Many people believe they just have bad memories, and there’s little or nothing they can do to improve their sieve-like minds. This is actually not true. There are many ways to improve memory, to enhance it, and to compensate when your ability to remember seems inadequate. It should be noted that sudden loss of memory, especially among the elderly, might indicate conditions like Alzheimer’s and you should see a doctor, since there are medications which may forestall or slow down this condition’s onset.

For folk who would simply like to improve memory, there are three main things that you need to enhance your brain function: adequate sleep, exercise, and good diet. These are a lot cheaper than the many memory enhancement tools on the market. Though some of these may work to a degree, others will not be worth their price. Any other types of devices or strategies you employ will be less effective without the big three.

If you’ve ever had to stay up for a full 24 hours, you’ll note that memory gets impaired quite quickly. In fact a recent study on students preparing for tests suggested that students who regularly pull “all-nighters” prior to taking an exam generally have lower grade point averages than people who get adequate sleep before taking tests. Adequate should be defined as at least eight hours of sleep a night. Some people may require more — as much as nine or ten hours.

Exercising to improve memory means primarily aerobic exercises: walking, biking, swimming, dancing, etc. These enhance your ability to remember by giving you more oxygen, and oxygen is the stuff that brain cells — as well as all your body’s cells — thrive upon. Good diet refers to eating foods high in antioxidants, getting plenty of dietary fiber, healthy sources of Omega-3 fatty acids, and making sure blood sugar remains stable.

To help kids at school, skip the cold cereal or pop tarts and consider serving protein instead. Eggs and toast for instance may improve not only memory, but also ability to concentrate in class. Yogurt smoothies made with soy or whey protein power can also give kids and adults that extra boost to keep their minds working at peak capacity.

Once you’ve got down the three basics, there are other things that may help improve memory. It can help to minimize distraction while working on tasks or studying. Low music to drown out background noise can be a help: think classical and not Aerosmith. Reducing stress levels is very important. When you’re stressed out, you will not remember as much or as well. Many suggest meditation to both focus the mind and to reduce overall stress; prayer may work equally well.

When you’re attempting to memorize things like phone numbers, math formulas and the like these can be most difficult. The best methods include attaching meaning to them. For instance a phone number might contain numbers that have a special meaning such as your birthdate, a special anniversary, or something similar, or they might have sequential numbers. Spend some time working on attaching meaning to the number in whatever ways work for you, and repeat the number verbally and write it down plenty of times to help you remember it.

Just about anything can be better remembered when it has attached meaning to it. If you have trouble with names, try to make up little rhymes about people you’ve met. Jot down a few notes on their physical description, or associate a name with someone you’ve known in the past. If you do happen to forget, ask again and keep trying to keep that name in focus.

Lastly, though your brain is not a muscle, it often works like one. You must keep using it, stretching it, and testing it to keep your memory sharp. Give yourself tests and challenges like memorizing short poems and bits of information. Keeping journals at night that catalog events of the day, can also help improve memory and keep your mental skills at their highest capacity.