Middle-Aged, and My Memory is Failing
I wonder how all of you are doing with your memory. As a younger person I was always able to commit to memory all kinds of facts and figures without effort. This helped a lot as I have always worked as a writer and needed to have a lot of information in my head. For the past five to ten years (I’m 51), I’ve started to forget things that are basic to life, such as:
some of the multiplication tables
phone numbers I’ve always known (of course, using a cell phone does not help; who dials anymore?)
dates of significant events
details of stories I’ve just been told
I know I should start writing down a lot more, but I’ve been resistant (too lazy?) to do it. How’s your memory?
July 22nd, 2009 at 1:12 pm
I’m sorry. I thought this was the NCN blog. Oops.
BTW-my memory is going a little. I can’t remember sometimes if I have brushed my teeth in the morning. I have to feel the bristles and if they are wet then yes, I brushed my teeth. Today, I couldn’t remember if I had eaten breakfast. It’s 1PM and I am feeling hunger pains, plus I see no dirty dishes. Nope. Haven’t eaten.
Yet, my mind is crystal clear in accounting (I remember ALL numbers and figures) and I am in the middle of broadening my use of the Italian language and my mind is sharper than a razor. I think the daily, mindless, mundane things that I do by rote are leaving my memory.
I make a list for everything I must do, which includes tweezing my eyebrows, washing the kitchen floor. Is this not normal? I dunno.
July 22nd, 2009 at 1:22 pm
Rea,
All the fact and figures you learned are still stored in the brain, it just takes a little longer to find them as time goes by.
July 22nd, 2009 at 2:10 pm
I carry two schools of thoughts on the issue of memory and memory loss. For women, with a drop in estrogen/changing hormones, there is the thought that this is a cause/effect syndrome. Yet, think before menopause, sometimes this syndrome was PMS/stress-related.
Then I ponder the wisdom of information over-load. With the speed that information arrives at us or all that we have to remember – passwords, security codes, and day-to-day “stuff”, work-related “stuff” – when do we sit and unplug? Commercials, ads, how-to’s, white noise, pollution – ask yourself how much of this is absorbed you daily – weekly, or monthly?
Then I ponder the wisdom of time saving devices. Speed dialing, spell-check, Word’s suggestion on grammer – calculators. We do not use our skills – nor do children of today know little about it.
About ten years ago, I went on an interview for a job. It was a three process interview with the first being a three hour meet and testing. I was tested on reading comprehension, math (no calculator there), spelling, punctuation and typing (on a typewriter). And yes, they did have computers and used all modern gadgetry – yet, they wanted employees who knew the basics. Interesting… I often wonder if they still screen this way.
I don’t have a definitive answer – perhaps, it is different for each of us. And I sense if hunt and peck around, we may find studies on the why’s and why not’s of the effects of any of the above mentioned. Yet, it seems that this concern centers in and around the baby boomer generation most frequently.
July 22nd, 2009 at 2:14 pm
Linda, you’re riht about the password thing. That alone tests our ability to retain information. I do think calculators and other electronics have allowed our abilities to memorize deteriorate.
July 22nd, 2009 at 3:05 pm
I keep forgetting to make a list, so everything that would go on it sort of surfaces at random, usually too late.
July 22nd, 2009 at 3:16 pm
I have long believed hat our brains have a capacity limit for short term information and for long term information. When the short term fills up it dumps into the long term space for storage, and in turn bumps out some bits in long term to make room.
Those who have lots of large simple memories have much less difficulty. Those of us who collect millions of minute bits have more difficulty.
I dont know if I have figured out the saving strategies of my brain (what is saved, what is moved, what is deep sixed) BUT i do know that writing things down does me no good. I go back looking at the many notes…or my blog, or other things i have written for retention purposes…and wonder why i wrote it.
I figure at 54, as long as i remember the things that could be life altering if I forgot them, and I have tools to help me with the others that are important…who cares what I forget!
