Memory problems

[Gunslinger08]

For the past 5 or 6 years, I've had some problems with my short to mid term memory. I'm only 23, so I don't think it's anything as serious as Early Onset Alzheimer's, but it's really started to bother me. I often feel like my head is foggy and sometimes have difficulty concentrating. What types of things could this be related to? I do snore, so I'm not sure if some sort of sleep apnea could cause this. However, I don't wake up in the night gasping for breath or feel tired after I get a good amount of sleep. I do have a poor diet consisting mostly of starches and meat. I also do not get much exercise.

 

[Saint Nick]

Try eating better and start working out. See if that helps...

 

[ppdes]

I know someone who went to the doctor saying he couldn't concentrate and ended up diagnosed with low testosterone. So I guess that is one possibility.

 

[Calculator83]

It is likely difficult to diagnose this issue if it is at all Medically serious. SO, if you consider it worth it, Doctor would be your best bet. The whole dieting thing is likely a non issue. While lack of exercise is a plague all modern human mammels suffer from, more than enough successful "brainy (those with good memory)" people live under unaffected.

 

[GenHoth]

You're getting older, its nothing serious

 

[Grimner]

Could be a ton of things - high/low bloodsugar would be my >>bet<< - Go See Your Doctor!

 

[Gunslinger08]

Looking through WebMD, it's actually possible that this is ADHD or sleep apnea. I'm more concerned about sleep apnea. Has anyone been diagnosed with it? If so, how did the diagnosis go? Did the doctor just ask you some questions, examine your throat, perform a sleep study, etc?

 

[Calculator83]

Exercise, eat more veggies. No instant gratification here.

 

[Running]

In the fish oil thread, it said that it can help with memory. so maybe get a bottle of fish oil? it might help.

 

[Rigomortis]

I'd have to say put down the bong. Smoking doesn't help your memory. LOL

I would have to go with ADHD I fight that all the time probably should ask my doc about it but I am pretty used to being a complete spaz at this point.

 

[Mr. Lennon]

Originally posted by: Running
In the fish oil thread, it said that it can help with memory. so maybe get a bottle of fish oil? it might help.

I'm 22 and having the same problems as the OP. I'm constantly forgetting things, even things in my long term memory. Working out doesn't seem to help out, thought it definitely keeps me in a good mood. I just started taking fish oil so hopefully that helps a little.

 

[TallBill]

People swear by nootropics, especially Piracetam.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nootropic


I've never tried it before but would maybe consider it.

 

[t_ski]

Hey,

I am 35 years old, and I was diagnosed with moderate to severe sleep apnea about 5 years ago. My wife of ten years now had always complained of my snoring, and how bad it was. Finally, I went to the doctor about it, and I did a sleep study. I went to a place where I was watched while I slept to see if anything happened. Turns out, I stopped breathing over 30 times an hour. Normal is considered to be only 2-5 IIRC. At the time I was about 225 pounds, which put me at obese for my 5'7" size.

My doctor suggested some surgery to remove my tonsils & adnoids and shorten my (very long) uvula (hangy-downy-thing in the back of your throat). A positive side-effect of the surgery was not wanting to eat much, which healped me lose 25 pounds fast. My wife was amazed at how much better my snoring was - it was gone! There were times when my wife would be so worried because she couldn't hear anything at all... lol

I started to gain some of the weight back, so I really took to eating better and excersizing. I got down to 165 pounds, and I felt great. I had a lot less problems with my back, I slept so much better, and I had a ton of energy.

Unfortunately, over the past two years I've put the pounds back on, and my snoring (and back trouble) have returned. I'm trying to excersize again, but it's harder than before.

Anyway, that's my story of sleep apnea. I would recommend seeing your doctor and getting checked out. It could be sleep apnea, ADHD, or even a case of mild depression. There are so many possibilities that it's hard to say for sure. A little (or a lot) or trial and error may be necessary with you and your doctor. Patience and time will work things out. In the mean time, it's always better to try to eat right and excersize, and get a solid and regular amount of sleep every night.

 

[Gunslinger08]

I believe this may be my problem: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depersonalization_disorder. I experienced this once about 6 or 7 years ago for a few weeks, then went back to normal.

 

[PlasmaBomb]

Go and see your doctor then.

 

[irishScott]

Keep your brain stimulated if it's not (even some daily sudoku puzzles or whatnot will help).

I went on medical leave for a semester, and basically led a sedentary lifestyle (at my computer doing nothing almost constantly), and my memory started to fade (long term stuff included). Now I'm back college full time, and as a result of the insane amount of information I'm taking in my brain's back in gear and my memory is back.

 

[yhelothar]

http://www.lumosity.com

 

[iroast]

As said before, you need to eat well and exercise (mind & body). You don't have to exercise for hours and lifting heavy weights. Just a 30 min brisk walk a day is an excellent start.

 

[Nocturnal]

Are you on any type of medication? I know antidepressants (SSRIs) tend to have an effect on memory. Not everyone but there are some who experience this. It isn't a listed side effect either.

 

[soccerballtux]

Originally posted by: Zeppelin2282

Originally posted by: Running
In the fish oil thread, it said that it can help with memory. so maybe get a bottle of fish oil? it might help.

I'm 22 and having the same problems as the OP. I'm constantly forgetting things, even things in my long term memory. Working out doesn't seem to help out, thought it definitely keeps me in a good mood. I just started taking fish oil so hopefully that helps a little.

Couple things that have been working for me

Working to eat better. I'm just eating fibrous carbs (vegies and fruits) and meats. Very little "comfort foods" like breads and potatoes.
Also, eating lots of fish whenever I get the chance to at the dining hall.
Taking vitamins daily,
Working out regularly (releases lots of chemicals good for your brain); I spend no more than 25 minutes working out a few times/week. Don't take long breaks between each part of a set, just do it, take a quick 15s break, and go do the next one. Takes very little time and trains your anaerobic capacity as well as your aerobic capacity, so there's no need to do anything stupid to your knees like running, or to your immune system like swimming (this would make me sick without fail every other time I went).
and getting regular, solid sleep. Go to bed when you feel sleepy, but wake up at the same time every day. Every day.

Especially the last one has been great; I used to wake up and be sleepy for at least 30 minutes; now I'm just about wide awake within a minute of hopping in the shower (first thing I do when I wake up).

Another thing I've been doing on and off is memorizing stuff. Last one I just finished was the first paragraph to John Keat's Endymion. Wonderful imagery and word selection; good rhyming and verse makes it easy to memorize. Get it down solid; so spend a few days memorizing it, and then for the next week all you've got to do is recall it to memory. This exercises your brain to not dump things it's just crammed in there, which is the problem I think I was having a lot of.

Note however, that this has in no way fixed my tendency to put my pencil/gadget somewhere and completely forget where it was. I have great spacial memory, but only when focusing, not on command.

The sleep thing seems to help the most; you feel much more enthused to do your job well, and thus it becomes much less difficult to focus.

 

[slatr]

Originally posted by: joshsquall
For the past 5 or 6 years, I've had some problems with my short to mid term memory. I'm only 23, so I don't think it's anything as serious as Early Onset Alzheimer's, but it's really started to bother me. I often feel like my head is foggy and sometimes have difficulty concentrating. What types of things could this be related to? I do snore, so I'm not sure if some sort of sleep apnea could cause this. However, I don't wake up in the night gasping for breath or feel tired after I get a good amount of sleep. I do have a poor diet consisting mostly of starches and meat. I also do not get much exercise.

Josh, have your doctor run labs to check your B12 levels to make sure you don't have malabsorption.

While you are at it, you may want to start checking your blood sugar.