Oman- A person’s memory gradually declines as he grows older, but some young men and women suffer from a sharp and sudden decline in their ability to remember. What are the reasons? Can it be treated?
Before going into details, it must be mentioned that people forget surprisingly quickly. Research has found that approximately 56% of information is forgotten within an hour, 66% after one day, and 75% after 6 days, according to a report published by the Free Will Mind website. .
Although the brain is capable of performing impressive feats, its ability to store and retrieve details is limited for various reasons that make us forget things.
Research has found that people forget 56% of information within one hour of receiving it (Shutterstock)
Memory types and stages
Psychiatry specialist Dr. Alaa Al-Lahham says that memory “is one of the cognitive functions that intersects with and affects many human life functions.”
Dr. Al-Lahham explains to Al Jazeera Net that “memory is types and stages, and each of these types, stages and levels affects and is affected by different factors and mechanisms.”
He adds that memory may weaken for several reasons that vary depending on age, environment, health, physical and psychological status.
Dr. Al-Lahham: There are many causes of poor memory that vary depending on age, environment, and physical and psychological health status (Al-Jazeera)
Permanent and temporary memory impairment
Memory is affected by Alzheimer’s, strokes, head trauma, Parkinson’s disease, and neurological diseases, and for such reasons there is always weakness, according to the welding specialist.
He adds that there are reasons for temporary memory weakness that can be treated so that memory returns to normal, and these reasons include:
Hypothyroidism.
Vitamin B12 deficiency.
Depression and anxiety: This is what concerns us here in this regard, as depression may cause a decline in cognitive functions, including memory, especially in the elderly, which becomes clear when taking a detailed medical history of the elderly person and it becomes clear that he suffers from depression.
Temporary memory weakness can be treated to return to normal (Shutterstock)
Ways to preserve memory
Dr. Al-Lahham considers dealing with depression an important step and a priority treatment to correct the course of memory and return it to its normal state, “as the memory centers in the brain need constant exercise, just like muscles, to maintain their cognitive fitness.”
The psychiatrist advises continuing to read, practicing arithmetic exercises, memorizing, and continuing to engage in mental activities, which keep cognitive abilities in their appropriate functional state.
Constant stress
In turn, family psychological consultant Dr. Ahmed Siriwi agrees with Dr. Alaa Al-Laham that the causes of poor memory are multiple, “including those related to lack of sleep or stress and anxiety, and among them due to contracting some psychological diseases such as depression, and the matter may be caused by malnutrition that leads to vitamin B deficiency.” 12, which is one of the most important nerve vitamins and affects memory directly.”
Sriwi adds that the decline in memory “may be due to headaches or constant stress, due to not paying attention to rest at work, and in general, as age increases, memory weakens for many people.”
Dr. Sriwi: A bad memory may be a blessing for its owner in that he forgets the details of bad events that happened to him (Al Jazeera)
Embarrassing situations
Counselor Sriwi says, “It is normal for an individual with a weak memory to be exposed to embarrassing situations with himself and with people. He may forget the names of people or things, or lose some expressive terms at the time he would like to explain a certain idea.”
“Therefore, a person must find out the reason that led to his weak memory, then begin treating it. Likewise, the treatment of anxiety and tension is done through respiratory and mental relaxation sessions and cognitive behavioral therapy sessions for the negative thoughts and fears that led to this condition,” according to Sriwi.
He added, “A bad memory may sometimes be a blessing for its owner in that he forgets the details of bad events that happened to him, but that does not mean that he has completely forgotten the subject itself. Rather, it is enough to forget the details that cause an increase in pain when remembering and make the negative memory difficult to forget.”
How to reduce forgetfulness?
Although some forgetfulness is inevitable, some steps can help you commit important information to your memory.
The Free Will Mind website lists some practices that help reduce forgetfulness, including:
Doing exercise: Exercising can lead to rapid improvements in memory function. There is no need to spend hours on the treadmill or in the gym. Short, very light exercises lead to rapid improvements in memory function as research has proven.
Get plenty of sleep: Adequate sleep is essential for physical and mental health, while sleep needs can vary from person to person, so the typical recommendation for adults is 7 to 9 hours per night.
Practice memorizing information: Sometimes the best way to commit something to memory and reduce the chances of forgetting it is to use “practice” – review the information repeatedly until you commit it to memory.
Writing information: When all else fails, write down important information so you can refer to it later. In some cases, writing it down may help you remember it later.
2023-10-11 13:28:01
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