forgetting things from time to time is normal and it's also normal to become more forgetful
as you continue to age but where do you draw the line how can you tell whether your memory lapses
is all part of normal forgetfulness and within the scope of normal aging
or a symptom of something more serious as we get older we may experience subtle changes in memory
which is all part of the aging process however situations arise when we experience these changes
sooner or faster than expected at times these changes go unnoticed but other times it tends
to interfere with our lives and those of others memory problems are caused by a number of things
it could be a side effect of medication or due to an existing or developing health problem such
as anxiety depression heart disease sleep related problems dehydration or vitamin deficiency if this
seems to be the case identifying and treating the condition can improve your memory immensely
everyone forgets things at times for example how many times have you forgotten where you
placed your keys or the name of someone you only met recently a lot of older adults worry about
their memory and other thinking abilities some of the concerns they have may be about taking
longer than before to learn something new or they might forget to pay a bill once or twice
these changes are usually signs of mild forgetfulness which is a normal part of aging
and not serious memory problems so how does one distinguish between normal age-related memory loss
and serious memory problems simple forgetfulness or delaying when recalling names dates and events
are all part of normal aging process but memory problems that start to interfere with normal
daily life are not considered normal aging when you forget where you placed your glasses it's a
simple sign of forgetfulness disorganization or normal aging however when you forget what
your glasses are used for or that they're worn on your face then something's definitely wrong normal
age-related memory loss doesn't usually keep you from living a full productive life you might
forget a person's name but recall it later in the day you might misplace your glasses or sometimes
you need to make lists more often than before to remind you of tasks you need to do or appointments
you have to go to these changes in memory are generally manageable and don't interfere with
your ability to work maintain a social life or live independently conditions like dementia
and mild cognitive impairment on the other hand are very serious and will hugely affect your
life dementia is a term used to describe a set of symptoms including impairment and memory judgment
reasoning language and other thinking skills it usually starts gradually becomes worse with time
and impairs your ability to work interact socially and how you handle relationships one of the first
or more recognizable signs of dementia is the kind of memory loss that disrupts your life
other early signs might include repeatedly asking the same questions forgetting common words when
speaking taking long to complete familiar tasks misplacing items getting lost while
walking or driving in a familiar area or having changes in your mood mild cognitive impairment
is another condition that involves a decline in at least one area of one's thinking skills such
as memory having this condition doesn't really prevent you from engaging socially with others
or performing your regular everyday tasks as is the case for dementia for a lot of
people the condition progresses to dementia due to alzheimer's or any other disorder causing dementia
while for others their memory loss doesn't progress much more research is still being done
on mild cognitive impairment though memory loss or any other dementia-like symptoms can be caused by
many medical problems most of which can be treated some of the possible causes of reversible memory
impairment include the use of medications minor head injury or trauma emotional disorders such as
stress and anxiety alcoholism vitamin deficiency or brain diseases by getting into detail of these
causes you might get a better understanding of why you're forgetful so let's look into them
1. you're stressed stress often affects focus and attention rather than memory but this can decrease
your ability to recall new information when you're stressed your mind is usually distracted with
other thoughts and concerns and is focused on the issue so it becomes very easy to forget although
this might be a focus issue when you're going through it it feels more like a memory problem
if your mind is otherwise overwhelmed with stress while you're receiving new information
that information isn't really stored into memory and hence can't be recalled later on
2. multitasking spreading your focus too thin isn't just bad for anyone trying to be productive
it's bad for your memory as well overextending yourself with too many tasks at the same time
can cause stress which can in turn cause you to become distracted and not store information
properly and all the frequent interruptions make it hard for your brain to form new memories
three lack of sleep a lack of sleep can cause you to forget important events like birthdays
and anniversaries not getting enough sleep can lead to stress and anxiety which leads
to forgetfulness which can lead to more stress and more forgetfulness and the cycle continues 4.
