Now Where Did I Put Those Keys?

I recall being able to work 4 part-time jobs, go through ROTC and take 17-18 credit hours a semester and still remember a list of things to do …in my head! I never had to write anything down and I could recall it later. Now I am back in school, working a full-time job, taking care of a husband and 4 kids, my mom and a menagerie of animals. I now have to make grocery lists…which I, of course more often or not, forget at home!

So do kids have better memories than adults? Why do we become so forgetful as we get older, barring any pathology? It only seems like it. It is not the beginnings of Alzheimer’s or senility, I believe it is that we adults are more stressed, overworked and sleep-deprived! An article by Paula Spencer Scott (caring.com) points to five culprits that create symptoms of memory loss that have nothing to do with dementia.

The first is chronic stress (deadlines, family issues, bills, etc.). It causes the release of cortisol and adrenaline that doesn’t turn off. This damages cells in the hippocampus which leads to memory lapses. The hippocampus, we learned, is involved in long-term memory storage.

Second, sensory overload or too much information can cause memory loss. You just cannot process it all. According to researchers at Concordia University in 2011 (reporting in the Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology), those adults who have difficulty decluttering their minds have a harder time retrieving information on call (“What is that song title? I know it starts with an ’s’!”)

Third, lack of sleep is another (well, duh!) With all that we do, it is hard to get enough sleep. How many of us are dog-dead tired, go to bed, and then cannot sleep? Better yet, we fall asleep only to wake up at midnight and cannot go back to sleep. In 2011 a British study in the journal Sleep found that middle-aged adults who who did not get enough sleep at night are at risk for a decline in brain function.

Fourth, multitasking is another culprit. As we read in this week’s lesson on memory. The brain doesn’t focus on several things at the same time. Switching back and forth can create memory loss (“now where was I?”)

Finally, distraction keeps us from focusing enough on something to allow details to get processed. Distraction may also prevent you from retrieving memories.

Some people find it hard to stop and smell the roses, take breaks and often resent people who seem to be having all the fun in life, while others slave away. I am not saying which category I fit into, but you could probably guess.