There are several ways to improve memory. Taking care of bad cholesterol, which is known to affect memory loss, and sleeping more than 7 hours at night are some of them. In this article we want to focus on how to increase memory is by taking care of stress. According to the eBook we need to take care of our stress level as it plays a big role in maintaining a healthy mind.
Avoiding Stress And Memory Loss
In our modern days, stress is very common and affects our physical health as well as our mental health leading to memory loss. Studies have shown that people who are not able to handle their stress have a higher risk to experience memory problems than people who do. To improve memory, we need to learn how to de-stress.
In a state of stress, the receptive parts of the brain have a hard time communicating with one another. When brain cells are not connected properly, retention and recall of the information is inhibited since memory relies on these nerve processes.
In a state of stress, oxygen and glucose are taken away from the brain. The body produces two different kinds of hormones: adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones are important in dangerous situations and enable you to protect yourself. In a continuous state of stress for weeks on end, the body, anticipating injury, starts decreasing the production of adrenaline and increasing the produce of cortisol. The production of cortisol starts diverting oxygen and sugar from the brain and other parts of the body. Eventually it reduces the energy that is necessary for the brain to function. A person exposed to stress for more than three days starts to experience memory loss.
What you can do to relieve your stress
Physical health plays a major role in memory improvement. High levels of stress combined with lack of physical activities has a significant negative effect on memory. Different studies have shown that the increase of Alzheimer’s and Dementia is more widespread among people who have not taken care of their physical health as they aged.
Relaxation helps to relieve stress symptoms. Taking a step back from stressful situations can be an easy and effective way to calm down by simply detaching yourself from a difficult event. Although stress will not disappear, it helps to release tension in the body and clear your thoughts.
Relaxing By Breathing
Try the following: Practice relaxed breathing while in a room without any disturbances.
- Make yourself as comfortable as possible while sitting in a chair that supports your head and back.
- Place your arms on the chair arms and do not cross your legs, as one need to focus on your breathing.
- Now, breathe slowly in through your nose and out through your mouth
Continue doing this on counts of five and let the air escape slowly, still counting from one to five until your body and mind feels relaxed.
Deep muscle relaxation
This exercise will take about 20 minutes. It will release the tension from your body and relax your mind by simply engaging and releasing your muscles.
Preparation:
Find a quiet place to sit or lie and place yourself in a stretched out comfortable position. You can even play some relaxing music while doing this exercise.
Close your eyes and focus on your breathing by breathing in and out slowly. For each muscle relaxing exercise, hold and stretch them for a couple of seconds and then relax. Repeat the stretching for a couple of times and work through each of the following muscle groups:
- Face: push your eyebrows together, as if you are frowning, then release
- Neck: gently tilt your head forward while pushing your chin down towards the chest, then slowly lift again
- Shoulders: pull your shoulders up towards your ears like a shrug, then relax them down towards your feet
- Chest: breathe slowly into the lower section of your rib cage so that you are using the whole volume of your lungs. Then breathe out slowly, allowing your tummy to deflate completely like an air balloon.
- Arms: stretch your arms away from your body, reach out to the sides, then relax.
- Legs: push your toes away from your body, then pull them towards your body, then and relax.
- Wrists & hands: engage your wrist by pulling your hands up, extend out your fingers & thumbs, then relax.
After completion of the deep muscle relaxation exercise spend some time lying in silence with your eyes closed. When you feel ready to get up, stretch and get up slowly.
Take care of your stress and memory loss will not be an issue. Use the techniques above to provide your brain with oxygen and relax your muscles. When you manage to relax and breathe deeply, stress will have much less impact on you and subside eventually.
