How can I deal with my terrible forgetfulness? I'm now female, 46, and I forget stupid things all the time?

Question

I guess it's partly the result of stress, but as this seems so permanent in my life, with so much to deal with, that's not much help. I write down and organise things at work, which helps, but I forget who i've emailed and who not. Today, I came back to my car having left the spare key in the lock!

Answer 1

I have been like this for a while now ,someone told me the worst thing you can do is worry about it so I don't.Keep writing things down and being organised and enjoy your life and have a laugh at yourself when you do something silly.There's worse things could be wrong with you.

Answer 2

You are right when you say you think its stress related. Stress is the number one robber of memory. If you are a 46 year old female, you also have menopause working against you too. Depleation of hormones also plays nasty tricks on the brain.

Limit stress, take antioxidants that help with stress damage, do stress relieving things daily. Get plenty of rest, eat healthy, exercise at least 3-4 times per week. Stay away from junk foods, sodas, sugar and too many carbs. Get some good suppliments; C, A (careful with the amount), E, B complex and don't forget the omega's. Mom was right, fish is "brain food".

Answer 3

Seriously I was gonna post the same question, Whether I forgot or not got round to it who knows.

I was checked a couple of years ago by a neurologist, he asked me simple questions, who is the current prime minister, what is this (it was a pencil) where is the UK on a globe etc, and a few more (suprisingly I remember them) he said I was fine although how he described it was like a computer having too many windows open and therefore my memory was considerably slower. and there wasn't anything I could really do.

I am now 37, and find it really frustrating that I forget the simpliest of things.

I was always really worried that I would leave my baby in her pram in a shop or something- It never happened but thats an example of how worried I was about forgetting things.

I write shopping lists then promptly forget to take them with me.
I try to write things down, but actually forget to write them.

Not sure there is anything we can really do, defianatly don't think its alziemers, just our little grey cells being asleep when we really need them.

Answer 4

Hi there,
The most common signs of Alzheimers / dementia are:

- Poor judgment and decision making
- Inability to manage a budget
- Missing a monthly payment
- Losing track of the date or the season
- Forgetting which day it is and remembering later
- Difficulty having a conversation
- Sometimes forgetting which word to use
- Misplacing things and being unable to retrace steps to find them
If you notice any of these signs in yourself or someone you know, don't ignore them. Schedule an appointment with your doctor, with early detection, you can get the maximum benefit from available treatments.Also visit this site I found about memory loss problems. It's eye opening: http://memoryloss.toptips.org

Answer 5

I don't have anything particularly helpful to say, other than I feel bad for you and I hope things get better.

One thing to try - and this is easy for me to say - may be attacking the key causes of the stress that are making you easily distracted. Some of it may not be anything you can or want to get rid of. If you have teenagers who are in trouble, for example, that could be extremely stressful but you don't really want rid of the kids.

There may be other things that can be jettisoned, though. Not feeling good about your job, or the car that always breaks down on the way to work, or your teeth hurting. It pays to think about this - sometimes even problems that we think are permanent can be eliminated.

Also, do see a doctor and/or counselor. There could be a physical cause for the forgetfulness, and there may be help out there to either work through the stress or figure out how to get rid of it.

Best of luck!

Answer 6

A work friend in her early 20's has the same problem, she's fit, runs marathons, is happy and apparently healthy, but her memory is atrocious. Taking Cod liver oil & Ginkgo helps, do something new each day, get checked out with your doctor as it could be a hormonal imbalance that could be simply corrected. Sainsburies do an own brand natral stress releaf tablet that I find works very well.

Answer 7

At your age, it could either be stress or the beginning of a mental illness that causes memory loss like Alzheimer's disease.

Get checked out by your GP and have him or her refer you to a neurologist or any doctor that takes MRIs so that you can get an MRI of your brain to make sure it is just stress and not a structural abnormality in your brain that might represent a mental illness.

If they don't find anything but you still have memory problems, there are many natural products specializing in treating memory loss in adults that work very well; either go online and buy one or go to your local health store.

Answer 8

You are not alone. I can remember UN-important things, but something urgent, no chance.
I keep a note book at home, and write down everything that has happened that day, and things I need to do later. I use one page per day, with the date, so I can look back at it any time. This helps me, hope it will help you.

Could be worth having a word with your GP however, and discuss with them your problem.

Hope this is of help to you.

Answer 9

Memory is governed by the hippocampus, an area of the brain that is affected by diminishing oestrogen as women approach midlife. Consequently HRT therapy is the solution to this problem. If you don't want to go that route, natural oestrogens will help. Soya, linseed and yam are good sources.

Answer 10

Make lists!
Have a diary
Cod Liver oil helps with memory.
Less coffee.
SLow things down, seem to have a lot on your plate at the moment.