Our brain is very remarkable and the most important organ that acts as a control center in the human body. The hippocampus is a brain part located in the brain with a curved seahorse-shaped that is responsible to supports memory and learning. It is common for people to tend to forget things. However, memory loss is a situation when people have trouble memorizing certain things and easily forget what they see, heard, or did a few seconds earlier but the situation can be temporary or transient, or it is called short-term memory loss. However, short-term memory loss can lead to serious problems of long-term memory loss such as dementia, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and Huntington’s disease. Soalan regarding how to overcome memory loss is often asked by patients. Many healthcare professionals are willing to answer your inquiries with supported data. There are many reasons that can cause people to lose their memory. The following are the common causes of memory loss.
Stress and anxiety
Excessive stress can bring a detrimental effect on your brain and cause memory loss. Stress can increase the level of cortisol hormone in your brain. Overproduction of cortisol will affect your memory and your bodily functions. Anxiety is a constant fear or worry about things that haven’t happened yet. People with anxiety often have trouble concentrating and learning new skills. Inability to focus on the task may lead to memory problems. People with anxiety often find themselves stuck in a loop of unending nervousness and continuous mental running activities that may waste a lot of their mental energy and interfere with the brain’s cognitive and memory functions.
Insufficient sleep
Sleep deprivation can cause insomnia when people cannot attain a length of full sleep, or have a problem initiating or maintaining sleep, which has been linked to daily cognitive deficits such as memory impairment. In contrast, sleep narcolepsy can cause memory lapses because of sleep disorders induced by excessive daytime sleepiness. A recent study has demonstrated elderly people who slept less than six hours a night pose a greater risk of dementia than people who slept more hours. Short-term memory loss is a symptom of dementia, which can evolve into long-term memory loss as the disease progresses. Besides that, cognitive skills may also deteriorate as a result of abnormal brain changes and eventually affect behavior, relationships, and daily activities.
Nutritional deficiencies
A lack of certain vitamins in your diet may affect your memory. Vitamin B12, also known as methylcobalamin, is involved in the formation of healthy red blood cells. Low formation of red blood cells can cause someone to feel fatigued and disturb the ability to think critically and reduce memory. Insufficiency of vitamin B1, also known as thiamin, which is responsible for the growth, function, and development of cells, may weaken the memory. Destruction of the brain cells may reduce the number of connecting impulses and significantly affect memory.
Mental health problems
Our mental activities have a great impact on the whole body functions. Any major or traumatic event in our lives can cause memory loss. Chronic mental health conditions such as bipolar disorder or schizophrenia can cause hallucinations and delusions that induce short-term memory loss.
Alcohol
The parts of the brain that store the memory prone to be damaged by alcohol than another part of the brain. Therefore, high consumption of alcohol is often not permitted to prevent brain damage. Research has shown the number of alcoholics increases with the number of people who suffer from dementia. However, the good news is that the condition is reversible. Somehow, people who stop drinking alcohol show a tremendous improvement in memory loss.
