Tips to Boost Memory and Master Learning

Have you ever found yourself easily recalling trivial details but struggling to remember important information? Or wondered why taking breaks is often recommended for effective learning? How do breaks and rest enhance memory retention? What role does repetition play in mastering new information?

In this article, we’ll answer these questions and share actionable tips to help you improve your memory and learning skills.

Understanding How Memory Works

One type of memory we have is short-term memory, which lasts for an hour or a day.

When significant events occur throughout the day, the hippocampus begins to store them. However, since it is quite small, it can only retain so much. It is easily overwhelmed when a lot of similar information comes in. To prevent this, switching activities — such as taking short walks or doing physical exercises — helps clear up space.

Our brain also has long-term memory, which can last for weeks, months, or even years. The key factor for long-term memory is emotion, which is linked to the learning process. For short-term memory, repetition is crucial. Long-term memory involves the entire cerebral cortex, which is why its capacity is much larger.

Despite these differences, both systems work together. Without short-term memory, there would be no formation of long-term memory. While the hippocampus stores information throughout the day, the active process of transferring short-term memories into long-term ones occurs. However, the main transfer happens during sleep. After careful selection, the information is stored in the larger cortex. Not all events make it there—only those that were emotionally significant tend to remain.

To form memories, the brain uses five senses: hearing, sight, smell, touch, and taste.

It consciously focuses on some of these senses and combines them into a constantly updated set of mental representations—the data on which cognition is based, including thoughts, ideas, and abstract mental processes.

When you learn something, even something as simple as a name when meeting someone, the brain creates channels for transmitting information between neurons. These synapses form new connections between nerve cells, becoming stronger or weaker depending on the frequency of new events.

The more you engage in an activity, the stronger these connections become.

There are three main processes that characterize how memory works: encoding, storage, and retrieval.

Encoding is the process of acquiring information through different methods: visual, acoustic (how something sounds), meaning, and sensations.

Storage refers to how, where, in what volume, and for how long the encoded information is kept in the memory system. Encoded information is initially stored in short-term memory and then, if needed, transferred to long-term memory. Information encoded acoustically is mainly stored in short-term memory, but it can remain in long-term memory only through constant repetition.

Retrieval is the process by which people access stored information. This can happen through associations or by recalling a sequential list of numbers, for example.

Memory Hacks

How Sleep Affects Memory

For memory to function well, the brain needs to be well-rested. One of the primary purposes of sleep is to bring the brain into a good working state. Sleep helps strengthen the memories formed throughout the day and links new ones to older ones.

Physical Exercise for Memory

Regular aerobic exercises (especially cardio) increase the size of the hippocampus, the area of the brain involved in verbal memory and learning. Consistent physical activity also helps maintain a healthy weight, reduce stress, and improve sleep—factors that all contribute to better memory.

Stress Takes a Toll on Memory

In today’s world, stress is hard to avoid, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t work to reduce it by all means possible. Meditation and mindfulness are excellent ways to manage stress. Adding adaptogens—such as ashwagandha, St. John’s Wort, Rhodiola rosea, and Bacopa Monnieri—can further enhance this effect. Reducing stress has been shown to clear brain fog and improve concentration.

Food for Brain Health and Function

Pay attention to what you eat, as food directly impacts your memory. A balanced diet with healthy fats, natural sugars (glucose), and a limitation of saturated fats, refined sugars, and alcohol can influence the effectiveness of long-term memory.

How to Flex Your Memory?

Any memory can be trained, but it’s important to distinguish between training short-term memory, which is linked to the hippocampus, and long-term memory.

When you try to remember a stream of words and symbols, the hippocampus is at work. If you train your short-term memory, the hippocampus increases in size. However, the hippocampus has a limited capacity, and if the information is repetitive, it can become overloaded. To prevent this from happening, it’s important to change activities, such as doing warm-up exercises and physical activities.

