Forgetfulness? - What you can do about it

⏱ 10 min read

We've all been there: the product we went shopping for is missing again and we can't remember the name of the friend we've just met. We are forgetful from time to time. 

If you forget something from time to time, there's no need to worry - it's normal. But if this happens more often, it's time to do something about your memory and brain health. Regular memory problems can be an early sign of dementia or Alzheimer's disease, but they often have other causes that can be treated, such as a vitamin B12 deficiency or an underactive thyroid.

But what can you do if you are frequently forgetful?

➤ Forgetting now and then is normal and part of a healthy memory!

Normal forgetfulness or a warning sign?

Everyday forgetfulness usually follows a pattern. You forget a name or an appointment, but it comes back to you later. You misplace your glasses, but you can retrace your steps and find them. And you notice these slips yourself. This kind of forgetting often gets worse with stress, tiredness or when you are doing several things at once.

It is different when memory problems grow over months, start to affect everyday life or are noticed mainly by family and friends. These signs should be checked by a doctor:

• Forgetting recent conversations or events again and again, and asking the same questions repeatedly.
• Losing your way in familiar places.
• Struggling with tasks that used to be routine, such as cooking a familiar recipe, paying bills or using household appliances.
• Trouble finding words or following a conversation.
• Noticeable changes in mood, personality or judgement.

A doctor can look for treatable causes with a conversation, simple memory tests and a blood test. Getting clarity early is worth it either way: many causes of forgetfulness can be treated, and if it is dementia, treatment and support can start sooner.

Common causes of forgetfulness

Most memory lapses in everyday life are not caused by a brain disease. These causes are much more common:

• Lack of sleep: A meta-analysis of 70 studies found that even a short period without sleep impairs attention, working memory and short-term memory. The largest effect was on lapses of attention (Lim & Dinges, 2010). What you do not take in properly, you cannot recall later.
• Stress and depression: In a meta-analysis, people with depression showed moderate deficits in memory, attention and planning. Problems with attention and planning often remained even after the low mood had lifted (Rock et al., 2014). Forgetfulness can therefore be a sign of depression that deserves treatment.
• Vitamin B12 deficiency: A lack of vitamin B12 is associated with cognitive impairment. Vegetarians and people who take the diabetes drug metformin are more likely to have low levels. In people with a proven deficiency, high-dose vitamin B12 (1 mg a day, taken by mouth or by injection) improved memory and thinking, and a small share of dementias can be reversed with B12 treatment (Moore et al., 2012). More in the guide to vitamin B12.
• Underactive thyroid: A clearly underactive thyroid (overt hypothyroidism) is linked to poorer memory and low mood. These problems largely improve with treatment (Samuels, 2014). A blood test shows whether the thyroid is involved.
• Medicines: Some drugs block the messenger substance acetylcholine, among them certain antidepressants and antipsychotics. In a meta-analysis of 18 studies with 124,286 people aged 65 and over, taking such drugs was linked to 45% higher odds of cognitive impairment (Ruxton et al., 2015). Never stop a prescribed medicine on your own. Ask your doctor or pharmacist to review your medication instead.

An unhealthy diet and constant distraction from your smartphone also play a role, as the sections below show.

Questionable brain doping is becoming increasingly popular

To boost their cognitive abilities such as memory and concentration, many people around the world are turning to drugs and medications, according to one of the largest studies on this trend. The Global Drug Survey questioned 79,640 people in 2015 and 29,758 people in 2017 in 15 countries. Between the two surveys, the use of prescription stimulants, illegal stimulants and the wake-promoting drug modafinil to boost performance rose in every country (Maier et al., 2018).

The use of these products is becoming particularly popular with students, because who doesn't want to be able to concentrate for hours before an exam? 

The problem with this is that, no matter how tempting they may sound, such drugs have side effects. The researchers saw the highest risks in people who used illegal stimulants. Stimulants taken without a medical reason can also cause sleep problems, loss of appetite and a racing heart.

➤ The use of performance-enhancing drugs rose in all 15 countries surveyed!

For demanding mental work, there is a gentler route than drugs. The Focus Pack combines three separate food supplements: L-tyrosine, rhodiola and ginkgo. If you take blood-thinning medicines, speak to your doctor first because of the ginkgo.

View the Focus Pack  ➜

✓ L-tyrosine + rhodiola + ginkgo, three separate products

Improve memory holistically

There are many ways to support your brain in a natural and, above all, holistic way. You don't have to do brain doping to do this. Meditation, yoga and breathing exercises, for example, are very popular and effective. But regular sleep and taking enough breaks also ensure a rested and efficient brain.

Physical activity can also help to improve cognitive abilities. Preclinical studies show that physical activity triggers some important neuroprotective processes that promote brain health into old age. Studies even suggest that regular physical activity can protect against cognitive decline and dementia.

➤ Order Ginkgo biloba now!

This damages your memory

Do you like eating unhealthy food? Then you should rethink your diet as soon as possible. Because unhealthy food not only causes obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure, but is also linked to poorer brain health. In a study of 255 adults aged 60 to 64, those who ate more of an unhealthy Western diet had a smaller left hippocampus, a brain region that is central to memory (Jacka et al., 2015).

