Checklist: 10 Signs That Your Memory Has Fail
Text: Gayana Demurina
In a perfect world, we could manage without notebooks or a phone, relying entirely on your memory when you need to remember a date, a name or something else just as important. Nevertheless, forgetting information is normal: so the brain saves power for data more important. Sometimes memory lapses make one start worrying about health, because forgetfulness is one of the first symptoms of Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia. This ten-point checklist will help you understand when your forgetfulness is a variant of the norm, and when it is a harbinger of a serious problem.
1
Your memory used to be better
The aging process is inevitable, and memory is one of the first things that will suffer from age-related changes. But the fact that with age we remember and remember worse, does not yet speak about a serious problem. With a natural age-related decline in memory, the mind and consciousness remain unchanged. With dementia, for example, violations affect not only the work of the operating memory, but also the ability to write, speak, perceive information and concentrate on the task, that is, it becomes difficult to perform simple actions.
If cognitive impairment is excluded, it is believed that, provided mental training, good memory can be enjoyed even in old age. Moreover, different types of memory reach their greatest potential at a certain age. For example, at twenty-two years old, remembering unfamiliar names is best, at thirty-two — new faces, and from fifty years old, new information is learned. That is, if you memorize numbers or names are not as easy as before, it is possible that brain activity is simply directed to something else.
2
You can't remember a word that spins in a language
Situations when the necessary word seemed to have failed and at the same time it is very close, spinning on the tip of the tongue, is common for each of us, but they are not necessarily associated with age-related changes and diseases; judging by this phenomenon of impending dementia is definitely not worth it. Most likely, after some time (from a couple of minutes to several days), the forgotten word will pop up by itself or be remembered thanks to an associative series.
Researchers say that a trigger for recall can be other words starting with the same letter or matching the number of syllables with the desired one. And bilinguals, who, by the way, are more often faced with a similar problem, are helped by the equivalent of a second language to solve the problem. But external stimuli do not always lead us to the right word, and on the contrary, they can interfere with the restoration of memory. If you protect yourself from distractions (sound and especially visual), it may be easier to concentrate on what you have forgotten.
3
You have so much to do, that you forget some of them.
It’s almost impossible to keep everything in your head, especially when some tasks are priority and require maximum concentration. To make room for new information, the brain erases unnecessary memories that we rarely use (for example, if we think in the morning that we need to go to dry cleaning on the way back, and then never remember about it a day). It is not surprising that when you are at work, you will most likely forget to pick up things from dry cleaning - this is simply not as important as preparing a presentation for a burning project.
Sometimes, apart from physical workload, stress also puts pressure on us. Studies have shown that an increase in the level of cortisol (a stress hormone) correlates with a weakening of the connections between neurons in the prefrontal cortex. The prefrontal cortex is associated with the formation of operative memory; therefore, under the influence of stress, we poorly remember and retain information worse. You can solve the problem, if you try to worry less and do not neglect the well-deserved rest. Unfortunately, chronic stress can lead to the fact that synapses (connections between neurons) will be completely destroyed, so it’s better to take measures on time.
4
You sleep poorly and remember badly
Lack of sleep also adversely affects mental activity. The fact is that while we are sleeping, one of the brain’s tasks is to process and retain the information received during the day (the researchers found that going into a deep sleep phase helps consolidate when information from short-term memory goes into long-term memory). But as soon as something breaks the process, the memories are not saved so well, and some of them are simply not stored in the long-term memory.
Lack of sleep leads to changes in the hippocampus - a part of the brain that is responsible for the consolidation of memory, as well as attention and learning ability. If you forget something all the time, perhaps it’s time to do sleep hygiene: go to bed early and at the same time, air the bedroom, get dark curtains and stop taking gadgets to bed.
5
You do not remember how to shut the door or turn off the iron
With almost everyone, this has happened: already on the way to the office or the institute, a slight panic suddenly arises - you do not remember whether you turned off the tap or turned off the stove. In fact, there’s probably nothing to worry about - you don’t remember these actions just because they are automatic. We forget about such operations and unconsciously launch the "autopilot" mode due to the fact that our brain saves energy.
