Remembering Forgetfulness

Forgetfulness seems to be a problem in the aging population. Honestly, it’s become a problem in people much younger than ever before. Things like stress, lack of sleep and underactive thyroid can be underlying issues when it comes to forgetfulness, as can alcohol use. In this article we’ll be talking about common forgetfulness, not the deeper & more serious issues like Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. If you suspect these might be playing a role in your own forgetfulness or that of a loved one, please seek help from a medical professional right away. There are some promising things coming out in that field, and the sooner you get help, the better it is for treatment.

Forgetfulness seems to become more prevalent after we have a few years under our belts, but there are things that can make it worse than you’ve noticed before. Let’s start with lack of sleep. During the process of sleep, our bodies are not just resting. This is the time period when things in our short-term memory are being transferred to our long-term memory. If your sleep is interrupted too many times, this working process is not completed and it is impossible for those memories to “stick” in long term memory. Be sure you’re getting adequate amounts of sleep by sticking to an evening routine. Turn off devices with light emitting from screens. Be careful of what you eat and do right before bed to be sure it will not upset your sleep. If you continue to have trouble sleeping, talk with your doctor about other things that you can do to help overcome the insomnia. You will most likely see an increase in your ability to remember as soon as your sleep issues are dealt with.

Forgetfulness can also be increased in people with heavy amounts of stress. Stress can be caused by good or bad changes in your life. If you have a large amount of stressors in your life, do not be surprised if your memory is compromised. If you’ve moved, gotten a new job (even if it’s a good shift) and had a loved one die in the past few months, your stress levels will go up and your memory will likely be affected. If you have enough stress that you are feeling out of control & unable to cope, be sure to talk with a counselor about it so that you can get the help you need to move forward.

Forgetfulness can also point to other health issues. If you are feeling like your brain is foggy a lot of the time, it may be pointing you to look at your thyroid. Especially if the brain fog is accompanied by extreme fatigue, weight gain and hair loss, you should have your thyroid levels checked. Once you know whether it is an issue or not, you’ll be able to choose a course of treatment that will work for you.

Multitasking is another, often overlooked cause of forgetfulness. When we multitask, our brain is not allowed to put things into our short-term memory securely. We switch to the next task before the thought is allowed to sit. If we add to that sleepless nights, our brains do not have a chance to take those short-term memories and transfer them to long-term storage. When we multitask, we are, in effect, training our brains to forget just as quickly as a task is performed. If we do this often enough, it becomes the standard by which our brains operate. If we are consistently checking our phones, for instance, in the middle of another task at five minute intervals, our brain will automatically make allowance for that and switch off to check our phone even if we were not planning to do so. Brains thrive on habit formation. Make your little habits work for you instead of against you. Set a time or two each day to deal with messages that might come through on your phone or email. Decide not to check them other than that. If someone urgently needs to reach you, ask them to call you so you know it’s important. Force your brain to attend to longer and longer periods where you’re working on only one thing at a time. You’ll notice that it is difficult, but it also feels great!

Lack of hydration can cause a decrease in your mental awareness. B-12 deficiencies can contribute. Lack of exercise can slow you up enough to decrease acuity. There are a wide host of things that can contribute or cause forgetfulness. Be sure to address your health from an overall health perspective. You may be amazed at how much all of those small changes can add up to huge life change! Most importantly, remember forgetfulness! Forgetfulness is your body’s way of screaming at you to let you know that there is something that is not right within your functional and cognitive systems. It is something that you need to fix in order to be healthy. Do not neglect it!

Do Aging Adults Need More Sleep?

Many people think that aging adults need less sleep than the average adult. Research suggests that this is not the case, however & that aging adults actually need as much as sleep as young adults do. 7-9 hours of sleep is necessary for most people over the age of 20.

In general, aging adults tend to become sleepier earlier in the evening because their sleep structure has changed. They still need the same amount of sleep, just tend to get sleepier earlier in the evening and wake much earlier in the morning hours. If there were no other problems with their sleep schedules, this would not be a serious concern. They could wake fully refreshed after 7-9 hours of sleep, just waking earlier than some of their counter-parts & retiring earlier, as well. The problems arise when there are things that interfere with those 7-9 hours of sleep.

A myriad of disturbances can affect the way we sleep. As we age, more of those concerns tend to be health related. Some of the most common are:

Sleep apnea/loud snoring: Extremely loud snoring & sleep apnea in which a person is not breathing regularly during sleep are fairly common. Once someone has not drawn breath for a time, the body startles itself awake in order to draw breath. If this happens while you are sleeping, or if it happens to a loved one, it may be time to have a sleep study done & buy a machine to help keep your breathing regular throughout the night.

Irregular heart rate. If the pulse is irregular in a sleeping person, sleep will be interrupted for the same reason as above because blood oxygen levels will be lower, causing the person to startle awake on a very regular basis throughout the night. They might sleep for a number of hours, but be awakened several times throughout a minute, thus not getting adequate rest. A doctor needs to be consulted if either sleep apnea or heart issues are suspected.

