Anyone can benefit from enhancing their memory – students interested in improving their grades, employees looking to get an edge at work, seniors who want to keep their minds sharp as they age, etc. Yet, it wasn’t until recently that researchers discovered this is possible.

The brain can change and develop, and research has shown this. In fact, the brain is constantly changing based on our habits and experiences, and through cell generation and the formation of new neural connections, your memory can improve over time.

Here are 13 proven ways to improve your memory…

Get on the MIND Diet

The MIND (Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay) diet, as the name implies, is a diet designed to preserve and promote brain function. Apparently, it does just that.

In an 8-year MIND diet study involving 1,000+ seniors, researchers noted a 53% decrease in the risk of Alzheimer’s. Even participants who didn’t follow the diet strictly still reduced their risk substantially.

Hydrate Your Body

How much water you drink each day can have a major impact on your memory. According to medical experts, even minor dehydration diminishes memory, attention span, and overall cognitive ability.

Health authorities generally recommend drinking eight 8-ounce glasses of water daily. However, every person is different, and numerous factors ultimately determine one’s need for water.

Take an Omega-3 Supplement

Omega-3 fatty acid supplements, particularly DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), cognitive support function and overall brain health. Fish oil and krill oil are common sources of docosahexaenoic acid.

DHA facilitates the activity of neurotransmitters while increasing the number of neurotransmitter receptors. In one research study, fish oil supplements improved the working memory of adults by nearly 25%.

Balance Nutrition with a Multivitamin

For the brain and memory to function optimally, the body needs adequate amounts of vitamins C, D, E, K, and vitamin B. It also needs nutritional minerals, especially iron, magnesium, zinc, and iodine.

A good way to fill nutrition gaps in one’s diet is to take a quality multivitamin/mineral supplement. A number of studies have shown that multivitamins can improve brain function and memory.

Boost Your Memory with Essential Oils

Essential oils, which are aromatic plant oils normally inhaled or applied to the skin, offer a variety of health benefits. Some of them can even provide an immediate memory boost.

Scientists have confirmed that sniffing rosemary can improve memory, focus, alertness, and information processing speed. Peppermint oil increases beta waves, producing similar effects.

Learn a New Language

If you’ve always wanted to learn a new language, here’s another good reason: it can enhance your memory and sharpen your mind. But you don’t have to master a new language to reap the benefits.

Minimal knowledge of a second language is enough to improve mental capabilities. Tip: Google “learn 100 core words” and learn three words daily until you’re reasonably proficient in your chosen language.

Stop Using Your GPS

The use of Global Positioning System (GPS) technology may be useful and convenient, but it comes with the inevitable side effects of mental laziness and diminished mental abilities over time.

On routine commutes, the brain is hardly stimulated and operates on autopilot. Taking unfamiliar routes and switching off your GPS can activate your cortex and hippocampus, improving memory.

Exercise Your Brain

You exercise your body to keep in shape and stay healthy, so why wouldn’t you exercise your brain for the same reasons? Brain exercises, called neurobics, can go a long way in improving recall ability.

Neurobics don’t need to be incredibly complex or technical to have a positive effect on the brain. They need to be new, challenging, and fun, engaging as many of the human senses as possible.

Listen to Music

There aren’t a lot of activities that engage and develop the left and right brain at the same time, but listening to music is one of the few. Instrumental music is particularly beneficial for mental development.

Playing musical instruments is said to be even better for developing your brain and memory. Actually, it’s been shown that people who learn to play instruments have better memories and higher IQs.

Meditate

Want to develop your mind and memory? Engage in meditation. Incredibly, more than a thousand published studies have demonstrated its health benefits, one of which is mental development.

Meditation is like “brain pushups,” some experts report. It can grow the hippocampus, improve long-term and short-term memory, increase attention and focus, reduce stress, and enhance mood.

Take Walks

Walking, apart from being a healthy, low-impact exercise that you can do almost anywhere, is great when you’re frustrated and need to clear your mind. But did you know that it can also strengthen your mind?

This simple exercise increases oxygen levels and promotes brain cell connectivity. It also prevents brain shrinkage and encourages new brain cells to grow. The results are a better memory and a sharper mind.

Give up Smoking

Cigarette smoking damages every organ inside your body, including your brain. Each drag you take produces loads of free radicals that cause the degradation and death of brain cells.

Smoking causes Alzheimer’s and dementia. As a matter of fact, it increases the risk of these diseases by over 150 percent in people who smoke two packs a day or more. The bottom line is to quit smoking.

Create Art

Creating art (in any form) is fun and therapeutic. More importantly, it improves cognition and enhances your recall abilities, in addition to stimulating your imagination and making you more observant.

Remarkably, creating art can even improve mental health in people with serious conditions involving the brain. In studies, art therapy enhanced memory in patients with Alzheimer’s by up to 70 percent.