Is Memory Loss A Sign Of Dementia?
Healthy people can experience memory loss or memory distortion at any age.
Some of these memory flaws become more pronounced with age, but unless they are extreme and persistent, they are not considered indicators of Dementia or other memory-impairing illnesses.
What causes normal memory loss?
There is a natural tendency to forget facts or events over time.
You are most likely to forget information soon after you learn it, however, memory also has a use-it-or-lose-it quality; memories that are called up and used frequently are least likely to be forgotten.
Although this might seem like a sign of memory weakness, brain scientists regard it as beneficial, because it clears the brain of unused memories, which makes way for newer, more useful ones.
Also, you tend to forget when you do not pay close enough attention to things.
You forget where you just put your pen because you did not focus on where you put it in the first place.
You were thinking of something else (or, perhaps, nothing in particular), so your brain did not encode the information securely.
We discuss the differences between what is normal and abnormal memory loss in our video series.
Memory Blocks
“Memory blocks” are another type of forgetfulness: the temporary inability to retrieve a memory.
Someone asks you a question and the answer is right on the tip of your tongue — you know that you know it, but you just can’t think of it.
Scientists believe that memory blocks become more common with age and that they account for the trouble older people have remembering other people’s’ names.
Research shows that people are able to retrieve about half of the blocked memories within just a minute.
Memory vs. Reality
In fact, there is no such thing as a “true” memory, for even the sharpest memory is not a flawless snapshot of reality.
In your memory, your perceptions are filtered by your personal biases, this includes your experiences, beliefs, prior knowledge, and even your mood at the moment.
Your biases affect your perceptions and experiences in the very moment that they are being encoded in your brain.
Amazingly, when you retrieve a memory, your mood and other biases at that very moment can influence what information you actually recall!
Most people worry about forgetting things, but in some cases, people are tormented by memories they wish they could forget but cannot.
The persistence of memories linked to traumatic events, negative feelings, and ongoing fears is another type of memory problem.
Some of these memories accurately reflect horrifying events, while others may be negative distortions of reality.
Keeping Up With Information
We now live in an age where there is a tremendous rise in the amount of information that we must absorb and process.
Numerous information sources (such as the internet, television and radio, newspapers and magazines, books, lectures, and movies), provide a constant influx of information.
This barrage of data is so immediately accessible via computers, laptops, tablets, and smartphones, that the result can easily become an information overload that can be difficult to keep up with.
At BrainFit Resorts we teach all our participants in the ProtectMyBrain Program how to manage information overload, optimize technology so that it gives rather than takes energy from you, and also, how to forget or delete memories, and effectively make room for new memories to form.
Just scratching the surface
There’s a myriad of information around memory loss, and what are some of the steps you can take to help improve your memory and cognitive abilities day-by-day.
Below we’ve listed for you some of our information and resources that might just help you with some hints and tips you can apply to your daily life and improve your memory.
- Memory Loss… Is It Normal Or Abnormal? – Video
- Cognitive Decline: Can It Be Prevented? – Video
- Brain Aging… Can We Slow It Down? – Video
- Forgetfulness… Or Is It Something More? – Blog
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Of course, if you have any concerns that you are experiencing “irregular” memory loss, do make it a point to consult with your physician.
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