Are you becoming more and more forgetful as time goes on? It is easy to worry that you could be developing Alzheimer’s or dementia because of having so many memory slips but those are not the only reasons that you could be having problems with your memory. There are seven causes of slips in memory that have nothing to do with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease and these causes can be treated with the right approach.
You Are Not Getting Enough Sleep
How many hours of sleep are you getting each night? You probably aren’t getting enough if you are waking up not feeling rested, and if you are also more anxious and moody that also shows that you could be having a lack of sleep. Another problem with not having enough sleep is that your memory can suffer as well. If you are not sleeping well, you may need to clean your sleep hygiene and even see a sleep specialist if necessary.
Hypothyroidism Or Underactive Thyroid
If you have an underactive thyroid, you will know by struggling to lose weight even if you are trying, feeling cold all of the time, and having bouts of depression. An underactive thyroid can also cause you to have memory slips. Your thyroid is like a furnace and if it is not working well, then other parts of your body don’t. You will want to go to your doctor and have your thyroid levels checked.
Medications
Some medications can cause memory slips. Some antidepressants can cause that to happen, as well as sedative medications or sleep medications, and blood pressure drugs. When you take any medication, you need to know about the potential side effects and if slips in memory are one, then that explains the issue. If you are struggling a lot with your memory and it is interfering with your life, you will need to talk to your doctor about potentially changing your dose or medication altogether.
Anxiety
Are you overly anxious, and have you been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder? Then uncontrolled anxiety can lead to slips in memory as well. That is especially if you are overly anxious about something to the point that you don’t remember what you did yesterday afternoon. If your anxiety is taking over your life, you will want to talk to your doctor about how to treat it.
Too Much Stress
If you have too much stress in your life, such as financial and family stress, that will also have a significant impact on your memory. Uncontrolled stress can lead to other problems such as poor health especially regarding blood pressure, cardiovascular health, and cortisone levels that are not controlled. You need to find a way to manage your stress and delegate if you can.
Unresolved Trauma
If you have complex trauma or PTSD, that can also lead to memory problems. If you had too much trauma in your childhood or had a severely traumatic event sometime in your adulthood that you have not been able to face, that can cause you to dissociate. When you dissociate, you are not grounded and you also have memory slips. The best thing to do is to talk to a therapist that specializes in trauma that can help you cope.
Depression
If you are experiencing too much sadness, lack of energy, lack of self-esteem, and lack of drive, that is depression and you can also have memory slips with depression. If you are unable to cope because of having depression, you need to talk to your doctor about it and they will prescribe the best treatment for you.
As you see, there are other causes of memory problems than dementia and Alzheimer’s and once you get to the root of them, your memory should improve.
