Page 27 - (DK) Home Doctor: Providing practical advice on home treatments

COMMON CONDITIONS: GENERAL SYMPTOMS 25

Poor memory

Most people suffer from occasional forgetfulness, especially in later life when slower brain processing may
make it harder for them to store and remember information. However, absentmindedness is not an inevitable
part of aging, nor is it confined to the elderly. Poor memory can also be due to lack of sleep; an underlying
condition such as depression; stress; a thyroid disorder; excessive use of alcohol; or prescribed or recreational
drugs. In most cases, memory improves again when the underlying problem is treated. There are also
techniques that help protect and sharpen memory skills at any age. When memory deterioration occurs with
symptoms such as confusion, intellectual decline, and a change in personality, it may be a sign of dementia.

See your doctor first
PRACTICAL TECHNIQUES
Make an appointment to see your doctor if:
Memory aids Most of the following
● Your memory is deteriorating
techniques use visualization and repetition, which
● You are taking medication such as sleeping
help store information in memory.
pills that may be affecting your memory
● Pay attention, particularly in situations where you
feel excited or under stress. Ask people to repeat
information that doesn’t register immediately. Then
What you can do yourself repeat it in your own words. Note landmarks along
your route in unfamiliar surroundings, such as a
There are no instant cures for forgetfulness, but large building or driving through a new town.
the following techniques and lifestyle changes can ● If you tend to forget a person’s name moments after
help preserve and improve your memory. you are introduced, repeat the name back, then try
to make a picture from it incorporating the person
● Get a good night’s sleep, get regular exercise,
in front of you. For example, visualize Glenda Fisher
and include plenty of fresh fruits (especially citrus
fishing by a stream near a leafy glen.
fruits), green leafy vegetables, nuts, olives, whole-
● To remember a list, use a set of locations in your
grain bread, and cereals in your diet.
home and put an item from the list in each one.
● Try not to worry about your memory failures; Make the mental images incongruous and
anxiety and lack of confidence will only make them exaggerated. For example, to remember a shopping
worse. Figure out why you forgot something and list you could visualize a huge block of butter melting
organize yourself so it is less likely to happen again. on your bed; a loaf of bread baking in the fireplace;
or a giant tea bag in the sink. To recall the list in the
● Try techniques to improve your memory (see supermarket, visualize walking through your home
PRACTICAL TECHNIQUES, right). Exercise your brain and finding each item in its strange location.
with word games. Read rather than watch TV. ● Exercise your memory. Keep track of your money
by remembering how and where you spent it since
● Note tasks and events on a calendar and in you last went to the bank. Alternatively, try to recall
a journal that you keep with you at all times. Be the main points of a recent conversation with a friend.
orderly: keep essential articles in their own place,
such as keys and glasses by the front door. Have
fixed days and times for important tasks.

● Don’t drink excessively or take recreational drugs Seek further medical advice
such as marijuana and ecstasy. However, drinking
Arrange to see your doctor if:
1–2 ounces of alcohol a day (a glass of wine
contains one ounce of alcohol) may help reduce ● Your memory is continuing to decline
the risk of dementia. and/or you are finding it difficult to cope
● Have your vision and hearing checked regularly.