Traumatic brain injuries can severely affect your memories and life, but luckily there are ways to improve memory after brain injury. In this article, we will help you with your mental recovery journey and share ten ways to improve memory, so keep reading.
Brain injuries caused by the force of impact on the brain are medically known as traumatic brain injuries. Roughly 10 million people worldwide are affected by this. These injuries can impact specific brain functions depending on the part of the brain that was impacted.
Traumatic brain injuries are one of the most common causes of memory loss. However, your brain functions can be impacted by many different types of injuries, affecting your brain differently.
What type of brain injury causes memory loss?
Traumatic brain injuries usually affect your short-term memories. All the details of your past after brain injuries are generally still there; those are rare occurrences. You might still remember how to drive your car, your name, and all the events from the past, with, of course, a few missing details sometimes. You might be able to remember a person but not their name.
Traumatic brain injuries often don’t affect your past memories, but they affect your ability to memorize in the future. It can impact your day-to-day tasks. For example, you might forget what you had to do or what you had to buy or forget to pick up your child from school.
Cerebral hypoxia occurs when enough oxygen doesn’t reach our brain, and the cells begin to die. The lack of oxygen-carrying blood in the brain during heart strokes is often a big reason behind this. It also happens when you are unable to breathe. They cause irreversible damage to your brain and, in many cases, memory loss.
When infections are not treated in time, they can affect your brain and cognitive functions. Memory loss due to these types of brain infections is known as neurological amnesia.
In many cases, the effects of brain injuries are irreversible, but you can do certain activities to improve your memory and brain functions.
Can memory come back after a brain injury?
The possibility of your memories returning depends on the severity and the type of brain injury. In traumatic brain injuries, often, the memory of the accident that causes the damage isn’t stored in your brain. As a result, you won’t remember what happened, and because it was never stored in your memory, it is impossible to remember the event.
However, the lost memories are likely to return to you. Especially anecdotal memories – these are your personal memories or memories of past events.
So how long does it take for memories to come back after a head injury? That depends a lot on how severe your injury was. It can take days, weeks, months, or in some cases, even years to gradually regain your memories.
How can I regain my memories?
Unfortunately, there isn’t much you can do to restore the memories you lost. Your doctor might suggest some medicines to help you regain your memories gradually, if possible. However, you can strengthen your short-term memory affected by the injury.
It’s really troublesome to live with impaired cognitive abilities. Therefore, we will suggest some activities to help you improve your memories and mental abilities.
10 ways to improve memory
Here are 10 ways to improve memory and again reach peak performance. Whether you suffer from memory loss or your brain function is normal, you can use these to improve your brain function and critical thinking.
Make lists
Write down the details of essential things. When you have to buy something, write down what you have to buy in a list. Make a to-do list to help you remember what to do. A list will compensate for your lack of brain functions due to the injuries until you can return to a normal life. Where I’m from, we have a saying that the smart person writes it down while the fool tries to remember.
Puzzles
Puzzles help with cognitive development. They can make your decision-making skills better and also improve your hand-eye coordination. A wide variety of puzzles are available, so you won’t get bored with them.
Brain games
Brain games can help you boost your focus and memory. Your brain needs stimulation, and brain games that test your brain or make you think are a great way to do that.
Eat healthy foods
What you eat has an effect on your memory. Certain foods can improve your brain power, while some can sabotage it. Avoid alcohol and consume more blueberries, broccoli, and fatty fish. These foods are healthy for your brain.
Sudoku
Sudoku is a fun way to relearn number skills and problem-solving. You can slowly upscale the difficulty level to make it more and more challenging for your brain to train it.
Stay active
Staying physically active improves your overall brain functions and helps you memorize better. It also improves your mood and mental health, so don’t skip it.
Meditate
Meditation is one of the best ways to calm yourself and improve focus. Meditate for fifteen to thirty minutes daily, and you will notice lower stress levels and better memorization. Even a couple of deep breaths as soon as you wake up can help you start your day the right way.
Get enough sleep
Getting enough sleep is essential not only for your physical health but also for your mental health. When you sleep better, your brain functions better, and you can memorize things better.
Drink coffee
Caffeine is a significant cognitive enhancer. It tastes good, takes your tiredness away, and improves your memory. However, it can be addictive, so taking it in moderation is recommended.
Keep your brain busy
Keep your train of thought going. Whenever you have nothing to do, think about your day or things you must remember. Remembering things will exercise your brain and improve your memorizing power.
Conclusion
Remember that how effective the ways to improve your memory after brain injury depends on the type of injury. But these exercises, combined with medications, will help you take your life in a more normal direction.
Over time your memory will improve, and you will also be able to regain the lost memories. So make sure to keep going, and it will get better.