Could My Memory Loss Be Due To Stress? 10 Reasons Behind Memory Problems
Can stress cause memory loss? What can cause memory problems in young people? Discover how stress affects your memory and what to do about it.
Although perceiving a little stress can be positive for activating us and giving our best at certain moments, the reality is that in many cases it can affect both our concentration and our ability to remember. In fact, the memory loss due to stress It can entail a change on a professional and personal level. This happens because stress can inhibit the way we form and retrieve memories. But how can we if our memory loss is due to stress or other psychological problems?
Stress is defined as a set of physiological reactions that prepare the body for action. Stress can impact both positively and negatively on the generation of neurons and synaptic plasticity.
If the stress is acute in a situation in which it requires all of our attention and disappears by adjusting behavior to the demand of the environment, we would be talking about a “useful” stress; however, if this stress becomes chronic, we may be facing a case with multiple consequences among which is memory loss.
When people are stressed for a long period of time, they often experience more difficulty creating short-term memories and converting information into long-term memories. Therefore, stress can make it more difficult for people to learn. The studies carried out to investigate lack of concentration and memory due to stress indicate that it may also affect due to the following:
Formation of memories: the memory loss due to stress It also affects the type of memories we form. If we are stressed about a specific event, we may have great difficulty accurately remembering the details of the event in detail, since stress influences our perceptions and our ability to remember what we perceive in those moments.
Change of memories already formed: another of the consequences that continued stress has in our memory is that it can change memories even though they are already formed. This is because when we ‘retrieve’ it from our memory we can modify it through our current experiences.
Stress fatigue: the lack of concentration and memory due to stress It can also be caused by the exhaustion it can cause.
How does stress affect short-term memory?
Have memory problems due to anxiety, stress or depression It is more common than we think. This is because these psychological problems can cause people to experience more difficulty concentrating, thinking clearly, or learning new information. On the other hand, the lack of short-term memory due to stress can also be due to the fact that people may suffer from difficulties falling asleep, which translates into having less attention span during the day.
How does stress affect long-term memory?
Given that the short term memory It is necessary to develop memories, when you suffer from memory loss due to stress this can also cause learning problems. In this way, if stress becomes chronic, people can be affected both in the way they collect information and in the way they remember it.
This happens since one of the consequences of stress continued is that our body is in a constant state of hypervigilance, which translates into being constantly attentive to all the stimuli around us. By paying so much attention to everything, we get more tired and we also have more difficulty remembering what happens to us.
Why did I forget things?
The memory loss It can have different causes. Among the most common we can highlight the following:
Alcohol or drug use: The memory loss in young people It may be due to excessive consumption of drugs or alcohol. Thus, if you are being affected by these substances, it is likely that you have an addiction that you must face.
Smoke: Smokers may experience lack of concentration and memory because smoking reduces the amount of oxygen that reaches our brain. For example, research has shown that people who smoke have more difficulty remembering names than non-smokers.
Sleep deprivation: Both the quantity and quality of sleep are essential for memory. Poor sleep due to sleep disruption during the night causes fatigue, which interferes with the ability to consolidate and retrieve information.
Depression: The memory loss It may also be due to depression because people with this disorder may experience difficulties paying attention and concentrating.
Stress and anxiety: Stress and anxiety also affect our ability to retain information. The reason for this is that they make our mind and brain constantly tense, which affects the way we form memories.
Nutritional deficiency: Lacking good nutrition, due to an eating disorder or other pathologies, can also cause memory loss
Drugs: The use of drugs such as antidepressants, antihistamines, as well as those intended to treat anxiety can also affect our memory.
Head injuries or strokes: Having suffered a memory loss or stroke can cause both a mental dullness like memory leaks.
Transient global amnesia: This amnesia represents a brief memory loss It can usually occur due to certain situations of stress, anxiety or emotional shocks.
Dementia: From an advanced age, some people may experience a progressive memory loss Sometimes disorientation and sudden memory loss can be due to Alzheimer’s disease.
As we see, the memory loss It has very different causes. For this reason, if you feel that you are experiencing memory problems that interfere with your daily life, it is important that you go to the doctor or a professional psychologist.
How to deal with memory loss due to stress?
There are several ways to improve the memory loss due to stress In addition to going to a professional psychologist to treat the stress that is causing it, we recommend that you follow the following tips:
Do breathing or meditation exercises: Mental and physical relaxation is key to improving our memory. For this reason, it is advisable to perform exercises such as meditation or different relaxation techniques on a routine basis.
move on: Regular exercise can also improve our memory and, above all, lower our stress levels. Whether taking daily walks or other exercises such as yoga, this will allow you to better cope with memory loss due to stress.
Practice mindfulness: Mindfulness involves paying attention to the present. In this way, we leave behind worries and everything that can make us feel more mentally or physically tense.
The memory loss It can end up affecting us on a personal and professional level. If you feel that you do not remember well what is happening in your life, it is important that you work before the consequences of continued stress become worse.
