Memory Loss

What you need to know about memory loss and aging

Memory loss isn’t uncommon, especially for those who over 50. Our memories, and more importantly our ability to quickly and easily learn, simply decrease with age because of the loss of neurons associated with dying brain cells. That might sound alarming, but it’s perfectly natural. When we lose brain cells, the chemicals and neurons within those cells that helped with learning, concentrating and recall are lost, resulting in memory loss. Younger people replace brain cells more efficiently, which helps prevent loss of memory.

Short Term Memory Loss

Just like many of our other abilities, our memory peaks during early adulthood and can start declining as early as our 20s and 30s, with symptoms of memory loss much more noticeable after age 50. While loss of memory is sometimes the first sign of a serious disease like Alzheimers disease, some long term memory loss(and short term memory loss) is normal.

Chances are the things you’ve known for years are the ones you’re most likely to remember. The cliché about never forgetting how to ride a bike, for instance, is apparently true. You tend to retain your action-related memories (skills or sets of actions you use to complete certain tasks) even if you suffer some memory loss. The ability to recognize images and remember most of what you’ve seen a few days later, however, will typically drop drastically compared to a younger person’s ability to remember the same images.

Declarative memory loss is more common with age, as well. Declarative memory helps you remember facts and events. While it can be normal to forget certain things of this nature, often what’s believed to be short term memory loss is really caused because the fact wasn’t learned well to begin with. Because of the same loss of neurons that can cause memory loss, older brains don’t learn as quickly as younger brains. So what often appears to be loss of memory is really just initial lack of learning.

When Memory Loss Means Something More

If loss of memory becomes more than the occasional forgotten fact or misplaced item, or is accompanied by other symptoms like a feeling of wrongness, confusion, inability to form words or remember common things, it’s wise to see a doctor just to rule out other, more serious conditions than age-related memory loss.