When it comes to improving memory, people like to find the actions or things they can do to improve their memory like eating brain foods, using memory techniques, getting so much sleep, and so on.
Finding stuff to improve your memory is always good, but people seem to forget to look at things they are doing that ends up hurting their memory. It could be lack of sleep, poor nutrition, or use of drugs.
It is really weird when you think about it because some one could be looking for a magic pill to remember better but at the same time, they are not eating any healthy food but junk food.
I always thought stress was naturally bad for memory, but this study I found say stress can help with memory at times. This is a quick summary of the study:
“This study demonstrates that stress can enhance memory formation around the time of learning but impair memory retrieval and updating. It explores the physiological mechanisms behind these effects, emphasizing the roles of hormones like cortisol and catecholamines. Understanding these dynamics has important implications for educational settings, suggesting strategies to manage stress and optimize learning outcomes.”
Read the full study here: Learning and memory under stress: implications for the classroom | npj Science of Learning
I have no idea how you can have some stress while learning then be calm and relax when trying to remember for a test. For me, the whole situation calls for some stress at all times since it is all related.
Maybe you need to learn about relaxation techniques you can use when you are trying to remember material so you have little to no stress. Finding out how to train this idea is very interesting and I would love to see if you have ideas on this.
How much stress do you have when you learn? Do you use relaxation techniques to destress?
