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Our Memory – How Does It Work And How Can We Boost It?

March 31, 2023

Our brains are very busy. They learn, sort, and store things. We can’t pick up foreign languages while asleep – but sleep does consolidate what we’ve learned while awake.

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Symbolbild | Erfindung | Erfinder | Idee
Image: imago/Ikon Images/R. Scott

Exercise benefits the brain and sports help people who suffer from dementia.

 

Stills "In Good Shape" Gehirn beim Gedächtnistraining
Image: DW

Memory training

Our brains are curious. They remember lots of new things if we study without distraction, use multiple senses, and use images and stories. Eating healthily and getting enough sleep helps the brain learn things better.

 

 

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Image: Colourbox/A. Mak

Learning foreign languages in your sleep?

We can absorb new information during deep sleep, according to Swiss scientists. But that doesn’t include new words. If we study vocabulary while awake, it is consolidated while we sleep.

 

 

 

Symbolfoto | Gehirn | Illustration
Image: Antonio Gravante/dpa/picture alliance

Our memory - gaps and shortcomings

Our brains have much to do: perceiving and learning, motorically or through memorization. While asleep, we sort out what should and shouldn’t become long-term memory. But sometimes memories get mixed up during sleep.

 

 

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Image: Erik Reis/IKOstudio/Zoonar/picture alliance

What do we remember during which stage of life?

We don’t remember our earliest infancy – but we usually remember our first love for the rest of our lives. Our mind stores memories. But which parts of the brain are involved? Humans have several types of memory that perform very different tasks.

 

 

Senioren im Fitnessstudio
Image: imago/Westend61

Does exercise protect us from dementia?

Being physically and mentally active benefits our brain and makes it more resistant to degenerative disease, according to research. Exercise also improves the brain health of people who suffer from dementia.

 

 

 

Stills "In Good Shape" Aurelia
Image: DW

Stretching exercise for neck and shoulders

Fitness trainer Aurelia Damann shows a stretching exercise for neck and shoulders.

 

 

 

 

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