Have you ever heard of a brain workout? Sure, there are brain teasers and puzzles like Sudoku, but scientists have found a number of everyday ways to stretch your brain and help ensure classroom learning sticks.
Participate in activities that are out of the ordinary. This semester’s class load definitely falls into this category, along with learning a musical instrument, taking a dance class and meditation. Taking on new things helps to grow gray matter in your brain, and meditation has been shown to affect parts of the brain associated with learning and memory.
Work it on out. It can sometimes be tricky with a busy schedule, but a good cardio workout can spur production of the proteins that promote brain cell growth and can help your neurons work optimally. Moreover, workouts that involve any kind of strength training have been known to improve memory performance as you age.
Change it up. Avoid auto pilot when doing mundane things. Use your non-dominant hand to brush your teeth or take notes. Choose different places to study each week, or even try navigating around your home with your eyes closed. Sound silly? Maybe, but the technical term for these memory enhancing activities is neurobics, a system of mental drills that forces you to use your senses and stimulate your mind in unexpected ways.
Quit Cramming. It may take some organizing, but space your study sessions far enough apart that the info from the last session isn’t exactly fresh. Researchers say the more you have to work to pull it from the soup of your mind, the more your next study session will reinforce learning. By the time your exam comes around, you should be solidly prepared without that stressful night of cramming.