July 22nd, 2009 at 6:46 pm
The experts say that when we start perimenopause, the first thing we lose is our pronouns. I used to have an amazing memory for actor’s names and movie titles. Not anymore! Now I’m lucky to remember the title of a movie while I’m watching it.
July 22nd, 2009 at 8:04 pm
I’ve always had a bad memory, so I’m oblivious to the change.
July 22nd, 2009 at 9:57 pm
My memory is horrible. At least I’m still at the point that I remember I forget!
July 22nd, 2009 at 10:15 pm
Doesn’t that sort of thing drive you nuts. It does sound a lot like menopausal caused memory loss. I have know friends that panics when they could not find their keys. Really, I am 67 and I have found that I get better and better all the time. Could it be that we make memory loss or diminishing abilities a self fulfilling prophecy.
I recently wrote a blog called “You Just Think Way Too Much…rappelling off the cliff!” (http://torristravels.blogspot.com/2009/05/you-just-think-way-to-muchrappelling.html) Give it a read and let me know how you feel about it.
b
July 23rd, 2009 at 12:19 am
Hmmm…have I noticed any changes in my ability to remember things? Good answers from all. Yes, i have noticed changes (I’m 48). Today I was relaying a story to a friend and I couldn’t remember what a friend had told me just 2 days ago…and then there is…oh, I’m sorry, what was it that you asked me? ;’o)
July 23rd, 2009 at 1:02 am
I seem to be forgetting the oddest things – things that I know I know but that I just can’t seem to grasp or wrap my gray matter around anymore. It’s becoming increasingly worse the past year or so and I’ve really got to wonder if impending menopause is the major culprit. I’ve read a bit about the change in hormones and how it affects short term memory loss and I really think there’s something to it. I’ve even gotten to the point where if I don’t write some things down that I need to repeat back on the radio at work, that I will have forgotten them in the space of a couple seconds. Now THAT is scary!
July 23rd, 2009 at 8:15 am
Some of this is real, and some of it is that we blame our ages for forgetting, I think. I have been doing the Posit Science brain exercise programs and I cannot tell you what a difference that has made! Their first program, the auditory one, is better the second, visual, but both are great. I refuse to lose this memory challenge!
This is a good evaluation of the fitness programs out there:
http://www.askmikethecounselor2.com/brain-fitness-pro.html
Having said that, I have to say that, in the thick of getting my Storybook Quilt contest launched, my mind evidently got overloaded. I walked into the kitchen one day, realized I was dressed and could not remember either the shower or the dressing! Scary.
July 23rd, 2009 at 3:01 pm
Two of my most used phrases are: ‘Where did I put my…?’ and ‘What did I come in here for?’ It’s so bad my kids are beginning to make fun of me. It’s definitely a function of perimenopause, perhaps one of the most annoying.
To remedy my memory woes, I got an iPhone. Now, I feel chic and cool when I have to write everything down. I highly recommend the Groceries app which makes a shopping list obsolete (it remembers all your favorites) and I actually buy less.
July 23rd, 2009 at 3:10 pm
Sometimes forcing myself to mentally take note of the mundane helps, like concentrating on the fact that I’m locking the car.
July 23rd, 2009 at 3:53 pm
All the talk of perimenopause here makes me think that could be the culprit in my memory escapades.
July 23rd, 2009 at 5:50 pm
After reading all the comments about forgetting things, I feel a lot better. I’m way older than 50 and in just recent years can’t remember a lot of things.
Thankis for making me feel better!!
July 23rd, 2009 at 8:53 pm
Millie, always glad to be of help!
July 24th, 2009 at 11:42 pm
After reading all the comments, I forgot what your original post said. I had to go back and read it. Yes, it’s THAT bad, neighbor. I told my son the other day that i thought I might have had a small stroke because I couldn’t recall ANYTHING. Like taking my water bottle to a meeting, or bringing important papers to meet with a client. It was bad.
I think it’s the sleep deprivation of living with two teens in the summer. And that my O2 levels aren’t great. Maybe with a dash of menopause and a soupcon of depression. whatever the cause, I’m tired of being a moron.
July 27th, 2009 at 4:54 pm
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