Forgetfulness can be a natural part of aging. However, several other conditions may cause forgetfulness or memory loss. Several tips can help people cope with changes to their memory.

People may naturally become more forgetful as they age. Most individuals will also forget things from time to time. However, several conditions and some medications may affect specific parts of a person’s brain. These parts can help form and retain memories.

Healthcare professionals may be able to treat the underlying cause of forgetfulness. People can also take several measures and use tips to help cope with and manage forgetfulness.

This article discusses forgetfulness and mental health, aging, and sleep. It also discusses forgetfulness with medication side effects, hypothyroidism, and tips to manage forgetfulness.

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Some mental health conditions may affect a person’s memory. However, effective treatment can typically help manage these memory issues.

Anxiety

High levels of anxiety and stress can negatively affect a person’s thinking processes, including memory. Stress may produce a hormone called cortisol.

Excess cortisol can affect a part of the brain called the hippocampus, which helps store and recall memories.

Depression

Experts believe memory loss with depression may have links to stress, which can affect how:

  • a person’s brain makes new memories in the hippocampus
  • a chemical called dopamine in the brain boosts memory formation
  • a person’s amygdala helps them remember memories

Mild forgetfulness is often a natural part of aging. The body and brain change in several ways as a person ages, such as:

  • certain parts of the brain relating to learning and mental activities shrink
  • blood flow to the brain may decrease
  • communication between the cells that carry information in parts of the brain may be less effective

This can lead to people not remembering information as well as they once did or being unable to recall information as quickly.

However, experts believe a person’s brain changes and adapts as a person ages. This allows them to manage new tasks and challenges as they grow older.

Learn more about the effects of aging on the brain.

Vs. dementia

Dementia is the name for several conditions that significantly affect how a person thinks, remembers, and reasons. It can also affect an individual’s memory.

The signs of forgetfulness from aging differ from those of dementia:

Age-related forgetfulnessDementia
occasionally making a decision that may cause a negative issue often potentially harmful judgments and decisions
missing a monthly paymentproblems taking care of monthly bills
forgetting which day it is, but remembering laterlosing track of the date or year
sometimes forgetting which word to usehaving trouble conversing
occasionally losing objectslosing objects often and being unable to find them

Changes or damage to regions of the brain that affect how the neurons and connections work can lead to dementia. Neurons are the nerve cells in the brain and nervous system that send and receive signals. Several different conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease or severe head injuries, may cause a person to have dementia.

Some forms of dementia may also be genetic.

Not getting enough sleep can highly affect a person’s memory. During sleep, a person’s brain maintains and strengthens many functions of their memory.

Researchers believe that lack of sleep affects memory in several ways. Not getting enough sleep can affect the hippocampus, which is essential for making new memories.

Researchers also believe it can strengthen and consolidate memory as people sleep. Without enough sleep, a person’s hippocampus may not be able to do so, affecting memory.

Forgetfulness may be a side effect of several medications or combinations of medications.

Tricyclic antidepressants

Tricyclic antidepressants affect how the brain processes chemicals, such as serotonin and norepinephrine. These chemicals both play a role in memory.

In a 2017 study, scientists found people taking tricyclic antidepressants had lower memory performance compared to those who did not.

Opioids

Experts believe that opioid medication may affect the parts of the brain involved with several brain functions, such as memory.

Anticholinergic drugs

Healthcare professionals use anticholinergic drugs to treat several diseases. These medications block the action of a brain chemical called acetylcholine, which plays an important role in memory.

Hypothyroidism refers to when the thyroid gland does not make enough thyroid hormones. These hormones control how the body uses energy and affect nearly every organ.

Hypothyroidism has several symptoms that may vary from person to person. These symptoms can include brain fog, a name for a group of symptoms that include forgetfulness.

Experts believe thyroid hormones play an essential role in the brain. Some research indicates that having higher levels of thyroid hormones can reduce the size of the hippocampus. However, hormone replacement therapy can help restore it.

Learn more about hypothyroidism.

People can manage and cope with forgetfulness by:

  • learning new skills
  • following daily routines
  • planning tasks
  • making to-do lists and using memory tools, such as calendars and notes
  • putting personal items, such as keys or wallets, in the same place each day
  • staying involved in activities that can help both their body and mind
  • volunteering
  • spending time with their friends and family
  • getting a recommended amount of sleep — generally 7 to 8 hours a night
  • avoiding or limiting alcohol intake
  • preventing or controlling high blood pressure
  • eating a medically recommended diet and getting physical activity

People need to seek professional medical advice if they feel depressed for weeks at a time or experience noticeable changes in their memory.

Healthy aging resources

To discover more evidence-based information and resources for healthy aging, visit our dedicated hub.

People may become more forgetful as a natural part of aging. Some mental health conditions can also affect the parts of the brain that form memories.

Brain changes from dementia can also lead to forgetfulness.

The hippocampus is an area of the brain that helps with memory. Not getting enough sleep can affect this area, as can hypothyroidism. Some medications can also affect how a person’s brain forms and recalls memories.

If a person experiences serious and persistent issues with forgetfulness, they need to speak with a healthcare professional.