Learn to Remember: How Do I Remember Physio Facts?

Learning science is hard. There are a LOT of facts to learn. Names. Definitions. Structures. Concepts. Sometimes they don't all fit.

For example, here are 3 physiology facts:

• Sodium is more concentrated outside the cell. Potassium is more concentrated inside the cell.

• The tricuspid valve is on the right side of the heart; the bicuspid valve is on the left side of the heart.

• A hypotonic solution makes a cell gain water and swell up.
  

You got that? If I quizzed you, you'd be able to explain what a hypotonic solution does to a cell by memory, right? Is the tricuspid on the left or the right side? Where is sodium more concentrated?

A human physiology course has THOUSANDS of these facts. Every single one of them feels important. Our teacher expects us to remember them all for the test. 😰 But our brain can struggle to remember them. That's where memory tricks like mnemonics come in handy.

Learning Using Mnemonics

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To learn new facts, we can relate them to things we already know and remember. Below are three examples that help me, where I take long physio facts and relate them to sayings, images, or things that I already remember.

Before	After	Mnemonic explanation
Sodium (Na+) is more concentrated outside the cell. Potassium (K+) is more concentrated inside the cell.	NOKIA	NOKIA is a phone maker-they made my first cell phone back in the day. Old school but it'll help me remember the fact. "N" for Na+"O" for outside. "K" for K+"I" for inside."A" for always.
The tricuspid valve is on the right side of the heart; the bicuspid valve is on the left side of the heart.	Try it before you buy it.	As you follow blood flow through the heart, we start on the right side of the heart. When you do, you'll first cross the tricuspid valve (between right atrium and right ventricle). As blood goes to the heart's left side, it'll then cross the bicuspid or mitral valve. So, tri it before you bi it.
A hypotonic solution makes a cell gain water and swell up.	Swell up like a hippo.	Pronounce "hypo" as hippo. Hippos are big, round, and look like they swelled up. Hey. It helps me!

So, instead of remembering Na+ and K+ concentrations, I'll just relate their concentrations to NOKIA.

Instead of remembering valve anatomy, I'll just tell myself a saying I've heard 1000 times.

Instead of remembering the definition of hypotonic, I'll just associate hippotonic solutions with an image that tells me that cells swell up.

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You have your own tips and tricks? Any mnemonics you use in physiology or other subjects to remember all those facts? Comment below and happy learning.