing speed.
3. "Horns and legs. "One hand shows the horns, the other the legs (thumb, index and middle fingers). Alternate hands, gradually increasing speed.
4. On one side, sequentially connect the thumb with all the other fingers, starting with the index finger. Do the same with the other hand, but starting with the little finger. Perform the exercise with both hands at the same time.
5. "Puzzle". On the one hand, bend all the fingers except the index and middle fingers, on the other, except the ring finger and little finger. Connect them like puzzles. Change hands, gradually accelerating the movements.

For memory

Simple and effective exercises to improve memory:

1. Route map.Draw a map of the route you take to work. Try to remember everything down to the smallest details: names of streets, subway stations, bus stops, shops you encountered along the way.
2. Alphabet.Quickly find words for every letter of the alphabet.
3. Magician.For this exercise you will need a deck of playing cards. Shuffle it and remember the sequence of the first 3-5 cards from the deck. Shuffle the deck and find these cards.
4. A carbon copy.Find any picture on the Internet or take a banknote. Study the image for a minute and draw from memory what you see on a piece of paper. Then compare the drawing with the original to identify any missing details.
5. Remember a school poem or learn your favorite songs. It's also great for training your memory.
6. Before going to bed, remember the people and objects around you. If you attended a lecture, try to reconstruct all the material in your head.
7. Grab some items. Look at it in detail for a minute. Then step away from the topic and try to describe it by writing a detailed review.

Other methods

In addition to special exercises, there are other useful ways to activate the brain and improve memory:

1. Constantly learn new things.The minimal load on the brain and the lack of new information lead to the deterioration of memory and other cognitive abilities. Additionally, shifting your attention to something outside of your work helps build stress resistance. The best options are learning foreign languages, online courses, crafts, etc.
2. Play mind games, solve crosswords, puzzles. This will help you keep a clear mind and broaden your horizons.
3. Get out of your comfort zone.For example, take a different route to work, take up a hobby you were afraid of, actively meet and communicate with people in real life.
4. Commit simultaneouslyboth hemispheres of the brain. Brush your teeth, eat, open the door, hold the handle with your non-dominant hand.
5. Read, write by hand.Reading trains memory, activates imagination and creative thinking. And handwriting is a great way to develop fine motor skills.

Equally important is being able to rest. Avoid sleep deprivation and learn to meditate. The brain needs relaxation and rest.

Products for memory and brain development

To keep your brain active, it is important to pay attention to your diet. A healthy daily diet should include proteins, healthy fats and complex carbohydrates. You can also include in your menu the following products that support brain activity:

1. Fatty fish.A source of Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, which affect the active saturation of brain cells with oxygen and nutrients.
2. Bitter chocolate.Chocolate with 70% cocoa slows age-related mental decline and prevents cognitive deterioration.
3. Egg. Egg yolks contain choline, which is used by the body to create the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, responsible for memory and mood.
4. Wholemeal bread and cereals.Cereals improve your metabolism, fill you with energy and improve blood circulation in the brain, thanks to their vitamin B6 content.
5. Tomatoes.A source of melatonin, which prevents the aging of brain cells and improves the condition of blood vessels.

Also, for active brain activity, it is important to maintain fluid balance by drinking enough water every day.

Prevention

For a clear mind, good memory and active brain function it is important:

1. Get rid of bad habits.Smoking, alcohol and the intake of psychotropic substances compromise blood circulation in the brain, leading to oxygen starvation and the death of neurons.
2. Walk.Daily walks saturate the brain with oxygen and help develop concentration and memory.
3. Exercise.Physical activity improves blood circulation, helps improve memory, coordination of movements and improves health.
4. Donate to the brainuniform loadand don't forget rest.
5. Maintain good sleep hygiene.Sleep at least 7-8 hours. Sleep is necessary for the brain to rest, strengthen necessary ones and destroy unnecessary neural connections.

The most important thing is to train every day. Only regular exercise will give the desired result.