The brain is one of the most hard working organs in our body and our brains are working overtime 24/7 from the day we are born to the day we die. As we get older our bodies begin to show signs of aging and our brains also have a very common symptom of slowing down and aging, memory loss.
Everyone forgets things from time to time but when we age our brains begin to slow down and the possibility of having severe memory loss becomes more likely. Memory enhancing activities can help ward off these siymptoms and slow the brain’s aging process. Understanding and looking out for the signs and symptoms of memory loss in their early stages or before they occur is crucial to making healthy changes for the future.
Daily disruptions
No one is perfect and every now and again we forget something whether it’s as simple as forgetting why you walked into a room right down to the early stages of serious mental illnesses. The key factor in determining if something was a one-time slip-up or a symptom of something more serious is whether it causes a daily disruption in your life.
When you constantly have issues remembering things concerning your daily life to the point where it is an everyday occurrence and hinders you from completing tasks, it may be the first symptom of memory loss of another mental illness. Keeping track of your daily cognitive and physical function is a good way to spot the signs of memory loss before more severe symptoms begin to appear.
Communication problems
Another telltale sign of memory loss is problems regarding communication inducing speaking, understanding, reading, and writing. When you have trouble communicating thoughts with others or understanding them it is a sign that you are not functioning at a high cognitive level which is another symptom of memory loss. Problems with reading and writing go hand in hand as you use the same basic brain functions as verbal communication and understanding.
Communicating is one of the foundations of our daily life, and as such any symptoms of memory loss that begin to affect it will be easily noticed.
Trouble completing daily tasks
While we all have occasional memory loss that may lead to trouble completing daily tasks, more severe cases of memory loss may make your everyday responsibilities and chores nearly impossible.
Everything from chores at home to tasks at work can suffer from the effects of memory loss, as we rely heavily on our brains memorizing how to complete our daily tasks. Looking out for drastic changes in your ability to complete your daily to-do list is an easy way to spot the symptoms of memory loss.
Loss of planning and problem-solving skills
Our brains are responsible for an unimaginable amount of problem-solving and planning all throughout the day, so when memory loss begins to rear its ugly head these skills are often heavily affected. An easy way to spot this change is by testing your ability to plan ahead and think through problems throughout the day.
Keeping a close eye on this aspect of your cognitive function keeps you aware of what skills can be affected by memory loss and help you identify and diagnose it before things get out of hand.
Lack of spatial and time awareness
Another obvious sign of memory loss is lacking spatial and time awareness. Getting lost easily, becoming confused walking into a new space, and having trouble keeping track of time are easy symptoms of memory loss to spot throughout your day-to-day life. Everyone gets lost and loses track of time, but doing it consistently is when things start to become a problem.
Inability to retrace steps
Along with a lack of spatial awareness and becoming lost easily, being unable to retrace your steps when they should be fresh in your mind is another sign of memory loss. While getting caught up in the activity of the day can often leave you forgetting what you’ve done and where you’ve been, being physically unable to think about the past few hours or moments is a sign of severe memory loss, as it implicates deteriorating cognitive function.
Social withdrawal
People who suffer from mental illnesses of all kinds often find themselves withdrawing from their social lives without even realizing it, and it can also be a sign of memory loss as it may simply slip your mind that you have social groups to keep in touch with. Becoming more introverted to an extreme degree and losing touch with friends and family shows a lack of memory when it comes to daily life and can also be a worrying sign of memory loss.
It takes time, energy, and thought to keep up a healthy social life, so losing touch with those around you and forgetting about social commitments can be an early symptom of memory loss.
Mood swings
In line with suddenly withdrawing from social situations, mood swings are another concerning sign of memory loss because they demonstrate a lack of awareness of one’s emotions and how to express feelings to others in a healthy manner. People suffering from memory loss often have extreme mood swings with periods of hyperactivity and excitement and stress and rage.
Poor judgment
Another extreme symptom of memory loss is lack of or poor judgment. Poor judgment includes not thinking through problems and situations thoroughly or making rash and harmful decisions. Memory loss can affect your judgment because it keeps you from recalling things you have learned and wisdom concerning problems in your daily life.
Spotting the signs
Spotting the symptoms of and diagnosing memory loss can be a difficult and frustrating process filled with uncertainty. Identifying the early signs of memory loss and getting a solid diagnosis in the first stages is critical to treating it and functioning despite the mental difficulties.
