If you’re juggling a lot of responsibilities, it’s certainly not surprising that you’ll forget things occasionally. However, memory loss is another thing altogether. Memory loss is more than just forgetting a new acquaintance’s name or where you’ve put your keys. These memory lapses can be a sign that you need to make some changes or talk to your doctor.
10 Reasons Behind Memory Loss
1. Mental Health Disorders
Mental health disorders like depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia have been shown to cause forgetfulness and difficulty concentrating. People who are under a lot of stress may also have trouble remembering small details and discussions that they’ve had.
2. A Traumatic Event
It’s not unheard of for a traumatic event to cause temporary memory loss though the event is rare. In fact, doctors estimate that about three perent of Americans will ever experience it. This kind of memory loss is different for everyone but some of the effects include forgetting important events, people who are close to you, and your personal information.
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3. A Head Injury
It’s possible for any kind of trauma to the head to cause memory problems. Even if you don’t lose consciousness, there could still be damage. This is why doctors encourage you not to take head injuries lightly.
4. Hypothyroidism
In this condition, the thyroid gland isn’t producing the right levels of hormones that the body needs to function. As a result, certain organs like the brain might not operate efficiently. Persons who have hypothyroidism often deal with forgetfulness and trouble concentrating as well as unexplained weight gain, fatigue, and muscle weakness.
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5. Taking Certain Medications
There are a few medications that can affect your memory. If you’re taking sedatives, antidepressants, antihistamines, or drugs for an overactive bladder, it’s a good time to talk to your doctor about memory loss as a possible side effect.
6. A Brain Disease
As you might expect, an infection or illness that affects the brain could also cause memory loss. In this case, trouble with remembering details won’t be the only symptom you’ll see. Infections can come with fever, headache, stiffness in the neck, blurry vision, and seizures. A tumor might cause headaches, fatigue, nausea, and trouble sleeping.
7. Sleep Apnea
A good night’s sleep is essential to proper brain function. If you have sleep apnea, you may not be getting the right amount of restful sleep without realizing it. That’s possible because not everyone wakes up during bouts of sleep apnea. Other signs you might have this sleep disorder include always being sleepy during the day, waking up with a headache, and waking up with a dry mouth.
8. Vitamin B12 Deficiency
Vitamin B12 has a role in maintaining healthy red blood cells and nerve cells. As such, if you’re not getting enough of this vitamin you can experience memory issues, fatigue, muscle weakness, and blurry vision. You can avoid this deficiency by including fish, meat, eggs, poultry, and dairy products in your diet.
9. Neurodegenerative Conditions
These are the kind of conditions that are caused by the death of cells in the nervous system. Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease are two examples that can lead to memory loss. Though these illnesses can’t be cured, the symptoms can be managed so it’s important to get an early diagnosis.
10. Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is a chronic illness that affects the brain and spinal cord. Some of the other symptoms you can expect with this condition are trouble learning new information, fatigue, blurry vision, and difficulty walking.
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When You Need A Doctor
While infrequent lapses in memory might be normal, there are a few sure signs that you need to see your doctor. These signs can include mixing up unrelated words, getting lost in familiar areas, taking longer than usual to complete simple tasks, asking the same questions repeatedly, forgetting the names of close friends or family members, and having difficulty with communication. Since these symptoms can worsen over time, it’s important to get assessed as soon as possible. Depending on the underlying issue, memory loss can even be reversible.
Some people think that memory loss is inevitable but that’s not necessarily true. The loss can be caused by an underlying condition that can be treated. That’s why it’s critical to see your doctor if you’re having issues with your memory.
