In some countries like the Philippines, classes are about to start in less than a month. South Korean and European students are now hunchbacked on their books for the upcoming exams. In order for students to answer their exams, they must acquire effective study habits, understand their lessons, and improve their memorizing skills. Memorizing is a bit of a problem, but there are several methods in improving memory.

Improving memory is not possible if you yourself are not determined to extend it further. You have to convince yourself that you can still place stuff in your brain. The saying, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks” is proven wrong already by scientists because humans constantly learn all through their life and are capable of adapting change even at an old age.

Before studying, remove all items unrelated to your activity. The information you take into your brain comes first in your short term memory. Once you concentrate, the information will then be directed to your long term memory.

You sometimes remember something because it resembles another thing. This also goes well with studying. Association is another method of improving memory. Technical terms may be hard to remember but you can easily recall them if you try to make it resemble to another item, event, person, etc.

Your diet and sleeping habits affect the improvisation of your memory. Since you’re worn out all throughout the day, your brain cells are also damaged. In order to repair them, you have to sleep. Once you’re sleep deprived, damaged cells cannot deliver information effectively. Also, the food you eat takes part in repairing your damaged cells so be sure to eat healthy foods and follow the food pyramid.

Studying doesn’t make you a nerd, and it shouldn’t separate you from people. If you want to find your way to improving memory, you must have a healthy relationship with others as well. In a research conducted in Harvard University, it was found that people who are emotionally healthy have less chances of declining their memory. This is why Alzheimer’s disease occurs. Those who are emotionally down tend to forget easily.

Studying with someone can also make things easier for you to remember. During the study, both of you can assist each other on things the other doesn’t know. Because you are also assisting your partner, you are also recalling the information you have taken in.

Don’t stress yourself with too much studying. Though studying must be taken seriously, you must also give yourself a considerable length of time to rest. Like they say, “All work and no play make Jack a dull boy”.

To sum it all up, having the proper diet, sleep and study habits, and social interaction will help improving memory. If you want to memorize more effectively, you must study ahead of time and cram. Aside from being unable to concentrate, cramming stresses your brain cells and you will have a hard time taking in the information you are putting in.