Common Causes of Memory Loss

Aging is one of the most common, and natural, causes of memory loss. It may be a common knowledge that we lose brain cells as we get older; but what may not be that commonly known is - the process starts as early as in our 20s!

For most of us, getting older affects the way our brain stores information, and makes it harder for us to recall the stored information. And this directly affects our memory.

A very common example - if you have ever tried to remember a word that you know very well, but which just escapes you right when you most need to put that in a sentence - you know what it is like! Very frustrating, but hardly that serious.

Another common experience of this kind is trying to remember the name of a person you have met before - maybe even on more than one occasion - and whose face is clearly imprinted in your mind's eye; but you just can't seem to get to their name!

B12 deficiency can result in memory loss, and can usually be corrected by a regular intake of Vitamin B12, along with Folic acid and other vitamins for memory, either through food, supplements, or both as directed by a doctor.

B12 can be found in lean beef, fish, meat and diary products like milk, cheese and yogurt. Since the only known sources of B12 are animal protein and diary products, strict vegetarians will need to include a B12 supplement in their regular diet.

With no sensory interference during sleep, experts believe that the brain proceeds to organize and revise the day's information, and works on "storing" it into memory.

Not getting sufficient sleep could also become one of the causes of memory loss in that, it impairs our ability to remember events that occurred during the day, and our capacity to recall them easily later.

Not paying attention to events happening around us, because we are engrossed in something else, are tired, sleepy, or stressed out, is one of the most common reasons for not remembering occurrence of those events.

In fact, paying attention could be one of the most suggested and important memory improvement techniques that one can follow to ensure a better memory.

This is not so much of a "memory loss" issue per se, as much as it is an issue of those events not registering in our brain in the first place; but it is significant in the fact that it is a common enough occurrence which people associate, albeit mistakenly, to a problem with their memory.

There are studies that relate pregnancy to temporary short term memory loss - like forgetting where you put your glasses, or not remembering to call someone that you had meant to call. This typically occurs during third trimester through postpartum, and memory generally returns to normal on its own after that period.

If our memory problems start to interfere in our daily routine, or our situation does not clearly fit into any of the temporary categories, it is a good idea to get evaluated by a professional, for other potentially more serious causes of memory loss.