Forgetful Much?
Words by Katherine C. Eustaquio
Published in Total Fitness Magazine July 2011 Issue
A friend of mine had the most frustrating experience last month. It was payday, unfortunately, she couldn’t remember her ATM PIN number. She stood in front of the ATM machine trying her best to remember the numeric combination. She even tried some random yet familiar numbers twice until she decided to quit before the evil machine eats her card alive. It was such a bizarre experience because that same day, she also couldn’t access her email and social networking sites because she forgot her password. My friend is 25 years old.
We all go through a string of forgetful spells and mild confusion. They’re so common that we usually attribute them with aging. However, there are various factors that can cause and increase one’s forgetfulness. Apart from normal aging, here are a few causes of forgetfulness.
Hypothyroidism
Memory loss is one of the effects of an underactive thyroid gland. It’s not permanent but the patient must maintain adequate levels of thyroxine to keep the thyroid gland working properly and prevent further memory loss.
Alzheimer’s Diseases
It is the most common form of dementia, a condition where the cognitive parts of the brain are affected by diseases and result in the loss of memory and other mental abilities such as memory retention.
Chronic Alcoholism
The more alcohol is consumed, the harder it is for the brain to process and record new information. Blackouts and memory loss are common effects of excessive drinking. Most people can’t recall what happened prior to blackouts because there was interference in the hippocampus, the area of the brain that is responsible for creating memories.
Gender Differences
According to Dr. Daniel G. Amen, author of The Brain in Love, a woman’s brain is significantly more active than a man’s. Dr. Amen points out that a man’s brain is quieter and requires the aid of stimulation while a woman’s brain can do almost without. As a result, men are more likely to be forgetful than women as the latter’s brain is always in an active state.
Aura Stage of Migraine
The aura stage takes place before an actual migraine starts. Forgetfulness is one of the many phenomena (e.g. seeing flashing lights, numbness, persistent ringing in the ears) that happen during this stage and it can linger even after an actual migraine stops.
Substance Abuse
Illegal drugs cause the inability to think clearly and memory loss. A person who is high on the substance struggles to remember what day it is and other long-term information.
Depression
When a person is emotionally imbalanced, he or she is easily consumed by negative emotions that can make everything else unimportant. So don’t be surprised when a depressed friend keeps forgetting things even if you’ve mulled over them a dozen times already.
Published in Total Fitness Magazine July 2011 Issue
We all go through a string of forgetful spells and mild confusion. They’re so common that we usually attribute them with aging. However, there are various factors that can cause and increase one’s forgetfulness. Apart from normal aging, here are a few causes of forgetfulness.
Hypothyroidism
Memory loss is one of the effects of an underactive thyroid gland. It’s not permanent but the patient must maintain adequate levels of thyroxine to keep the thyroid gland working properly and prevent further memory loss.
Alzheimer’s Diseases
It is the most common form of dementia, a condition where the cognitive parts of the brain are affected by diseases and result in the loss of memory and other mental abilities such as memory retention.
Chronic Alcoholism
The more alcohol is consumed, the harder it is for the brain to process and record new information. Blackouts and memory loss are common effects of excessive drinking. Most people can’t recall what happened prior to blackouts because there was interference in the hippocampus, the area of the brain that is responsible for creating memories.
Gender Differences
According to Dr. Daniel G. Amen, author of The Brain in Love, a woman’s brain is significantly more active than a man’s. Dr. Amen points out that a man’s brain is quieter and requires the aid of stimulation while a woman’s brain can do almost without. As a result, men are more likely to be forgetful than women as the latter’s brain is always in an active state.
Aura Stage of Migraine
The aura stage takes place before an actual migraine starts. Forgetfulness is one of the many phenomena (e.g. seeing flashing lights, numbness, persistent ringing in the ears) that happen during this stage and it can linger even after an actual migraine stops.
Substance Abuse
Illegal drugs cause the inability to think clearly and memory loss. A person who is high on the substance struggles to remember what day it is and other long-term information.
Depression
When a person is emotionally imbalanced, he or she is easily consumed by negative emotions that can make everything else unimportant. So don’t be surprised when a depressed friend keeps forgetting things even if you’ve mulled over them a dozen times already.
