Thank you for posing the question on such a commonly encountered scenario at the clinic. With increased awareness of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, many young people also start to worry about getting these conditions when they experience memory loss or become forgetful.
There are different processes involved in remembering things:
Firstly, one will need to pay attention. If you are not able to focus, then you will not be able to pay notice and then register the piece of information. Here are some factors:
- High-stress level - it will interfere with our ability to focus and pay attention.
- Multitask - it will cause you to get distracted easily.
- Frequent interruptions - It makes it hard for your brain to form new memories.
Second, you will need to store that piece of memory in the brain. Memory consolidation occurs during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. It came as no surprise that people with sleep deprivation oftentimes are noted for their poor memory. Alcohol also interferes with REM sleep and memory consolidation.
Third, to be able to retrieve the information that has been stored. Fatigue and tiredness can interfere with the retrieval process. Persons with head injury can have problems with memory storage, consolidation and retrieval. Anxious people may have problems with focus and memory retrieval.
Here are some of the common causes of memory loss and forgetfulness seen in young people:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder)
- Trauma to the head
- Sleep deprivation – insufficient sleep syndrome (where a person would sacrifice sleep to do other tasks like watching a movie or gaming); insomnia disorder (where a person wants to sleep but cannot sleep well)
- Sleep apnea
- Medications (e.g., sedating ones like antihistamines, sleeping pills, pain medicines given after surgery)
- Underactive thyroid gland
- Nutritional deficiencies (e.g, Vitamin B1 and B12 deficiencies)
- Other medical conditions like kidney disease, liver disease, diabetes
- Alcohol, tobacco or drug use. (e.g., smoking harms memory by decreasing the amount of oxygen available to the brain.)
The list of possible causes is indeed long. Do get medical attention if your memory problems cause you distress, interfere with your studies, work, family or social life. It will be good to get the problem fixed so that you can continue with your life trajectory to pursue your dream course of study, work or relationship.