Restless Leg Syndrome: This ailment affects a number of aging individuals and can cause sleep disturbances for a long period of time. It is difficult to sleep if your legs feel numb or tingling or move of their own accord throughout the night.

Gastro-Intestinal complaints: These can disturb sleep patterns in young & old alike, but are more common in aging populations. Finding the root cause of these is an important step in getting better sleep.

Insomnia: Whether because of difficulty going to sleep, anxiety, or caused by drug interactions from pharmacuetical drugs, insomina is no laughing matter. Lack of sleep can have the same side-effects as heavy drinking or drug use & cause major problems for your daily life. Work with your doctor to find the cause & treat it effectively.

There are a few things that you can do at home to see if they work for you before heading to the doctor.

Go to bed at the same time each night & wake at the same time each morning. See if your schedule is just extremely erratic & whether it could be affecting your sleep. It does not take too long for your body to find its rhythm again if it is allowed to.
Keep the room where you're sleeping cool & throw on a light blanket to stay warm.
Turn off electronics at least one hour before bed. Read a book, listen to music or have a conversation before bed instead of watching TV or playing on a computer or phone. Also, keep electronics and devices out of your bedroom.
Practice a relaxing night-time routine, whether it be a relaxing shower, gentle stretching exercises or reading, these things will begin to trigger bed-time to your brain.
Axe the caffeine. If you are not ready or willing to cut it out altogether, simply cutting it out of your afternoons can improve sleep quality. Replace it with a non-caffeinated beverage that you enjoy equally as much in order to ensure success.

Try keeping a record of the changes that you've made for a solid week or two. Write down the results. Bring this record with you to your doctor in order to open the discussion about your sleep. If they see that you are willing to make lifestyle choices that are healthy in order to combat your lack of sleep, they'll be more motivated to help you find a solution. Ultimately, you will need to be your own advocate in this realm. If you need more rest & are not getting it, talk to your physician or another specialist. Much of it is based on feeling & a physician cannot tell how you feel or whether you are well rested just from a cursory look at you. You will need to communicate the problems, communicate what you've tried to do to solve them & let them know that you are willing to make changes to see sleep success! And, if you've already forgotten what it is like to feel rested when you wake, let me assure you, it feels GREAT! It's a worthy goal to work toward!

Insomnia & the Elderly

All of us have experienced periods in our lives when it's either difficult to go to sleep or to stay asleep. These are quite common when our bodies are going through changes. But what if these bouts are not just for a limited time? What if the disturbed sleep goes on for months or even years? This should not be a common occurrence, but unfortunately it is, and as people age their lighter sleep distruptions can become worse & cause health problems to increase. It's important to nip the problem in the bud & get to the source of the problem before it ruins our health. Here are some things to watch for & things to do before going to a physician.

Establish a regular routine. Decide on hours that you'd like to sleep at night. Try to stick as closely to them as you can by going to bed at the same time & setting an alarm to wake at the same time each day. Our bodies have certain rhythms that they fall into. When those are disrupted, even slightly, it can affect our sleep.
Make sure you're active during the day. As we age it can be even more tempting to lounge throughout the day, but it is best to maintain a regular & active routine that will allow our bodies to be worn out a bit by the time bedtime rolls around. If you notice that you're sleeping during the day more than you'd like, actively search for things that you can do & schedule them in so you're not lulled to sleep by inactivity or boredom.
Turn off devices earlier. Choose a time 1-2 hours before your bedtime that you will turn off things like TVs, computers & phones so that your body reckognizes that it's time to wind down.
Instead of TV, try establishing a new bedtime routine. You may wish to listen to soothing music, take a relaxing bath, or read a book. Whatever it is, do it regularly enough that your body knows it's almost time for rest & starts to look forward to it.
Diffuse oils that are soothing. Many people choose lavendar & have great success , but choose something that is soothing to you. If you do not own a diffuser, consider mixing the oil with distilled water in a spray bottle & spray your linens with the scent to send your brain the message that it's time to unwind.
Keep a notebook handy. We've all experienced the times when we are trying our best to sleep, but our brain will not stop spinning. Instead of fretting that you can't focus on sleep, take time to write down what you're thinking of & some possible solutions.
Stretch before bed. Try to stretch out stressed muscles before heading to bed. Use heat if necessary to loosen knots.
Try melatonin. If your doctor is okay with it, try taking melatonin to aid in the sleep process. It works well for most people if they are on it for long enough. Expect that it might take 2-3 months of taking it & also having a regular routine in place before you'll see a huge change, but you will begin to see one.

We owe it to ourselves & to our bodies to pay attention to what they need. Sleep is a large part of health, as it is the time of the day when our bodies pull back and try to heal themselves. If we are not allowing ourselves to truly rest, our health will suffer, and, by default, the rest of our lives will also suffer.