It's all in the eyes: the secret to a better memory

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But it's probably best not attempted on the train to work.

Flicking your eyes from side to side could improve your memory, research suggests.

Regularly exercising your eyes for half a minute can boost your ability to remember by 10 per cent, a study found.

Scientists believe moving your eyes forces the two sides of your brain to communicate, improving its capacity to retrieve facts.

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Sideways glance: Regularly flicking your eyes from side to side could improve your memory by up to 10 per cent

The study, by researchers at Manchester Metropolitan University, involved 102 students.

They were asked to listen to a voice reading out 20 lists of 15 words.

A third of the students were then told to move their eyes from side to side for 30 seconds, a third to move their eyes up and down, and the rest to act as normal.

The students who had exercised their eyes on average remembered 10 per cent more words.

Dr Andrew Parker, a psychologist specialising in cognitive neuroscience at the university, led the research.

He said: "This work suggests that horizontal eye movements could help people identify the true source of their memories."

The findings were published in the science journal Brain and Cognition.

Previous studies have suggested that exercising your whole body is the key to improving your memory.

Earlier this year researchers at Columbia University in New York concluded that regular workouts help by increasing bloodflow to the part of the brain responsible for recalling facts.

A team at Newcastle University has also claimed that regularly drinking black or green tea can boost the memory, while other scientists say that eating fatty fish oil containing Omega 3 acids can help.

Apart from diet, stimulating your brain by searching for information or trying new experiences may also help your ability to remember.

Scientists do, however, agree on one thing.

Alcohol and drug abuse are surefire ways to harm your memory, both in the short and long term.

The lifestyles associated with drink and drug abuse - such as an unhealthy diet - have also been shown to impair memory.