Are you constantly glued to your smartphone? Constant smartphone use can drain your mental capacity. According to a study by the McCombs School of Business, the mere presence of a smartphone reduces brain performance. In addition, constantly using your smartphone leads to mental fatigue and lower performance. So if you stare at your phone every break, you have a very exhausted brain that cannot recharge itself and is therefore less efficient.

➤  Just having your smartphone nearby can reduce your available brain power!

The brain booster from nature

In addition to holistic measures to strengthen cognitive performance, there are natural brain boosters for mental support. 

• Ginkgo biloba: Ginkgo is probably one of the most widely used natural remedies for supporting brain health and memory. A meta-analysis of nine trials with 2,561 patients with cognitive impairment or dementia found that the ginkgo extract EGb 761, mainly at 240 mg a day, stabilised or slowed the decline in thinking, everyday activities and behaviour over 22 to 26 weeks, without important safety concerns (Tan et al., 2015). Ginkgo can increase the tendency to bleed. Case reports describe interactions with warfarin, aspirin and ibuprofen, among others (Izzo & Ernst, 2009). If you take blood-thinning medicines or have surgery planned, talk to your doctor before using ginkgo.
• Omega 3: Omega 3 and in particular the fatty acid DHA is essential for a well-functioning brain, as DHA is a building block of the membranes of nerve cells. DHA plays a particularly important role in old age. According to studies, low DHA levels are associated with cognitive decline during ageing. A meta-analysis found that DHA, alone or together with EPA, improved episodic memory, the memory for personal experiences, in adults with mild memory complaints. Regardless of their memory at the start, more than 1 g of DHA and EPA a day improved episodic memory (Yurko-Mauro et al., 2015). Omega-3 fatty acids have a neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory effect. 
• Curcumin: Chronic inflammation is associated with cognitive impairment and an increased risk of dementia. Curcumin from turmeric has well-established anti-inflammatory effects and is being studied as a way to counteract accelerated cognitive decline. In two randomised trials, curcumin improved working memory (Kuszewski et al., 2018).
• Ashwagandha: The adaptogenic herb is primarily used to promote stress reduction, restful sleep and more energy. Studies also suggest that ashwagandha can improve memory and brain performance. In a placebo-controlled double-blind study with 50 adults with mild cognitive impairment, 300 mg of ashwagandha root extract twice a day improved immediate and general memory, attention and processing speed after eight weeks (Choudhary et al., 2017).

Our brain is always dependent on an adequate supply of vital nutrients. These include vitamins (B vitamins, vitamin K), omega-3 fatty acids (DHA), as well as nutrients such as potassium, magnesium and fiber.

If you want to combine ginkgo with other ingredients for mental work, the Focus Pack contains ginkgo, L-tyrosine and rhodiola as three separate products, so each one can be taken on its own schedule.

View the Focus Pack  ➜

✓ L-tyrosine + rhodiola + ginkgo, three separate products

Can forgetting be good for you?

Yes, to a degree. Researchers now see forgetting as part of a healthy memory rather than a fault. According to a review in the journal Neuron, forgetting makes memory more flexible, because outdated information has less influence on decisions. It also stops the brain from clinging too closely to single past events and helps it to draw general lessons from them. In this view, the goal of memory is not to store everything, but to help us make good decisions (Richards & Frankland, 2017).

Psychologists also count everyday slips such as absent-mindedness or a name on the tip of your tongue among the typical errors of memory. They see them largely as by-products of features that are useful in themselves (Schacter & Dodson, 2001). Occasional forgetting is therefore no reason to worry. What matters is whether it gets worse over time and starts to affect everyday life.

Conclusion

We all forget things from time to time. To give our memory a boost, you should not resort to harmful substances, but instead focus on holistic measures such as meditation, brain training and exercise. Also try to go without your smartphone more often and reduce an unhealthy diet with lots of sugar and bad fats. Give your brain the nutrients it needs! If forgetfulness increases or starts to affect everyday life, have it checked by a doctor, because many causes can be treated.

Frequently asked questions

What causes memory loss and forgetfulness?

Common causes are lack of sleep, stress and depression, a lack of vitamin B12, an underactive thyroid and certain medicines. An unhealthy diet and constant distraction also play a role. If memory problems grow over months or affect everyday life, a doctor should look for the cause, because many of these causes can be treated.

What is forgetting in Psychology?

In psychology, forgetting means that something you once learned can no longer be recalled, for a while or for good. Absent-mindedness and a name on the tip of your tongue count among the typical everyday errors of memory. Researchers see them largely as by-products of a memory system that otherwise works well.

What are the benefits of forgetfulness?

Forgetting keeps memory flexible. Outdated information has less influence on decisions, and the brain does not cling too closely to single past events. According to researchers, the goal of memory is not to store everything, but to help us make good decisions.

How does forgetting improve learning?

When details of single events fade, the brain can more easily draw general lessons from them and apply them to new situations. Forgetting also reduces the influence of information that is no longer correct. This is why some forgetting is part of healthy learning.

Are there evolutionary advantages to forgetfulness?

Researchers argue that a memory that can forget is better suited to a changing world. Old information fades, so decisions are based more on what is true today. Forgetting that gets worse over time and affects everyday life, however, should be checked by a doctor.

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