Forgetfulness At Young Age: 8 Reasons For Memory Problems

Forgetfulness is normally associated with aging, although young people also often experience memory problems. If you notice that you often lose things, you doubt whether you have turned off the light in your apartment, and you do are not able to remember small things, there could be several reasons for it.

Memory problems among teens are increasing across the globe, and there are many causes of it. In this article, we are going to provide the most common reasons that lead to memory deterioration at a young age.

Why You Become Forgetful At Young Age?

Many people do not understand why they just keep forgetting everything and trust us; it can be exhausting! Well, we have collected the major reasons for this problem for you.

• Multitasking

The trend towards multitasking is gradually fading away, and the fact that such a mode of work is bad for productivity has been confirmed by more than one study.

Whatever people write on their resume, only a very few of us can really effectively cope with several tasks at the same time. The study, published in the Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, tested 200 participants in a high-precision driving simulator, and only 2.5% of them were able to perform well on the assigned tasks.

Multitasking is bad for memory for several reasons. The most obvious is that you cannot properly concentrate on a certain subject, and this is important for memorization. In addition, in this mode, a person constantly experiences stress, which also impairs memory. Finally, constant distractions prevent the brain from forming new memories.

• Taking Certain Medications

Certain medications can affect cognitive performance. Often memory loss and problems with concentration are side effects of antidepressants such as Paroxetine or Desipramine.

Memory can be affected by drugs used to treat a variety of disorders, from anxiety to ulcers or Parkinson’s disease. If you noticed that memory problems began after taking medication, read whether they have such side effects.

• Stress

Stress is a major memory destroyer, although it affects concentration rather than memorization. According to Douglas Scharre, director of the department of cognitive neurology at Ohio State University, when a person is stressed, their mind is constantly distracted by extraneous worries and thoughts, not focusing on the subject. 

As a result, it seems that you have a bad memory, when in fact, the problem is mindfulness. If you constantly live in stress, then it can turn into a habit and even an addiction. It can further aggravate the problem as addiction to alcohol causes both short-term and long-term memory problems. 

For dealing with this problem, get help from insurance programs covering rehab facilities. Besides, for coping with temporary forgetfulness, try to find healthy ways to calm down. This might include watching a movie, meditation, or even yoga.

• Mental Disorders

As Douglas Scharre points out, anything that can affect the brain can cause memory problems. Forgetfulness is often considered a symptom of depression. In such a state, it is difficult for a person to focus on what is happening, and this prevents the brain from creating new memories.

With an anxiety disorder, the brain is constantly multitasking. And the person worries about every little thing, and, as we already found out, this negatively affects Memory Problems . The good news is that when you get the disease under control, your Memory Problems will be restored.

• Lack Of Sleep

The fact that a sleepless night has a bad effect on mental and physical condition can be noticed after the very first time. As a result, mood deteriorates, the ability to concentrate, you feel tired and foggy in your head. Regular sleep deprivation leads to stress, anxiety, and, therefore, memory impairment.

In addition, the lack of adequate 7-8-hour sleep entails a number of chronic diseases. It increases the risk of diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, excess weight, lowers immunity, and generally shortens life expectancy.

• Lack Of Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 is one of the body’s essential elements for the production of red blood cells, DNA, and the functioning of the brain. This vitamin is also important for nerves because it helps maintain the myelin sheaths (the protective layer that covers the nerves). 

Vitamin B12 deficiency in adolescents can potentially lead to temporary Memory Problems loss and dementia-like symptoms. Remember that vitamin B12 is not produced in the body; you need to eat foods and supplements to get enough of it.

• Depression

Depression can lead to forgetfulness and confusion in the patient’s mind. Pseudodementia is a clinical condition in which a person who is depressed also mimics the symptoms of dementia. A person with pseudodementia may have symptoms such as: 

• Delayed reaction to any stimulus 
• Forgetting things and people
• Difficulty in speaking
• Difficulty in dealing with depression
• Feeling tired
• Poor sleep
• Decreased appetite
• Low self-esteem
• Suicidal thoughts

• Insufficient Thyroid Activity

The thyroid gland is responsible for hormones, which means that it can affect the body in a variety of ways. It can reduce metabolism, cause painful periods and mood swings.

An underactive thyroid, such as in hypothyroidism, often produces symptoms similar to depression, including problems with Memory Problems and concentration. If, in addition to poor memory, you feel constant fatigue, drowsiness, dry skin, gain weight, although your appetite does not grow, you should consult an endocrinologist.

When To Visit A Doctor

At a young age, forgetfulness is rarely caused by serious neurological problems like Alzheimer’s or dementia. However, in some situations, Memory Problems problems in young people should also be a cause for concern. 

If you constantly forget the names of loved ones and acquaintances with whom you regularly communicate, ask the same question several times, or all the time you cannot remember where you left this or that thing, even if you were not distracted by anything at that moment, it is worth consulting a doctor to exclude diseases of the nervous system.