Memory Improvement Tips Blog

May 8, Memory Problems After Meningitis

Tue, 08 May 2012 02:11:28 GMT

Gill is a 46 year old mother of two. She has memory problems resulting from meningitis, a life-threatening bacterial infection of the brain and spinal cord. Even though she faces many challenges, Gill is determined to work hard to regain her memory ability. Read about the difficulties she is facing. Then, if you wish, submit a supportive comment at the bottom of her post. Let Gill know we are hoping, praying, and thinking about her during her recovery.

May 3, Play Hearts Online - Free Card Game

Thu, 03 May 2012 15:41:33 GMT

I've added a free Hearts card game to the brain games section of my site. Give it a try! Compete against three computer players to see who can collect the fewest points. Heart cards are worth 1 point, and the Queen of Spades is worth 13 points. Card games like Hearts train attention span and concentration, memory, and logical reasoning.

Apr 28, Two unidentified strokes affecting vision

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 18:53:52 GMT

Georgia is a grandmother from Michigan who has suffered two unexplained strokes in the last six months. The strokes have affected her vision and short-term memory. If you've ever had a brain condition that was difficult for doctors to diagnose (or know someone who had), feel free to post a comment about your experience at the bottom of Georgia's story. Heart-felt, sincere words of encouragement are also welcome, as Georgia feels very alone at this point.

Apr 10, Advice for your daughter in regards to memory loss

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 23:10:55 GMT

Do you know anyone suffering from memory loss? Then you need to read the helpful comments that a visitor name Gweneviere has shared at the bottom of this post about a daughter with short-term memory problems. Gweneviere herself had a brain tumor and a stroke, and she has developed excellent strategies for coping with the resulting memory loss. Scroll down to the bottom of the post to read her advice. Thank you so much, Gwen, for sharing these valuable tips!

Apr 1, New "Brain Games Directory" Listing

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 22:47:59 GMT

I've compiled a list of all the brain games on my website into a Free Brain Games Directory. The games are listed alphabetically as well as by category. Previously, links to the games appeared down the right side of the page. This made finding particular games a bit inconvenient. Now you can easily look up games under the letter the game starts with. (For example, Cube Field is listed under "C"). The brain games directory also appears at the bottom of every brain game page, so look for it there as well. There are now 4 ways you can access the brain games on my site:

The new Brain Games Directory page
The new directory at the bottom of every brain game page.
The Brain Games menu bar. This is the black drop-down menu you see at the top of every brain game page.
The "SEARCH Brain Games" search box located in the right column of every brain game page and at the top of the brain games Search Results page.

Visitors have been asking me to make it easier to find the different brain games on my site. These changes should make the brain games section more convenient to navigate and use.

Mar 22, Tower of Hanoi Puzzle

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 21:22:46 GMT

The Tower of Hanoi is an ancient brain teaser puzzle game. Move stacked disks from the left pole to the far right pole in the fewest moves possible. Play with stacks of 3, 4, 5, or 6 disks. Puzzle games like this one train concentration and logical reasoning.

Mar 18, New "Brain Games" Search Box

Sun, 18 Mar 2012 22:12:32 GMT

Finding your favorite brain games is now easier than ever. I've just added a new search box to the Brain Games section of my site. Type keywords into the search box and click the search arrow to display a list of games related to your search. The Brain Games search box is located at the top of the right-hand column on all my brain games pages. I hope you find it useful!

Mar 13, Increase Your Average Reading Speed - 3 Powerful Tips

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 23:07:03 GMT

Here are three great tips for increasing your average reading speed. Read more in less time, and remember what you read!

Mar 5, Snake Game - Improve Your Concentration

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 03:12:52 GMT

Your snake is hungry! In this free snake game, pick up the food pellets and bonuses while avoiding all obstacles. Quick-action games like this snake game train concentration and reaction time.

