SHARES
“My husband is getting forgetful. He always forgets where he kept his car keys. He would agree to buy some butter on his way back, but comes back empty handed. Worst of all, he even forgets our children’s birthdays! I know he had been complaining that his work is getting stressful lately. But, I worry whether my husband has Alzheimer’s disease. He never listens to my advice of seeing a doctor.” Liew is getting anxious about her husband’s forgetfulness.
Is forgetting normal?
Yes, forgetting is normal. We’ve all forgotten a name. Where we parked the car. Whether or not we locked the front door.
However we can improve our memory and mental capacity by challenging our brain and using repetition. Our brain is not hard wired, rather it is flexible or “plastic”. Repeating and reinforcing information work well to help neurons forge new or stronger connections with other neurons in your brain. It helps your brain solidify connections that are used to recall memories. This what takes place when you challenge your brain, for instance learning a new language, musical instrument or steps of a dance.
When to worry about being forgetful?
1. When you are unaware of your forgetfulness
If your family and friends around you notice a change in your memory and you are unaware, this can be a warning sign for dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. Another sign beyond normal forgetfulness, is when you begin to forget a skill or a routine work you perform regularly. For instance, you may lose your way home on a familiar route and forget to pay the bills. On top of that, you also have difficulty in planning and making decision. You take longer time to complete daily chores and make mistakes often. You also find it hard to focus, think, and calculate.
Furthermore, Alzheimer’s disease can also affect your mood, making you more anxious, irritable and tearful. Also signs of language difficulty in reading, writing and speaking are red flags about your forgetfulness.
Photo by newsusacontent on Flickr
2. When you have mood changes that impact your daily life for a long time
Major Depressive Disorder
If you feel sad and lost interest in almost anything in life for an extended period of time, chances are your forgetfulness is due to depression. It is normal to be depressed, sad and mourn our loss. However, if this last more than two weeks, it can be very unhealthy. Consult your doctor who is there to help you feel better. When we are depressed, we have difficulty concentrating resulting in poor memory formation and recall. Other signs pointing to depression are changes in sleep and appetite. Overall, you will find yourself talking, thinking and moving less or slower.
Generalized Anxiety disorder
Besides, when we are anxious and stressed, our mind can be preoccupied by fear and thoughts. This makes us less aware and attentive of things happening around us. For example, we can forget where we put our wallets and keys, or forget what people just told us a minute ago because we are not paying attention. However, if this lasted for months and affects our work and family life, it is time to see your doctor. Also, you may worry too much about everything, get distracted easily, felt restless, fatigue and have bodily aches.
3. When you are less tolerant to cold weather
If you find yourself wearing thicker clothes and feeling cold when others are not, this may be a sign that you may have low thyroid hormone (hypothyroidism). Others symptoms of hypothyroidism include constipation, weight gain, loss of appetite, dry skin, hair loss (and even eyebrows on the side), easily depressed, fatigue and sleepiness. You may also have heavy menstrual flow. If you have any of these symptoms together with forgetfulness, consult you doctor, and ask about testing your thyroid hormone level.
Do you know thyroid problem in your neck can make you forgetful? Photo by Health Same on Flickr
Conclusion
Forgetfulness is common to everyone of us when we are not paying attention, have lack of sleep and stressed. However, if it affects our functioning in daily life and comes together with other warning signs, this may mean that we have some illness going on requiring medical attention and treatment.
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References:
1. Daniel P. 7 common causes of forgetfulness [Internet]. Harvard Health Publishing. 2013. [Available from: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/7-common-causes-of-forgetfulness-201302225923; last updated on 2013 Feb 22; last accessed on 2019 Jul 16]
2. Is it Alzheimer’s or normal aging [Internet]. WebMD LLC. 2019. [Available from: https://www.webmd.com/alzheimers/guide/alzheimers-or-forgetful; last updated 2018 Dec 12; last accessed on 2019 Jul 16].
by Chang Xian
View all articles by Chang Xian.
