Isn’t it maddening when car keys suddenly vanish into thin air when you’re rushing out the door? Or when that bestseller book you’ve put down somehow disappears into some dark corner of the house? Ghostly spirits or plain old forgetfulness? Come on — you know the answer.
Those are examples of everyday forgetfulness. We humans have a lot on our minds nowadays, and misplacing items is a fairly common daily affair. It is when our forgetfulness interferes with daily activities that we should visit a doctor. It may not be the dreaded diagnosis of dementia or Alzheimer’s — the forgetfulness could be temporary in nature. But a physician’s exam should determine the cause or he or she could order tests to diagnose or confirm the illness.
Some degree of memory loss is normal as we age, but there are important differences between changes in memory and Alzheimer’s or other disease-caused memory loss. Some memory problems are treatable and reversible. Age-related memory loss is not disabling and has little to no impact on daily living activities.
Temporary or Reversible Memory Loss
There are myriad reasons why temporary memory loss happens – medications, drugs and mental health issues are just a few of them.
- Medications such as tranquilizers, some blood pressure medications and antidepressants can cause sedation, confusion and forgetfulness. A combination could exacerbate the situation, so if you take more than three medications, talk to your doctor if you notice signs of forgetfulness.
- Chronic alcoholism seriously impairs mental abilities. It also can cause memory loss by interacting with medications.
- Hypothyroidism is when one’s thyroid is underactive and slows metabolism. Can also disturb sleep or cause depression. May result in forgetfulness or thinking/processing problems.
- Lack of sleep is perhaps the most underappreciated cause of memory loss. This can lead to mood changes and anxiety, causing memory problems. Sleep is necessary for memory consolidation. Also, deprivation reduces the growth of new neurons in the hippocampus and causes memory issues.
- Minor head injury or trauma. Even if your head injury did not lead to a loss of consciousness, it still may interfere with memories.
- Vitamin B12 deficiency could cause memory problems. This vitamin helps to maintain healthy nerve cells and red blood cells. This deficiency is common in older adults.
- Tumors may cause memory problems or other dementia-like issues.
- Stress and anxiety make it difficult to concentrate and get information solidly into one’s brain. It interferes with attention and can block retrieval of old memories as well as newly formed ones.
- Depression can cause difficulty concentrating, confusion, forgetfulness and other disruptive symptoms. Depression is characterized by smothering sadness, lessening of everyday pleasures and lack of drive. Forgetfulness is either a sign of depression or a consequence of it.
- Hearing or vision loss or diminishment makes communication difficult and may result in seemingly forgetful behavior.
- Smoking increases your risk of vascular disorder that cause stroke or constrict arteries that deliver oxygen to the brain.
Mild Cognitive Impairment
Mild cognitive impairment, or MCI, occurs as people get older. Some have a greater problem with memory than others their age. This doesn’t disrupt daily living, and it is not inevitable that person will develop Alzheimer’s. The notable change is limitations of certain skills pertaining to a narrow set of problems. An example would be impairment only with memory issues or problems understanding a specific set of instructions. Many times as we age, small glitches show up and cause delays of information retrieval, but the memory is not actually lost. After some time, the appropriate piece of info may come to you.
Progressive Brain Damage and Dementia
Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia there is. There are also other forms of dementia, but we’ll focus on Alzheimer’s. Dementia is marked by a decline in two or more intelligent abilities, such as language, abstract thinking, memory and judgment.
Early Signs of Serious Memory Problems/Dementia
The following are early signs of possibly dementia though as you well know, at times we all display some of these symptoms. Do not be alarmed or jump to conclusions regarding your memory. Check out this list.
- Asking the same questions over and over again
- Getting lost in places you know well
- Forgetting common words when speaking
- Having sudden mood or behavioral changes for no apparent reason
Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s disease causes serious memory problems. This disease begins slowly and gets worse over time. The reason for the change is that a large number of brain cells begin to die off. The patient has trouble thinking clearly, shopping, driving or cooking. Everyday tasks can become difficult. As the illness progresses, the person may need someone to take care of them or enter into a nursing home.
Vascular Dementia
This is a medical condition that causes memory problems. Signs appear suddenly, unlike Alzheimer’s, which comes on slowly. The suddenness is caused by small strokes or changes in the blood supply to the brain. This demands an immediate visit to the doctor’s office.
See a Doctor When
See your health care provider when memory issues become problematic or noticeable by you or those close to you. Record information about how long the condition has been bothering you, what types of things are difficult to remember, whether the onset was gradual or sudden, and what kind of things you are having trouble doing. Don’t delay in seeing your physician. The sooner you get this diagnosed, the sooner you can start on the appropriate course of treatment.
So remember, those few times you forget where you put your keys or misplace a remote or cell phone isn’t cause for worry. It is when you get lost in a familiar place or cannot remember a longtime friend’s name that you will want to seek out medical advice.
Leave a Reply