Feb 27, Brain Games "Category" Bar

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 17:00:15 GMT

Searching the free brain games collection on my website has just gotten easier. Over the weekend I added a handy brain games navigation bar to every game page on the site. The nav bar is located at the top of the page just under the page header. Hover your mouse over the buttons on the bar to see a drop-down list that links to the games. For example, hovering your mouse over the "Math" button shows links to brain games that involve numbers or solving math problems. Other categories include Board Games, Card & Tile, Concentration, Memory, Puzzle, and Word Games. In addition to the regular game categories, there is also a "Most Popular" button on the right side of the nav bar. This button links to the Top 20 most played games on my site based on recent Google Analytics stats. Many thanks to those who have filled out my site survey so far. A top suggestion has been to make the various games easier to find. The new brain games nav bar should definitely help with that.

Feb 24, Student Concentrating Less Than Before

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 02:32:14 GMT

I am a Bachelor's Degree student in General Nursing and I have realized for the past few weeks I am concentrating much less than before. I am also experiencing

Feb 23, Memory system for History

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 04:58:14 GMT

How can I memorize history paragraphs like: As Roman Empire started to become weaker, Bulgars established First Bulgarian Empire next to the north-eastern

Feb 21, Countdown from 100

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 16:51:13 GMT

If you have an extra minute or two while waiting for something ( e.g. - microwaving food, on hold with a creditor, etc.), countdown from 100 by 3's...

Feb 21, Paiger's TIP OF THE DAY: The Advantages of the Middle-Age Brain!

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 00:35:56 GMT

A study in the British Medical Journal lit up the Internet last week with the conclusion that cognitive decline begins at age 45. While it’s true that

Feb 20, Paiger's TIP OF THE DAY: Turn a Negative Experience Into a Positive!

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 15:02:59 GMT

This is something that I've done many times since my head injury, in many different ways, and also what I did on my last posting that I wrote to: Always

Feb 20, Clear Diagram Showing How Memory Works

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 14:35:12 GMT

I work with Onlinecolleges.net. We recently published an article that you may be interested in entitled, “How Memory Works. I thought perhaps you'd be

Feb 20, Demolition City 1 - Play Free!

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 04:11:16 GMT

Demolition City is a building demolition physics and logic game. Set your charges carefully, then fire them to knock down the buildings! Physics games like Demolition City train concentration and logical reasoning (inductive reasoning, in particular). Enjoy!

Feb 19, Paige's TIP OF THE DAY! ALWAYS Check Purse/Pocket For Carrying Appropriate Cash/Credit, Coupons, Memberships and ID!

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 15:32:10 GMT

I originally posted this on a day when I really wasn't planning on posting anything because I just had so much work to do, but it was something that just

Feb 18, Overeating Doubles Risk of Memory Loss

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 03:37:30 GMT

As if you didn't need another reason to start that diet, pronto! Researchers at the Mayo Clinic have found that individuals who consume a high amount of daily calories are at twice the risk of developing mild cognitive impairment. That's the stage of memory loss that occurs right before Alzheimer's! Want to lessen the chances of significant memory loss as you get older? The clear message of this study is to get your diet under control, sooner rather than later. If you tend to overeat, aim to consume healthier food and fewer calories each day. You can read a summary of the research here: Study: Overeating Doubles Risk of Memory Loss

Feb 15, 8 Ball Pool Game - Play Free!

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 04:09:31 GMT

This 8 ball pool online game has realistic graphics and cool chill-out background music. Play 8 ball, 9 ball, or a timed game against the computer or a friend. Games like pool and billiards train concentration and visual perception. Enjoy!

Feb 12, Chronotron - Time Travel Puzzle Game

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 19:09:50 GMT

Your Chronotron robot's time machine is broken. Use logic plus time travel to retrieve the missing parts!

