Here are some of the things that could be causing your memory glitches—and bear in mind that there may be several things going on, even if one is dominant, says Dr Ronald Petersen, director of the Mayo clinic.
Stephanie Dolgoff
1. You are stressed or anxious.
Hello! That would be the woman doing 700 things at the same time, or someone who has a lot of long-term external pressures, such as financial trouble or a loved one who’s not well. “When you have too many balls in the air or are burning the candle at both ends, cortisol levels run high,” says Dr. Petersen. This stress hormone that keeps you revved and ready also affects the hippocampus and other parts of the brain that are involved in memory. Similarly, anxiety—persistent worry about something that may or may not happen in the future—feels like stress to your body, and so has the same effect on your brain. “When your anxiety level is high, you can’t focus on anything and your attention is going to be impaired—it’s going to feel like you have a memory disorder because you can’t concentrate on anything,” says Dr. Faubion.
2. You’re feeling depressed.
The jury is out as to whether depression is a cause of memory loss or a symptom of it, but either way, research shows a link between depression and cognitive impairments, including memory issues. Even people who only have a symptom or two can have issues: One study that looked at people who were not clinically depressed found that the more symptoms of depression they had, the more memory issues they reported. And struggling with depression from a young age, another study found, is associated with poorer memory in midlife. And wouldn’t you know it? Certain older antidepressants are also associated with memory loss. Fortunately, newer medications in the SSRI category “have less of a deleterious effect on memory,” says Dr. Petersen.
3. You’re a woman in or around menopause
Among the many joys of perimenopause (the period of time leading up to menopause) and the transition itself may be a small but significant cognitive impairment, according to research, that may be independent of age. Theories abound, but “the bottom line is that we don’t really know exactly why this happens,” says Dr. Faubion.
The sorta kinda good news? Research has suggested that things go back to pre-menopause levels once you’re through the ups and downs of the transition. That said, this is far from certain, especially if you have other factors, such as poverty or HIV. “Women, especially women of color, with multiple risk factors may be more vulnerable to longer-lasting memory problems,” says Dr. Faubion. “Some of the women who were of highest risk in terms of socio-cultural stressors, with and without HIV, didn’t look better on the other side of menopause,” she says.
What’s more, perimenopause often brings on mood changes, such as anxiety and depression, and sleep problems, sometimes caused by symptoms like hot flashes. These can all affect memory.
4. You’re not sleeping well or enough
Whatever the reason you’re not getting enough good quality sleep, poor shuteye can affect your memory in a big way, says Dr. Petersen. During the deeper stages of sleep, certain proteins are cleared out of the brain, says he says. “But if you never get to the stages of sleep when these housekeeping activities are thought to be taking place, perhaps toxic substances can build up in the brain,” Dr. says, and affect the way these nerves work. Talk to your doctor about possible sleep disorders such as restless leg syndrome or sleep apnea for which you can be treated—improving sleep can boost your alertness throughout the day, which helps memory, says Dr. Petersen.
5. Maybe your medications are fogging your mind
Certain medications are known to affect memory. And in the nothing-is-simple department, some of these meds are ones you’d take to help with anxiety, depression, disrupted sleep, or other problems that may keep you up at night—conditions that if left untreated can contribute to memory issues. Benzodiazepines (often taken for anxiety) are known to affect memory, as are a class of drugs called “anticholinergics,” which show up in treatments for stress urinary incontinence, over-the-counter sleep aids, and allergy treatments like Benadryl. Tricyclic antidepressants and certain opioids also deal your memory a blow.
6. You could be drinking or partying too much
Abusing alcohol or any substance (such as opioids) that can slow your central nervous system may affect memory as well, says Dr. Petersen. “I don’t want to overstate this, but clearly if someone is aging and vulnerable, two or three cocktails a night probably will catch up with you,” he says. Scientists have known for years that there is evidence of brain shrinkage in people with alcohol use disorder.
7. Perhaps you have a thyroid issue
Hypothyroidism (which is when your thyroid gland does not produce enough thyroid hormone) not only causes forgetfulness and brain fog, but research has shown that the condition can result in shrinkage of the hippocampus, an area of the brain involved with both long and short term memory. And hyperthyroidism (the gland cranks out too much thyroid hormone) can interfere with cognitive function, and a review of the literature has found that “studies with a larger sample size have shown statistically significant evidence of hyperthyroidism increasing the risk of dementia,” in older patients. “Thyroid hormones are so important for the energy metabolism of individual cells,” including those in the brain, says Dr Petersen. similarly in the brain.
8. You might have a B12 or folate deficiency
One of the known treatable causes of dementia is a vitamin B12 deficiency, says Dr. Faubion, found in foods like salmon, liver and milk. The vitamin supports nerve health, so “we may check for vitamin B12 deficiency after the age 50 to make sure people are not deficient,” she adds. That said, taking B12 pills (or another B vitamin, folate, a deficiency of which may also be associated with cognitive impairment) does not help to improve memory unless you’re deficient, says Dr. Petersen, which means taking extra B12 or folate isn’t going to make you sharper.
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