Is Memory Loss Inevitable?
Quick lapses of memory are part of being human: you can’t remember someone’s name at a party, or where you left your car keys. What is far more troubling is forgetting things on a regular basis. It could be something reversible, such as too much stress or lack of sleep, but it might also be early signs of debilitating diseases such as Alzheimer’s or dementia.
Such diseases are most common in the elderly, but memory loss is not necessarily inevitable. Protecting your health and exercising your brain when you are younger can go a long way toward protecting your memory when you are older – and improve your memory skills as it does.
Dementia is a gradual and irreversible deterioration of the brain. Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia, but not the only one. The exact causes of Alzheimer’s are still unknown, but dementia can be the result of several underlying physical problems: cardiovascular disease, stroke, high blood pressure, and brain injuries. Preventing these diseases can help to keep the brain healthy. Eating properly, watching your weight, quitting smoking, moderating alcohol use, exercising regularly, and keeping tabs on cholesterol levels will help prevent the diseases and conditions that can contribute to irreversible memory loss.
No matter how old you are, “use it or lose it” applies. Like a muscle, the brain remains supple and strong when it is exercised regularly. This means regularly engaging in cognitive exercises, such as reading, games and puzzles, social activities, hobbies, and interactive computer programs, which will help to keep the mind sharp. What’s essential is that the activity be interactive: studies show that memory loss is more pronounced in people who passively watch television for long periods of time than in those who limit their viewing.
If you find that you’re becoming forgetful, think about what happens at night: are you getting enough sleep? In our fast-paced society, most people don’t get enough. Some even brag about how little they sleep, and what they accomplish in the time spent otherwise, but eventually the quality of what they do will start to slip. Sleep is essential for overall good health, but it also plays a vital role in memory consolidation. Researchers aren’t exactly sure how the process works, but sleeping, and perhaps dreaming, appears to be the time when the brain sorts information it has received throughout the day, and organizes it into various categories of recent or longer-term memory. If you’re not sleeping properly, your memory isn’t working at full capacity, either.
Stress can also be harmful to memory; a hormone called cortisol, produced as a result of stress, has the potential to damage the brain’s hippocampus, an area critical to memory. Lowering your stress level isn’t just good for your health, but for your memory.
Although it’s the most important component of our bodies and our personalities, much of the brain still remains a mystery, including many of its diseases. In most cases, gradual memory loss can’t be positively diagnosed until some of the damage has been done. That’s why it’s important to take a proactive approach to memory: looking after the body is a huge step toward looking after the brain. Take preventative care of yourself now, and you’ll be able to look back no matter how old you become.