Feb 9, "Categories" added to top of main Brain Games page

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 23:43:05 GMT

To make it simpler for you to locate your favorite brain games from my list of over 100 games, I have added a "Categories" box to the top of the Free Brain Games page and Most Popular Games page. I've created ten categories so far (for example, Checkers games, Memory games, Solitaire games, and Tetris games) with more to come soon. Regular visitors may also have noticed the new button navigation bar just below the banner at the top of the site. Hopefully both these changes will make navigating and finding what you're looking for even easier than before.

Feb 7, Playing Brain Games Helps to Delay Alzheimer's

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 23:34:48 GMT

A recent study published in the journal Archives of Neurology in January provides the most compelling evidence yet that keeping your mind active throughout life can delay the onset or reduce the severity of Alzheimer's Disease. For those worried about age-related memory loss, this is big news. Previous studies already document the protective effect of mental activity (such as reading, writing, or playing brain games) in delaying or lessening the severity of age-related memory loss and dementia. This new study, though, demonstrates specifically that the brains of individuals who regularly engage in simulating mental activity accumulate significantly less beta-amyloid plaque. This plaque is suspected to be the primary culprit in Alzheimer's dementia. If you needed yet more proof that playing brain games and keeping your mind active in other ways (such as reading, writing, taking up a challenging hobby, etc.) can truly help protect against memory loss as you get older, now you have it!

Feb 6, Take my Website Survey

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 06:28:26 GMT

I'm on the lookout for ways to make this site more useful to my visitors, including you! Please take a moment to fill out the four-question site survey that I've posted here. This is your chance to let me know what your goals are and what resources you need. I really appreciate your feedback.

Feb 4, Memorizing with Images

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 04:07:09 GMT

I spent a few hours today strolling through my local natural history museum admiring the exhibits. Of course, I also took the opportunity to memorize interesting facts about minerals, fossils, technology, etc. It was quite fun. The basic technique underlying many powerful memory techniques is what I call visualization & association. That's what I used primarily today. Essentially, you associate silly, memorable mental pictures with the sound of the fact you want to remember. This creates a powerful mental hook (the image) that helps you remember the fact later. Most people remember images much better than abstract facts. (For instance, you can easily picture the layout and contents of any room in your house without even trying.) Visualization and association leverages this truth about human memory to create "mental hooks" that you can use to retrieve information from long-term memory later. Scientists say the main problem with memory isn't the encoding step or storage step. It's in the retrieval step. Tying silly mental images to the facts you want to remember adds that extra label or hook to the information so down the road you can fish it out of your memory banks more easily. The next time you want or need to memorize an unfriendly abstract fact - turn it into a silly, memorable image!

Feb 3, List of Free Memory Games

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 03:42:35 GMT

I've added a page that lists all the free memory games on my site in one place. If you're looking for brain games that train your short-term memory or your ability to memorize lists, patterns, locations of items, or people's faces, be sure to check it out!

Jan 28, Absentminded SGT

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 14:02:40 GMT

This has been one of my most difficult challenges and I suppose the ironic part of it is that I go through upswings where I remember things better than

Jan 21, Backgammon - I've added a better version

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 15:39:35 GMT

Just wanted to let everyone know - I've replaced the "Easy Backgammon" game with a much better version. As more than one visitor had pointed out, the old backgammon game did not handle doubles correctly. It also did not let you choose a level of difficulty. The new version allows you to choose "easy" or "hard" level of play. It manages doubles correctly and follows the other rules of backgammon properly. The new backgammon has a 15-second advertisement at the beginning, but the game itself is very well done. I think you'll enjoy it!

Jan 17, Lumosity complaints

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 23:42:28 GMT

I was reading about Lumosity online brain training and found complaints related to subscription cancellation and customer service. Any input? Thanks.

Jan 8, Post-Stroke Memory Tips

Sun, 08 Jan 2012 02:18:23 GMT

I have four: 1. Organizing the materials for my next project and putting them somewhere where I'll see them reminds me of the next task I want to accomplish.

