In the News: Seven Reasons for Memory Loss

We have all been there… we have walked into the kitchen, opened the refrigerator door and forget what we were going in there to get. Or we walked into a room and didn’t know why we went in that room in the first place. While many of us will instantly blame dementia or other memory loss conditions, experts say that there are several things, or a combination of things, that may be the culprit. Here are seven of them:

You are stressed or anxious- the stress hormone that keeps you all revved up, affects the hippocampus and the other parts of the brain that are involved in memory.

You’re feeling depressed – research shows a link between depression and cognitive impairments, including memory loss.

You’re a woman in or around menopause – among the many issues involving menopause, cognitive impairment is also on the list.

You’re not sleeping well or enough – poor sleep can affect your memory in a big way.

Maybe your medications are fogging your mind – certain medications (unfortunately those that help you combat depression, anxiety, and sleeplessness) are known to affect memory.

You could be drinking or partying too much - abusing alcohol or any substance (such as opioids) that can slow your central nervous system may affect memory as well.

Perhaps you have a thyroid issue – Hypothyroidism (which is when your thyroid gland does not produce enough thyroid hormone) not only causes forgetfulness and brain fog, but research has shown that the condition can result in shrinkage of the hippocampus.