What Types Of Health Problems Can Negatively Affect Your Memory?
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Our ability to remember and recall things is key to everything from learning new skills to communication. A part of our brain known as the hippocampus is thought to be largely responsible for forming and retrieving memories. Several health problems may affect our brain’s ability to remember things – which could start to affect relationships and hinder our ability to work and look after ourselves.
Think you may be losing your memory? While there are many potential causes, these are some of the most common health conditions that are likely to affect our memory.
7 Health problems that can negatively sffect your memory
Dementia
Dementia is the most common condition that can hinder our memory – roughly 1 in 11 people aged over 65 are diagnosed with this condition. It is a degenerative disease characterised by the rapid dying off of brain cells, which leads to loss of cognitive function. The exact cause of dementia is unknown – it has been linked to many things from smoking to poor diet.
Unfortunately, there is no cure for dementia, but if caught early it can be slowed down and managed effectively. Doctors will be able to run tests to help diagnose the exact types of dementia that you have. Over time, those with dementia often need to cut back on responsibilities and may require help from others. Dementia care services can also assist with support.
Concussion
Mild traumatic injury to the brain is known as concussion and can affect people of all ages who are in accidents. It can lead to partial loss of memory – often just before or after the accident – known as amnesia. Common causes of concussion include falls, road accidents and sports injuries.
Concussion requires immediate medical attention to ensure that it is not a major brain injury. You will then need to be monitored until the injury has healed. Concussion can sometimes have long-term effects on memory, but in most cases the effects are short-term. Some people may even later remember periods that they previously blanked out.
Alcoholism
Many people ‘black out’ after drinking too much alcohol in a short period of time. There are typically no long-term effects of a single heavy drinking session. However, regularly heavy drinking may eventually lead to conditions like ARBD and Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome that can lead to ongoing short-term forgetfulness even when sober.
If you’re a heavy drinker and you’ve noticed that you’ve started to forget things regularly, it could be worth seeing a doctor to run tests. Reducing your alcohol intake could be key to recovering from and preventing these conditions.
Insomnia
Lack of sleep can also affect our memory. A good night’s sleep is necessary to help us organize memories. When we are sleep-deprived, memories can become fragmented and may not always store properly, leading to forgetfulness.
We should all be getting 7 to 8 hours of sleep per night. If you struggle to get to sleep at night or are a restless sleeper, consider some of these tips to help you sleep better at night.
Stroke
A stroke occurs when there is a blockage of blood to the brain. Depending on the severity of the stroke, this can cause long-term damage to the brain – which can often negatively affect short-term memory.
A stroke requires immediate medical attention and extensive rehabilitation afterwards. Make sure that you know the signs of a stroke and don’t delay calling an ambulance. A stroke can be caused by many lifestyle factors – you are less likely to experience a stroke if you don’t smoke, eat healthily and get a lot of exercise.
Heart disease
Heart disease can lead to reduced blood flow and oxygen to the brain. As a result, many people diagnosed with heart disease experience themselves becoming forgetful.
If you’ve been experiencing chest pain, swelling in the ankles or shortness of breath, you may have heart disease. While this is the most lethal disease, it is worth noting that it is also one of the easiest to manage – by making healthy lifestyle changes, many people with heart disease are able to continue living long lives.
Chronic stress
If you’ve been misremembering things, it could also potentially be due to stress. The release of cortisol directly affects our ability to store short-term memories. Particularly traumatic events may even cause black outs – which can be due to high amounts of cortisol in the blood or a deliberate choice to block out negative memories due to PTSD.
Taking steps to reduce stress in your life could be important not just for maintaining a sharp memory, but keeping all your organs healthy. This could involve taking daily time to meditate, listen to music, enjoy a hot bath or socialise with friends. If you are experiencing severe stress, it could be worth looking into therapy and potentially reducing responsibilities in your life to help you recover.
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