Seven causes of decreased memory and decreased concentration

Content

  • Reducing the need for memorization
  • Stress “washes away” memories
  • Lack of oxygen
  • Dehydration
  • Circulatory impairment
  • Power failure
  • Thyroid

It is believed that the memory is “lost” with age. This is true, but the reason for the deterioration may not be the physiological aging of the organism. The following are the main causes of memory loss.

Reducing the need for memorization

The fact is that memory is one of the “tools” of the brain. If you do not use it for a long time, it will rust, deteriorate … In general, it becomes dumb. In childhood and adolescence, memory is exploited almost every minute: a child meets a new world and learns to play by its rules, which must be kept in mind; a teenager / young person attends a school / university where he receives a daily dose of information necessary for memorizing. At the expense of every second training, neither with memory nor with concentration of attention, young people have no problems.

But year after year, the need for memorization decreases. An adult goes to work on the same route, performs routine activities, and climbs for information in an encyclopedia or the Internet … The result is that memory deteriorates (for “why?”).

Doctors say that regular exercises are necessary to maintain memory capacity. Try to solve the memorization problem: we suppose every day to learn 10 new foreign words. Or, for example, having made a list for going to the store, “forgetting” it at home and buying the necessary products “from the head”. Yes, it may well be that today you will be left without milk, and tomorrow – without ketchup, but the memory will surely thank you.

Stress “washes away” memories

The hormone cortisol, produced by the adrenal glands, is involved in experiencing stressful situations. And at the same time has a depressant effect on the hypothalamus – the brain area responsible for memory. The bunch is simple: the stronger and more often we are nervous – the worse the ability to memorize. Our body perceives stress as a threat to life, and therefore simply does not want to store new information in the brain – we are about to die, so why bother with it, right?

Accordingly, if you want to “remember everything”, you have to fight stress. There are many options: psychotherapy, “do not take to heart” skills, chocolate. Or, for example, playing sports: half an hour of fitness or 10 minutes of running is enough to lower cortisol levels. And at the same time, by the way, getting rid of one more reason for memory lapses …

 

Lack of oxygen

The brain is the most energy-intensive organ: it consumes about 20% of the “powers” ​​entering the body, including oxygen. Therefore, the gray matter reacts to the lack of oxygen before everyone else: first, we yawn, then fatigue comes, and in parallel with all this, the ability to memorize drastically decreases. In order to prevent hypoxia, physiologists recommend to ventilate the room more often, walk more actively and do more sports: fitness improves the blood supply to the brain, and hence the delivery of oxygen to it.

Dehydration

80% of the brain consists of water and sensitively reacts to its lack – the weakening of memory-abilities and reduced attention. Often it is necessary to eliminate dehydration (drink a glass of water every one and a half to two hours) – and the memory will improve.

Circulatory impairment

Poor memory is often associated with impaired blood circulation in the brain. In adulthood, such a nuisance occurs due to atherosclerosis – vascular occlusion with cholesterol plaques. If this is the case, then the symptoms will be not only memory loss, but also fatigue, constant dizziness and headaches, daytime sleepiness and insomnia at night … Have you counted on a number of such symptoms? Run to the therapist – check your cholesterol levels and take action.

Power failure

The weight of the microflora of the large intestine reaches 1.5 kg, and therefore about half a thousand varieties of microorganisms are considered to be an independent gland of the body, which also affects memory. When using incompatible products, violation of the diet in the intestine increases the number of pathogenic microflora and toxins. Some of them are neutralized by the liver, but the rest enters the bloodstream and impairs brain function, coupled with memory. It is necessary to adjust the diet in a healthy way!

Thyroid

Lack of activity of the thyroid gland also leads to memory loss. However, as in the case of atherosclerosis, the symptoms are not limited only to a decrease in attention: hypothyroidism causes a slowdown in metabolism and reactions, “gives” weakness and swelling … With such “signals”, it is also highly desirable to go back to a specialist to get recommendations and return not only a tenacious memory, but also a healthy activity.

Attention! Full night sleep is a necessary element of good memory. It is proved that lack of sleep for two days reduces the concentration and ability to memorize by 50% or more.