Jan 4, Forgetting faces

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 01:11:06 GMT

I seem to forget the faces of people I meet. Recently I went to a new place for a hair cut, the barber and I got talking and had a nice friendly chat during

Jan 3, Vitamins for age-related memory loss?

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 20:31:50 GMT

I am 70 years old and am experiencing age-related memory loss. Would you recommend 2-3 vitamins that you consider the best? Thanks very much, Larry

Dec 26, Aqua Bubble Game - Play Free Now

Mon, 26 Dec 2011 17:54:21 GMT

Free version of the Aqua Bubble game, a popular internet bubble-popping game. Shoot colored bubbles to make three of a kind and clear each level. This game trains concentration and rapid decision making. Strengthening these skills can improve performance while at work, when studying, and during everyday tasks.

Dec 8, Free Bubble Breaker Game - Bubble Hit

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 00:22:43 GMT

Bubble Hit is a fun bubble breaker game that strengthens concentration. Shoot colored bubbles to make three-or-mores and clear the screen.

Dec 3, Brain Racer - Free Math Flash Game

Sat, 03 Dec 2011 03:24:42 GMT

This Brain Racer math flash game makes reviewing math facts fun! Get to the finish line first by solving basic math problems quickly.

Nov 29, Can Speed Reading Increase Comprehension?

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 16:39:04 GMT

Contrary to expectation, my foray into speed reading seems to have increased my reading comprehension.

Lately I've been learning to speed read. (See "Speed Reading Tip" below.) I assumed my comprehension would go down the faster I read. Instead, what I've found is that I'm understanding and remembering the material much better.

My insight: reading too slowly lowers comprehension because your mind literally gets bogged down by the words on the page. Try reading the paragraphs below at a snail's pace, with lots of pauses. You may see what I mean.

When I read quickly, the ideas expressed in the writing seem to come through louder and clearer. The impression I get as I speed read (using my finger as a pacer) is that my mind focuses more on absorbing meaning and less on parsing actual sentence structure.

In addition, faster reading stitches material closer in time. It's as if when reading slowly I have a tendency to forget connections from previous paragraphs or pages - because they were read too long ago (relatively). This "delay" makes it harder to connect what I'm reading at the moment with story lines/arguments presented earlier.

The best way to remember a novel is to read it straight through. The worst is to read a page a day, or allow days or weeks to lapse as you read through parts. You must get the material into your mind within a reasonably period for it to hang together.

Obviously you can read too fast. There is a point of diminishing returns. But I'm quite surprised and pleased to discover that speeding things up to a certain degree helps me remember the content better.

The elimination of unnecessary and distracting fixations and regressions via the finger pacer is clearly instrumental in achieving this effect.

Nov 20, Dual N-Back Benefits Are Long Lasting

Sun, 20 Nov 2011 23:57:54 GMT

I was startled by the result of today's Dual N-Back brain training session. Even though I'd skipped a couple weeks of training, my n-back memory score actually went up!

The benefits of dual n-back training thus appear to be relatively long lasting. In fact, my score today (1078, N level 3.30), broke my previous high score by more than 8 percent (997, N level 3.15).

The Dual N-Back exercise is the only brain game ever demonstrated by research to raise a person's IQ, through increases in working memory and fluid intelligence. In other words, studies show that improvements in this game transfer to general intelligence.

Want a more powerful brain? Complete 20 sessions of the free Dual N-Back game on my site every day. (Takes about 20 minutes.) It's the very best brain training exercise known to science.

My busy schedule knocked me out of the habit temporarily. But today's result reminded me how powerful Dual N-Back really is. The game is not "fun" by any means, but I am now more determined than ever to make Dual N-Back training a permanent, daily habit.

