Tips to Improve Short Term Memory

Short term memory is often called active memory or working memory.  The terms all refer to the brain's capacity to store a small amount of information that is actively available for a short time.  The amount of information capable of being held in short term memory will vary from person to person but the average range appears to be from 5 to 9 separate pieces of information.  How long items are held in short term memory also differs from person to person but will average two minutes or less.  Longer than that and the information has become a part of long term memory – or disappeared.

Trying to improve short term memory retention is done the same as when you try to improve your long term memory.  Any memory boosting activity that you do will benefit both your short term and long term memory.  A large factor in short term memory is how much attention you are giving to the information.  If you are not paying attention, chances are the information will “go in one ear and out the other”, as the old saying goes. 

Two things remain just as vital to short term memory ability as they do to long term memory and overall brain functioning.  You must be taking in the right nutrients and you need to exercise.  Your brain needs certain nutrients to function at its highest level.  Things like vitamin B6 and Omega-3 fatty acids are often missing in modern diets and they are essential to a healthy brain.  Exercise benefits the brain just as it does with any other part of the body.  Aerobic exercise is particularly beneficial to a healthy brain as it improves blood flow, helping to get oxygen and vital nutrients to the brain cells.

Sleep is an important factor in short term memory.  Your entire body does not function properly without enough rest but it is especially important for the brain.  You can sit on the couch, not moving a muscle, but your brain only rests when the body is asleep.

Making time to relax is very important to short term memory, as well.  When we don't relax, our bodies and mind get overloaded causing stress on every part of our body and mind.  Stress not only affects short term memory and our thinking processes, it has been proven that stress causes or contributes to many physical diseases, as well.

Exercise your brain on a regular basis, just as you should be exercising your body.  Keep learning and challenging your mind to keep your brain and memory in tip top shape.  Puzzle games that make you think are a good way to exercise your brain and they come in a huge variety so everyone is sure to find at least one that they like.  Puzzles that use logic are a good way of exercising your brain.  There are word logic problems as well as the number logic game, Sudoku.

Short term memory may not hold a lot of information but it is often very necessary in our daily lives.  By following these tips, you can sharpen and maintain your short term memory even while you grow older.