depression and other mental health issues depression messes with memory because one
might have difficulty focusing which prevents your brain from forming new memories but
depression isn't permanent and neither are any other depression-related memory problems
doctors strongly believe that our memories can return to normal once we've dealt with depression
5. certain medications can impact your memory if you're on medication to treat anything
ranging from anxiety to parkinson's chances are they could be impacting your memory negatively
there are alternative medications that won't mess with your memory that much
if you start noticing a decline in memory at what point should you visit the doctor for memory loss
when memory loss keeps you from performing daily tasks it becomes a health concern that needs to
be evaluated further by health care professionals if you have trouble remembering thinking clearly
or remembering recent events talk with a doctor he or she might suggest a thorough checkup to
see what may cause the symptoms the doctor would likely perform a series of tests and assessments
which may include a brain scan to help try and figure out the source of your memory problems
there are certain tests that can determine the degree of memory impairment and diagnose the cause
it would be great to have a family member or friend who can help answer any questions the
doctor might ask some of these questions could be when the memory problems began what medications
you're taking what tasks you find challenging or what you've done to cope with memory problems
whether you've been ill recently or whether you've been feeling depressed or anxious
they may even recommend you see a neurologist if you're having memory problems it's vital
to talk to your doctor to get a diagnosis and appropriate care it can be difficult coming to
terms with the fact that you're suffering from memory loss and possibly dementia
some people even try to hide that they have trouble remembering stuff getting an immediate
diagnosis is important because by determining the reversible cause of memory impairment
you're able to get the appropriate treatment at times the problem could be treated resulting in an
improvement in cognition sometimes the problems could be a brain disorder such as alzheimer's
disease whose effects cannot be reversed finding the root cause of the problem is important to
determine the best way to go once you know this it becomes easier to make the right treatment plan
it's also advisable to make follow-up appointments to evaluate your memory every 6-12 months
there are a few things you could do that could help slow memory and thinking decline and although
there's no clear-cut link to doing them they are good recommendations for maintaining good health
1. get a good night's sleep multiple stories from over the years support the fact that sleep is a
crucial time when memories merge and get stored therefore missing out on sleep or not getting high
quality sleep can negatively impact your ability to remember and recall getting between 7 and 9
hours of sleep every night is recommended by the national sleep foundation for optimal health and
brain function 2. exercise regularly the best thing you can do to maintain your brain health
is to exercise a few days a week according to the american academy of neurology's practice
guidelines for patients with mild cognitive impairment exercise is good for a number of things
it's good for your heart your mood your sleep and mind especially the region involved in
memory loss one study in particular of middle aged women with early signs of memory loss
started a program of regular aerobic exercise and an increase in the size of the hippocampus
the part involved in memory storing and improved verbal memory and learning was
observed when the participants were tested the american academy of neurology recommends regular
exercise as one of the things people with mild memory problems should do to help stop
those problems from worsening or progressing into serious neurological disorders 4. test yourself
most people think that testing is only useful because it tells you what you know and what
you don't but the main power of testing is giving you the chance to practice retrieving
information that you've learned before and establishing the connection in the brain
in a study that tested a group of students on new information they obtained a week earlier students
who were also tested on the new information immediately after learning it performed
better than students who simply asked to study the information on the test they all took a week later
5. put the information in your memory palace the idea here is if you want to remember something
such as a passcode or a to-do list you visualize those items or numbers in different rooms of your
house the memory palace approach has been studied to a great extent in psychology
and research shows that it can be of more value in terms of remembering than having
more intellectual capabilities in the first place and it can also be very effective for remembering
than memorization and straightforward repetition 6. use a mnemonic device
it's easier to remember things that relate to knowledge we already have because we link it to
what we've already stored in our memory and that's why mnemonic devices work they connect two pieces
of information together so when you want to call a certain memory there are many possible paths to it
seven pay attention this is quite obvious but concentration is important if your aim is to learn
something new if you don't pay as much attention chances are low that you encode the information
in your long-term memory how many americans would be able to accurately draw the dollar bill
even though they likely look at it all the time eight make it relevant to your life if you
really want to remember something your best bet is trying to connect it to another part of your life
or a topic that you already know figure out some facet of your life where it's relevant and use it
it might be scary when you first realize you're having trouble remembering things
but by implementing some of the suggestions mentioned above and seeking professional help
you could quite easily manage it but before you begin to worry remember that it's normal
to forget at times we all do thank you guys so much for watching if this is your first
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