Improving long-term memory leads to the formation of additional branches and synaptic connections. Our brain performs better when we challenge it with tasks at the edge of our abilities. Information linked to our emotions is also remembered more easily. The more emotionally charged an event is, the longer you will remember it.

If emotions are lacking, repetition helps. The best way to train long-term memory is through practice. When you learn something and immediately apply it, you’re more likely to remember it. Try learning a large amount of material and imagine that you’ll be presenting it to an audience.

How to Make It Easier to Remember?

Get Enough Sleep

As mentioned earlier, sleep is crucial. Make sure to get enough rest during periods of intense study or heavy work. Go to bed earlier and try not to wake up before your alarm. Supplements with calming ingredients that boost melatonin production, like 5-HTP, can help with this.

Repetition

Cramming is not only exhausting but also ineffective. Your brain needs time to encode and store information. It’s better to repeat information at intervals. Try to memorize it throughout the day and associate it with something meaningful. Even better, repeat it aloud and teach someone else.

Eliminate Distractions

Focus on one piece of information at a time. Especially when learning something new, make an effort to concentrate solely on it and approach it mindfully.

How Nootropics Make It Easier to Remember Information

CDP-Choline (Cytidine Diphosphate Choline)

A 12-week study with 99 participants who took citicoline showed significant improvement in secondary measures of episodic memory, as well as overall memory performance.

The cholinergic system is severely affected in Alzheimer’s disease, highlighting its key role in memory function. For nootropic use, supplements containing choline for acetylcholine production are more effective.

Furthermore, Eleutherococcus compounds may help the body process choline and synthesize more acetylcholine in the hippocampus, which improves memory and learning.

Bacopa Monnieri

A study involving 81 participants demonstrated that Bacopa significantly improves verbal learning, memory consolidation, and recall.

Bacopa is also an adaptogen, helping to prevent the chemical and physical effects of stress. Most importantly, it influences acetylcholine levels in the brain, which is crucial for memory function.

Caffeine

Caffeine is effective at improving short-term memory. It has a particularly positive effect on memory during less optimal times of the day, such as early mornings for students. However, in the afternoon, caffeine doesn’t provide as much of a boost.

Caffeine works through the adenosine system. It quickly crosses the blood-brain barrier and blocks adenosine receptors, which are widely distributed across areas of the brain’s cortex. This helps delay fatigue for a little longer.

L-Theanine (+ Caffeine)

L-theanine is a natural amino acid found in green tea leaves that enhances brain function, especially when combined with caffeine. It has been shown to positively affect brain functions by reducing stress, improving mood, and supporting normal sleep patterns.

Studies indicate that L-theanine reduces the decline in learning ability caused by social stress and enhances memory.

When combined with caffeine, L-theanine counteracts the overstimulation often caused by coffee, leading to a smoother and more balanced effect.

L-Tyrosine

Supplementing with L-tyrosine has shown a significant increase in accuracy during working memory tasks, especially when multitasking.

Working memory is closely linked to attention, making L-tyrosine useful for improving focus as well as for consolidating information in both short-term and long-term memory.

Conclusion

To boost memory effectively, it’s essential to pay attention to all aspects of brain health — from sleep and nutrition to physical exercise and stress management. Each factor plays a crucial role in enhancing memory and cognitive function. Nootropics, such as Bacopa Monnieri, CDP-Choline, caffeine, and L-theanine, can provide additional support, but they work best when combined with a balanced lifestyle. By giving attention to both mental and physical well-being, you can optimize memory retention, improve learning, and maintain brain health in the long term.

Bibliography

1. Tyrosine improves working memory in a multitasking environment
2. Effects of l-Theanine on Cognitive Function in Middle-Aged and Older Subjects: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Study
3. Caffeine Enhances Memory Performance in Young Adults during Their Non-optimal Time of Day
4. Does Bacopa monnieri improve memory performance in older persons? Results of a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial
5. Cholinergic modulation of the hippocampal region and memory function
6. Learning, Recalling, and Thinking