Scientists say the eye movement fires up both the left and right hemispheres of the brain at the same time.

And they believe this is the key to improving our ability to remember things like whether we locked the front door or turned the oven off.

Dr Andrew Parker, who carried out the research, said that only 30 seconds of moving eyes from left to right could produce results.

I admit I was skeptical when I first read this. Exactly how rigorous was Dr Parker's statistical method? How do we know that all of the test subjects weren't standing with the stoves and front doors they couldn't remember just to their right?

Then I recalled (even without the aid of ocular gymnastics) Mary's admonition whenever I find myself confronted with a recalcitrant bottle top or screw.

"Righty tighty!"

Suddenly it made sense. Turning your eyes to the right must tighten up your memories.

I intend to add this exercise to my usual morning workout, which consists of getting out of bed and going downstairs (aerobics) and brushing my teeth (good for upper body strength).

The morning seems like the best time. My memories probably come loose with all my tossing or turning. Judging from the dreams I have, something in there is loose and rolling around. When I spring out of bed and into action a few of those memories must settle back into place but a lot of them just fall out.

Of course I must remember "Righty tighty." I wouldn't want to look the wrong direction up and end up with amnesia.