There are many factors that can dull your memory… Here are a few more to be aware of:
Sleep
Getting a good night’s sleep is crucial to having your brain perform at its best. However, sleeping pills can leave you drowsy and can even impair your memory. There are many ways to improve your sleep, starting with good “sleep hygiene” or sleep habits. A good place to start is with the Sleep Well Nova Scotia website, https://mysleepwell.ca/ created by the Nova Scotia government to help reduce use of sleep pills.
For women - Hormones: Estrogen and Progesterone
Hormones can help to improve brain function. Sufficient levels are necessary for optimal function of the frontal lobe and hippocampus of the brain (centers for memory and decision-making), to increase neurogenesis (formation of new nerve cells), as well as being needed to properly use the neurotransmitter, acetylcholine, that passes messages from one neuron to the next. Estrogen also acts as an anti-oxidant and appears to reduce the effects of beta-amyloid (the protein that causes problems in Alzheimer’s Disease). Studies of women who take estrogen supplements after menopause report improved brain function, but those who take the synthetic progestin, medroxyprogesterone, along with it, do not. Unfortunately, real progesterone has not been widely tested for its effects on the brain, but progesterone receptors have been identified on the myelin that protects nerves, indicating that it is active in this tissue.
I recall a co-worker who had early menopause explaining the difference she noticed in herself when she changed from medroxyprogesterone, which was causing several side effects, to progesterone capsules. She had been having difficulty remembering drug names (so embarrassing for a pharmacist!) but improved dramatically after the drug switch to having no difficulty with names at all. I also had several women clients who referred to their progesterone cream (that I compounded for them) as their “memory cream”, as they had noticed a distinct difference with its use. I suspect it would only have this effect if the woman was lacking progesterone, but this is an area where I would like to see more research.
However, research into hormone effects on the brain (and elsewhere) slowed after the release of the results of the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) study in 2002. Although this study was intended to examine the benefits of estrogen in older women who were well past menopause (the date of their last period), the results were thought to apply to all women, and many doctors and patients thought it was too dangerous for general use.
Reanalysis of the results of the WHI study and further studies have shown that hormone replacement provides more benefit than risk if started soon after menopause to control symptoms of hormonal change. Women at risk of breast cancer, blood clots, or heart disease, however, are still recommended to avoid use, and doctors screen women carefully before prescribing hormones. Now, hormones that are exactly the same as those produced by women’s bodies are available in tablets, creams and patches. It is recommended to use the lowest amount of hormone for the shortest time necessary until further long-term safety studies are done to show how long it would be safe to use them for issues such as memory and decision-making problems. However, progesterone (the hormone that is the same as the one our bodies make) is considered a very safe hormone – federal law in US actually does not require a prescription for its sale, although some pharmacy state laws override this.
Cortisol
Cortisol is a long-acting stress hormone. When it prepares you to deal with a stressful event, it increases blood pressure, speeds the heart, raises cholesterol, and pushes blood away from digestion and to the muscles to ready them for action. Just this much description of its effects suggests it causes several health problems if it stays in your blood stream constantly because of ongoing stress. Although it is necessary for life and initially sharpens memory and brain function, too much in your system for too long creates many health problems, including lack of sleep which will dull your memory. Studies in rats showed that excess cortisol caused neurons in the hippocampus (an important area of the brain for memory) to shrink, and reduced branching, connections and formation of new brain nerve cells.
Exposure to stress as a very young child, often results in an increased stress response as an adult. Studies have identified that highly stress-prone adults have considerably more memory impairment and risk of developing Alzheimer’s than their non-stressed counterparts. So, not everything is under our control for ourselves, although we may be able to make a difference for our children.
But, it makes sense to try to reduce stress (and consequently the stress hormones that accompany it), by using techniques like yoga or meditation, as part of a strategy to help improve your memory. Personally, I’m a big fan of just listening to relaxing music or taking a walk on the beach to release stress. But note that the vitamin, B5 (pantothenic acid), is reported to reduce cortisol levels. Taking this vitamin (or a B-complex vitamin that contains it) at bedtime can help some people with high cortisol get a better night’s sleep. Remember that cortisol keeps you awake, activating your stress “fight or flight” system that keeps you alert and ready to fight off danger or run away from it.
Brain Derived Neurotropic Factor (BDNF)
Scientists have suggested that cortisol may interfere with the production of Brain Derived Neurotropic Factor (BDNF) which stimulates branching and growth of new brain nerve cells. BDNF is controlled by a particular gene – one-third of humans inherit a variation of the gene that results in poor production of BDNF, so if you seem to have inherited your mothers “poor memory”, it could be that you’ve inherited this less-effective gene. Interesting… but environmental causes of poor memory are at least as important as the genes you inherited.
On the up side, essential fatty acids, like omega-3’s can help to counteract cortisol’s effect of reducing growth of new neurons… another reason to have a healthy diet with plenty of “good fats”.
Medications
Sleeping pills and tranquillizers are known to decrease memory and can even cause periods of amnesia in some people. While this may be due to the drowsiness they cause, slowing brain function, it could also be because of the receptors they block in the brain.
Receptor blocking is thought to be the problem with anticholinergic drugs that can cause marked memory decrease in some people. These drugs block the neurotransmitter, acetylcholine, from doing its work in the hippocampus memory center, either as their mode of action or as a side effect. Anti-nausea drugs, antihistamines and some anti-depressants have this anticholinergic effect; the more drowsiness the drug causes, generally the greater the anticholinergic effect it has.
Beta-blockers, a class of drugs used for blood pressure and after a heart attack, can also reduce memory, as can some stomach drugs, in particular, Zantac and Pepcid.
Corticosteroids such as prednisone, which mimic our cortisol, can decrease memory by the same mechanism that high natural cortisol levels can, as described above.
And chemotherapy can cause a general brain fogginess, due to its toxicity, that is nicknamed “chemo brain” by some patients.
Diseases and medical conditions
Lastly, some medical conditions can reduce brain function. Weight loss, where sugar intake is reduced, results in a decreased supply of the brain’s favourite food. Insulin resistance is a condition where the body becomes insensitive to insulin, requiring higher amounts to be released into the blood to move blood sugar into muscle and storage sites, resulting in less sugar available for brain function.
Lyme Disease, caused by a bacterium that is carried by infected ticks, can eventually affect brain function and memory if the initial infection is not detected and treated.
Stroke can also affect the memory if it occurs in one of the areas of the brain where memories are processed. And, of course, a brain tumor in one of these areas could show up initially as a memory problem.
So, as with any serious change in your health, it is always wise to consult your doctor if you detect a noticeable change in your memory to find out whether there is an underlying cause of your memory problem.
References:
Carved in Sand ; When Attention Fades and Memory Fails in Midlife by Cathryn Jakobson Ramin
