7 Shocking Reasons Why You Might Be Feeling Forgetful Lately

4. Sleep Issues

Lack of sleep is something that can affect a lot of things about how your body functions, and one of the ways is by affecting memory. Not getting enough rest slows down the brain and makes you feel groggy, meaning you’ll be more forgetful that usual. It also affects your decision-making power and your ability to concentrate. When the cycle continues, the effects can be lasting.

But the most problematic sleep issue is sleep apnea, which is where a person stops or “forgets” to breathe while sleeping. When there isn’t sufficient oxygen for the brain, it affects its health significantly, triggering a loss of memory. Again, when this happens more than once, the effects are multiplied.

5. Estrogen & Testosterone Decline

Estrogen and Testosterone are commonly associated with women and men respectively. While estrogen is present in higher levels in women as testosterone is in men, each gender also needs a lesser level of the other hormone. If these levels were to drop, either estrogen or testosterone in either men or women, then it can end up affecting your memory.

This is why women going through menopause experience absent-mindedness, because their estrogen levels are dropping. It’s good to get your estrogen and testosterone levels checked regularly (it’s as simple a spot spit test), after reaching middle-age. If they are not adequate, your doctor should be able to prescribe medication to correct it. This can prevent memory-related diseases like Alzheimer’s later on.

6. Smoking & Drinking

In today’s day and age when drinking and smoking have become a way of life, when it’s deemed “cool” to do so, it might be a hard pill to swallow that it can ultimately affect your memory (and various other areas of your health). Smoking affects the brain in a similar fashion to sleep apnea, in that it doesn’t provide enough oxygen to the brain.

Similarly, alcohol can also have an effect on your brain function. Heavy drinkers, in particular are in serious danger of developing memory loss. But light drinkers will also face the effects, just not as fast as those who drink a lot. If you want proof, just try going through all the events of the night you drank heavily the next day – we bet you can’t!

7. Poor Mental Health

Stress, anxiety, depression and other mental health-related issues can be literal killers. But did you know it can also make you forgetful over time? Not only does chronic stress make a person feel like they’re “losing their mind” – it literally does do that by decreasing brain function and killing off brain cells. Stress increases the production of the chemical cortisol, which is a literal brain-blocker and chips away at the part of your brain dedicated to recollection!

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