Habitual actions are repeatedly worked out and well known to us, in the process there will be no new information: if you grew up in Russia, then you are likely to put a scarf and hat in your coat sleeve, putting it in your wardrobe without even thinking. Therefore, the brain simply does not get wasted on the work of areas that activate memory, it is better to use it to memorize new information.
6
You are taking memory impairment drugs.
Many of these factors apply to almost any person (we all work a lot and do not sleep enough), and it’s not so easy to track down exactly what caused the forgetfulness. But if you take drugs whose components may impair memory, it is enough to watch your condition after they are canceled. Perhaps it is drugs that are to blame for everything, and then memory will be restored in a couple of days, because the brain is constantly creating new neural connections.
The ideal option is to find out about the possible side effects of the drug in advance and ask the doctor if there are any benign analogues. With caution in this regard, it is necessary to treat anti-anxiety drugs, lower cholesterol levels, antidepressants, first-generation antihistamine pills, sleeping pills and some others.
7
You disconnect by drinking too much
The main horror of a hangover for many is that some episode of the party is hopelessly forgotten - even worse, if yesterday's events are completely erased from the memory. This happens if the alcohol content in the blood has increased dramatically, and for a partial failure in the memory is not enough of such a large amount of alcohol. In this case, if it is hard to remember how events developed, they can be restored.
When the memory is completely turned off, the person leaves the person at a certain moment - and then the morning awakening begins. Such failures are due to the fact that alcohol disrupts the work of the hippocampus; episodic memory (which, for example, stores information about the time, place and other things associated with the event) suffers from this, and long-term memories cannot form. The more alcohol you drink, the more it hurts the memory. If you regularly lose memory because of the amount of alcohol you drink, you most likely need to think about it - not about the onset of dementia, but about alcohol abuse.
8
Memory training helps you
To strengthen the weakening memory, you can perform special exercises that generally improve the brain. Scientists have not yet reached agreement on whether such exercises are effective for everyone, but they note that they work rather than vice versa. For Alzheimer's disease or other types of dementia, this will only be prevention, but not treatment, that is, it is better to take care of them in advance - and if the exercises do not help to concentrate and remember, you should consult a doctor.
Exercises to strengthen memory can be found on the Internet, but any switch from the usual tasks performed on the machine to new ones also helps. You can solve crossword puzzles, collect puzzles, or help children solve math problems, not including a calculator. Learn and use foreign languages: constantly switching from one language to another helps prevent or delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease.
9
Your loved ones had early dementia
Alzheimer's disease, one of the most common types of dementia, most often develops after 65 years - but in 9% of cases dementia begins at a younger age. Risk factors include family history, that is, the risk increases if someone from a parent or sibling encounters Alzheimer's disease. If, with such a family history, you notice systematic memory lapses or, for example, you are disoriented in space and time, then it is better to consult a doctor without delay. By the way, constantly depressed mood or irritability can also be precursors of dementia - do not write off such changes in a loved one to the fact that with age he simply developed a bad temper.
You should not panic: if you diagnose the disease at an early stage, the treatment will be much more effective; Researchers are constantly working to improve drugs and seek to eliminate the causes that cause the disease. But if you refuse treatment, Alzheimer's disease will only progress. It affects and destroys brain cells, making it difficult for them to transmit information to each other, which leads to impaired speech, attention, ability to solve problems and other problems.
10
You had physical injuries.
Interruptions in memory can also occur due to physical damage or compression of the brain - as a result of injuries, operations, and even tumors. Because of injury or surgery, post-traumatic amnesia can occur, in which, as a rule, short-term memory suffers. A person may lose thought during a conversation or get lost in a familiar store (one of the symptoms of such amnesia is a desire to wander). This condition can last from several minutes to several months, depending on the extent of the damage. In most cases, the memory is gradually restored, but it is better not to let the matter take its course, and after a serious head-strike, see a doctor.
The serious causes of memory impairment are problems caused by the compression of brain tissue, for example, a growing tumor or hemorrhage during a stroke. But such diseases are manifested by several signs at once: in addition to memory, other cognitive functions (attention, ability to judgment) are impaired, as well as speech and movement in different parts of the body. In general, if you just sometimes forget names or faces, you should not panic and run to an oncologist - quite possibly, you need to sleep and go on vacation.
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