You probably had the terrible experience of getting to the kitchen and forgetting what you had gone to pick. These episodes are frustrating, and repeated occurrences can be worrying, and could have you thinking you may be developing dementia or Alzheimer’s. However, there are many other possible causes of memory loss, including:

Stress

Stress can overwhelm our minds, resulting in brain drain and distraction. Acute, short-term stress can cause temporary memory loss, and persistent, long-term stress can raise one’s risk of dementia.

Depression

Depression can dull the mind and make you unbothered by whatever is happening around you, causing memory problems, decreased ability to focus, and reduced consciousness. In addition, you may not be able to pay attention to what’s happening because your emotions and mind are overburdened.

Anxiety

 Have you ever panicked and forgotten what you had studied, or blanked out when making a speech despite memorizing it for a week or so? Well, anxiety is the culprit. Although this is not a severe condition, one could also have a generalized anxiety disorder that may lead to long-term memory loss.

Grief

You could be experiencing a loss of a loved one or in a specific situation where you lose connection to what is happening around you. Grieving can take up much of your emotional and physical energy, making it hard to focus on what is happening around you.

Fatigue And Sleep Deprivation

Sleeping is an essential part of our daily routine, as it comes with many benefits. These benefits range from weight loss, increased energy, better and more irrational thinking. Hence, when you are experiencing fatigue, you tend to forget some things. Additionally, sleep deprivation affects an individual’s daily routine by affecting your learning capabilities and ability to memorize stuff.

Pregnancy

During pregnancy, some anticipated changes in the chemicals and hormones of the pregnant parent, the physical and mental changes occur. These changes result in momentary memory loss and inability to concentrate on what is happening around them. These effects tend to wear off with time.

Menopause

Just as in pregnancy, the hormones and chemical changes that occur during menopause affect the thought process and cause sleep disturbances, negatively impacting cognitive functions. Consequently, it results in temporary memory losses.  However, hormonal supplements and other supplements which reduce menopausal symptoms can help minimize memory loss.

Distraction

When your mind has a lot going on, it will likely decrease its efficiency. Therefore, when an individual is doing something, then is distracted by something in their mind or what is going on around, they are likely to experience short-term memory loss, since the mind cannot focus on remembering a specific thing.

Huntington’s Disease

Huntington’s disease reduces an individual’s cognitive thinking and reasoning skills, such as judgment, ability to plan and organize concentration and memory. Moreover, the effect of Huntington’s disease on the brain causes mood changes, including uncharacteristic anger. Some additional symptoms include anxiety and depression, which are other contributing factors to memory loss and irritability. Additionally, the disease has raised significant societal concerns, such as Is Huntington’s disease a disability, due to its adverse effects on an individual’s physical and functional elements.

Conclusion

Memory loss is a result of many other things than dementia. Therefore, don’t work yourself up the next time you experience regular memory loss episodes. Instead, you can take note of the events of your recent past, find out what is causing your memory lapses, and take corrective measures to reverse it.