香奈儿辛普森的男朋友:提高记忆力的五个要点

作者：杰夫·考博

Ever wish you were just a little bit better at remembering the things you would really like to learn?

你是否曾经希望拥有更强的记忆力来记住你真正愿意学习的东西呢？

You can find plenty of memory improvement tips out there, and a whole industry has grown up around the concept of “brain training,” but figuring out what’s worthwhile and what’s not can be an extremely confusing process. I won’t claim to be an expert, but I decided to go “learn about” in an effort to cut through all the confusion and come up with some practical wisdom to put to work in my own life. Having now sifted through a wide range of writings on the topic, it seems to me that improving your memory boils down to five key areas.

在此，你能找到很多提高记忆力的小窍门，以及由“训练大脑”这个概念展开的整个系列，但（你会）发现解决“这样做是否值得”这个问题的过程是十分棘手的。我不会自封专家，但我决定努力“研究”消灭所有的疑惑并提出我在自己的生活中适用的实用技巧。对众多的关于记忆的文字进行了筛选，在我看来，提高你的记忆力的关键浓缩到五个方面。

Here are the first three: sleep, physical exercise, and stress management. The next two -  diet and memory techniques – are covered in part two of this series.

这里是前三个（要点）：睡眠，体育锻炼以及焦虑应对。剩下的两个-饮食和记忆技巧将会在第二部分呈现。

Sleep

睡眠

If you are like me, you know from practical experience that your memory doesn’t tend to function as well when you are sleep-deprived. As it happens, a wide range of scientific studies support the idea that sleep is necessary for helping to “consolidate” memory, or at least certain types of memory. (See About Memory for a good list of studies.)  A recent MIT study brought us a significant step closer to understanding the sleep-memory connection by showing that “mice prevented from “replaying” their waking experiences while asleep do not remember them as well as mice who are able to perform this function.”

如果你和我一样，从实践中得知你的记忆在睡眠不足的情况下无法好好工作。如果是这样的话，大量的科学研究（结果）支持“睡眠有助于‘巩固’记忆”这个观点，至少是某种特定的记忆。（更多相关研究参见关于记忆）麻省理工大学近期的一项研究通过显示“被阻止在睡梦中‘重做’醒时经历的老鼠和能够完成这个过程的老鼠”（的实验），带我们向更进一步了解睡眠-记忆之间的关系迈出了一大步。

The bottom line: Sleep is important; get enough of it if you want to make sure your memory is functioning properly.

结论：睡眠很重要；你需要充足的睡眠来确保你的记忆能够良好运转。

Of course, that begs the question: what is enough? Unfortunately there is no “one-size-fits-all” answer to that question. The safest bet seems to be to aim for at least the standard 7-8 hours a night recommended for most adults and to pay enough attention to how you feel and act based on that amount of sleep to adjust up or down as needed. For more information on sleep needs from infants up to adults, I recommend an article on sleep requirements from Parenting Science.

当然，这会涉及到一个问题：什么才是足量（的睡眠）呢？不幸的是，“万全答案”是不存在的。最安全的做法是成年人至少保证标准的7-8小时的夜间睡眠，并且时刻关注你在这个量的睡眠（时间）下的感受和表现以视自身情况做出调整。欲知更多关于从婴儿至成人的睡眠需求信息,我推荐一篇为人父母的学问上关于睡眠需求的文章。

Physical Exercise

Physical exercise is a somewhat grayer area than sleep when it comes to memory, but there seems to be a reasonable body of evidence suggesting that physical fitness and cognitive fitness are linked. At a minimum, a short-term effect of exercise, and in particular aerobic exercise that is continued over a period of at least 30 minutes, is an increase in blood flow and corresponding oxygen supply to the brain. This can help boost cognitive function, including memory. A regular exercise habit can help to improve circulation in general and also ward off stress and depression – two established enemies of optimal cognitive function.

就记忆而言，相较于睡眠，体育锻炼是个灰色地带，但似乎有大量的有力的证据证明匀称的体态和良好的认识能力是有联系的。至少，锻炼的短期效果，特别是持续30分钟以上的有氧运动会增加脑部的血流量以及氧气供应。这可以大大提高认知能力，（其中就）包括记忆力。一个规律的运动习惯可以改善血液循环，也可以祛除两个已知的最优认知能力的大敌-焦虑和负面情绪。

Research also suggests that physical exercise may directly benefit the hippocampus – an area of the brain that is essential to memory. A recent study, for example, showed that “elderly adults who are more physically fit tend to have bigger hippocampi and better spatial memory than those who are less fit.”  As one of the lead researchers on the study puts it, “Basically, if you stay fit, you retain key regions of your brain involved in learning and memory.”

