Updated June 4, 2014.
ST. LOUIS - worried because I after half an hour before finding your reading glasses or car keys? Concerned that took a few minutes to remember the name of the woman looks familiar welcome in the restaurant?
You probably do not have much to worry about, said George Grossberg, MD, principal investigator of the internationally recognized Alzheimer geriatric psychiatry at the Medical Faculty of the University of St. Louis. How boring it may be "the tip of the tongue" temporary forgetfulness is one of the changes that occur as we age.
"We tend to be things that can not be important for us to slip," says Dr. Grossberg. "We lost track of time and it is frustrating. But if the information turns out later, if you really think about it, we have a little annoying problem that is not particularly serious.
"But if the information important, is not there for us if we want it and we never come back, person is a serious problem. Alzheimer's disease and cheats on his reading glasses, probably will not even remember that you need to view. knows the man next to her is unknown, but can not remember which is his young son and his name is Mark me. "
Sometimes people forget that they are in sensory overload.
"In our society we are all chronic congestion are multitasking systems -. