Your mind tends to wander whatever you are doing. You walk into a room and immediately forget why you ever went in. Do these things happen to you? You are not on your own. This form of absentmindedness affects a huge percentage of the world's population. Making an effort to keep mentally alert can alleviate the frustration you will inevitably feel in these situations. If you are not yet taking advantage of any of the many ways to keep mentally alert then you really should begin today. Here are some of the most common and popular methods.

Exercise is the one you will hear about most of all. You go to work, you come home, you relax in front of the television and it is so easy to get caught in this rut of a routine. For a change, why not go for a jog or lift some weights? The type of exercise you choose will depend entirely on what options are available to you. Exercise promotes the release of certain chemicals into your brain which in turn make you more alert, not just for the duration of the exercise but for the remainder of the day, before you finally go to sleep at night. This is why so many people start the day by running a local circuit.

Stimulation of your mind at least once each day is another way to increase mental alertness. Teaching yourself new things is very healthy, be it making discoveries about biology through reading a college text book or sitting down with a science fiction novel with interesting theories. Not only do you retain this new knowledge, but you will also sustain higher levels of alertness because of the effort it takes to learn these new facts. Take a trip to the local library where you will find many books, one of which is bound to take your interest.

Sleep is crucial to being mentally alert. With only five hours of sleep each night you can expect the forgetfulness you are experiencing but the solution to this is clear - you need more sleep on a regular basis. Sleep is the natural way for your mind to recuperate, and if you do not recover sufficiently you will surely not perform as well as you should. If your daily work routine requires you to get up early in the mornings then go to bed earlier than usual each night. If you feel there are just not enough hours in the day for everything you have to do, then take a little time to plan your day to ensure things get done efficiently, giving you more time for that essential extra hour of sleep.

If you can combine these three options you will surely become as mentally alert as possible. When you begin your new regime, you should start to see improvements quite quickly. You are likely to stop losing things, forgetting important dates and generally put an end to your absentmindedness. Should the problems persist you must take the time to talk to your doctor about any stressful situations which may be causing you to mentally stray away from the day to day things of life.