研究同时也显示了体育锻炼会直接作用于海马体-大脑中掌控记忆力的区域。就拿最近的一项研究来说，它显示了“年长的成年人中，比起那些体型不良的人来说体格健美的人拥有更发达的海马体和更好的空间记忆能力。”就像这项研究的一位带头人说的，“简单来说，如果你保持健美，你就保全了你脑中和学习记忆相关的关键区域了。”

So how much exercise should the average person be getting? There’s plenty of debate on the topic, but one reasonable starting point is the Center for Disease Control’s “How much physical activity do you need?”

那对于一般人而言，到底要进行多少体育运动呢？此问题尚无定论，但有个合乎情理的出发点：疾控中心的“你需要多少体育活动？”

Stress Management

压力管理

As noted above, stress is known to have an impact on cognitive function, and this includes memory. For starters, stress can interfere with sleep, which we have already identified as important to memory. But stress also impacts the brain more directly in both positive and negative ways.

正如上文提到的，众所周知压力是会影响认知能力的，而认知能力中就有记忆这一项。起初，焦虑会影响睡眠-我们已知的影响记忆力的关键因素。而后，焦虑也会给大脑带来正面以及负面的影响。

On the positive side, when we are presented with problems or challenges, our bodies are stimulated to produce norepinephrine, a neurotransmitter that is essential to memory. This can be a good thing when studying for a test or preparing for some other challenge. But too much stress over too long a period takes its toll. The work of neurologist Robert Sapolsky and a range of other researchers have shown that chronic stress can, over time, lead to degeneration of the hippocampus, thus interfering with our capability to process and store memories. (see Memory and Stress).

好的方面在于，当我们面对问题和挑战时，身体会因受到刺激而分泌肾上腺素-对记忆力有强大影响力的神经递质。这对于学习考试或是准备迎接其他挑战来说很棒。但是长期的、过多的压力也会酿成恶果。神经病学家罗伯特·萨博斯基和其他研究者的研究成果表明长期的焦虑，辅以时间的作用，将会导致海马体缩小，(据此)不难得出我们产生和储存记忆的能力会下降。（参见记忆力与焦虑）。

So what are some approaches to managing stress? Getting enough sleep and exercising regularly are an excellent starting point – and these come with the memory benefits already noted. Additionally, there is some evidence that meditation and other well-known relaxation techniques may have a direct impact on the hippocampus – at least in the elderly.  At a minimum, long-term practice of meditation or other relaxation techniques helps ward off chronic stress, an established enemy of memory. If you don’t feel like meditation is right for you, you might consider the simple breathing exercises advocated by alternative health practitioner Andrew Weil.

那么，管理焦虑的途径又那些呢？足够的睡眠和有规律的锻炼会是个很棒的起点-这些也会带来以上提到过的很多记忆上的帮助。值得一提的是，一些证据表明冥想和其他众所周知的放松方式有助于消除长期焦虑-一个已知的记忆力的大敌。如果你觉得冥想不适合你，你也可以试试另类健身实践者安德鲁·威尔力挺的简易呼吸训练。

If you are getting the sense that promoting and maintaining good memory is largely a matter of good lifestyle choices and habits, you are right. Stay tuned for more on that as well as some practical memory techniques in part two of this series.

如果你意识到好的生活方式选择和习惯是提升并保持良好的记忆力的关键，那你就对了。欲知更多信息及一些实用记忆技巧，请继续关注此系列的第二部分。

Go to part two of this series >>

跳转至次系列的第二部分>>

Jeff Cobb

杰夫·考博

Mission to Learn

学习任务

P.S. – If you enjoy what you read here on Mission to Learn, I’d be grateful if you would consider subscribing to the RSS feed or subscribing by e-mail.

后记-如果你喜欢在“学习任务”阅读的内容，如果你希望订阅RSS源或通过电子邮件订阅，我会非常感激的。

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