5 Factors that Negatively Affect Memory Function

Whether it’s to remember what to buy at a grocery store or to look back on fond experiences from years prior, you need to have an actively functional memory to do it. With issues of dementia coming up in older ages and attention disorders hurting younger generations, focus on memory is becoming a lot more critical. At the same time, some people are so focused on not losing their memories, that they end up forgetting pretty much everything else in their lives.

Your brain has a number of different memory functions that encode anything from emotions to sensory experiences. But for the most part, people are worried about losing their long term memories, which include those experiences and relationships with people that have persisted over the years. It’s a terrifying thought that something could harm that mental photo album, but nevertheless – it is true.

Here are 5 factors that negatively affect your memory function:

1. Menopause

Thankfully, the memory issues related to menopause are for the most part temporary. The hot flashes that you experience during menopause can result in a lack of sleep that negatively affects your ability to encode and retrieve memories.

2. Lack of Sleep

As you know from the point about menopause, lack of sleep can contribute to memory deficiencies. There are studies out there suggesting that sleep can improve synaptic plasticity and synapse health, which strengthens the connections between neurons. If neurons can’t communicate properly because of sleep loss, then it becomes more of a challenge to remember small details.

Tip: Try to get about 8 hours of sleep a night. If that can’t be done, try to squeeze in a short mid-day nap to help restore your brain power. But at the same time, no matter how many naps you take – your body still does need a good night’s rest.

3. Thyroid Issues

Your thyroid doesn’t directly affect your brain; after all, it’s in your neck. That being said, memory issues are often characteristic of thyroid disease. The same disease also has a link to impaired concentration and ability to focus. In fact, thyroid disease sometimes makes an appearance disguised as this surprising mental disorder.

4. Anxiety & Depression

Increased levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) which are especially applicable to anxiety lead to your brain losing synapses. Keep in mind that these synapses are a key means of communication between neurons, so without their function, it becomes a lot harder to both encode and retrieve memories.

5. Smoking

Smoking doesn’t just have a link to cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. Did you know that it also impairs the ability for blood to flow into your brain? Studies have shown that memory function does tend to decline more in smokers than non-smokers, because a buildup of abnormal proteins can develop in the brain that impairs information relay.

While some of these factors are easier to avoid than others, they can all be managed by eating balanced diets that are rich in vitamins and nutrients. It all comes back to incorporating all of the memory-boosting solutions into your daily routine that you can’t really afford to neglect.

Source: fitlife.com