Nov 18, Brain Games Troubleshooting

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 02:37:09 GMT

Over the next few days, I'll be optimizing the free brain games to improve performance. If you have any trouble loading the games during this time, please try the following:

1. While viewing the game page, press the F5 key on your keyboard. This will refresh your browser and update the code.

2. Try opening the game on a different browser. For example, if you normally use FireFox, try the game on Google Chrome.

If the steps above don't work and you still have trouble with a game, feel free to send me a message through the form on my Contact Me page.

In your message, include as many details about the problem as you can (such as browser name, any error messages or blank screens, time of day, etc.). This will help me troubleshoot the issue.

Nov 16, Speed Reading Tip

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 16:26:42 GMT

Lately I've been working through the speed reading course "Breakthrough Rapid Reading," by Peter Kump. Here's a powerful tip to increase your reading speed:

Use your finger as a reading "pacer".

Don't children point at words when they read? Why go back to that?

Because it solves two big problems:

1) Eye fixations
2) Regressions

Read this paragraph slowly. Pay attention to your eye movements. Your eyes do not glide smoothly. They jump from word to word. These pauses, these "fixations", decrease your reading rate.

"Regressions" also slow you down. The next time you read a book or other long material, notice how often you re-read sentences. Going back to re-read is a regression.

Regressions occur because you did not absorb the first time. Unnecessary regressions waste time, decreasing your overall reading speed.

Reading with your finger as a pacer eliminates fixations. (Try it, you'll see). It also decreases regressions.

I point with my index finger. Some people use their whole hand. Either way, sweep your finger or hand under the words as you read them.

Use your finger as a built-in speed-reading tool. You'll likely double your reading speed or better.

Oct 22, Angry Bird Game - Play Free Now

Sat, 22 Oct 2011 02:47:08 GMT

Angry Birds first swept the mobile world. Now here is a free internet version of the Angry Bird game you can play on your computer.

Oct 18, Coma leads to short-term memory loss

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 21:47:37 GMT

I was in a coma for three months and my short term memory is shot and getting worse as the years go by. I'm learning to be proactive about it though.

Oct 16, All teeth pulled, affecting memory?

Sun, 16 Oct 2011 01:20:58 GMT

I had all my teeth pulled last year. Could this be why I can't remember things I should remember? That's when my problem started. Doug's Reply. Surprisingly,

Oct 12, Use video games to place things in order

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 02:50:36 GMT

I like to play Call of Duty. I know the maps by heart because I have absorbed them by playing them over and over again. It takes no time at all to call

Oct 12, Difficulty in applying Memory Systems

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 02:21:28 GMT

Hi! I felt the need to improve my memory, so I did a memory course and after searching the internet for more information I found your site, a very useful

Sep 29, Increase my brain memory

Thu, 29 Sep 2011 23:04:10 GMT

Everybody in my classroom learn well. For example, teacher said to the students, everybody should tomorrow learn all questions. All students learn the

Sep 23, Son, mother is forgetful

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 22:46:04 GMT

My name is Phil. My mother Catherine is 87 years old. Up until the last two years my mother has been very active and now she calls us in the early morning

Sep 8, Mother of daughter with short term memory

Thu, 08 Sep 2011 22:16:47 GMT

My daughter is 39 in a few days. It was 14 years ago as she was graduating from college that she was diagnosed with a brain tumor. She had to undergo treatments

Sep 1, How this site helped me learn faster

Thu, 01 Sep 2011 19:11:01 GMT

I recently discovered this site, and I must say that all the information I gained is very useful. Most important, I learned how to study effectively. Now

Aug 20, Free Kids Memory Game - Ben 10 Monster Cards

Sat, 20 Aug 2011 18:01:23 GMT

Here is a fun kids memory game with a Ben 10 monster theme. This is a timed concentration card game with three levels of difficulty.

Aug 18, Why isn't memory loss classed as a disability

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 14:18:47 GMT

Hello, I'm a 39 year old man. When I was 16 years old I got severe head aches and double vision which I got checked by my GP, he then sent me to hospital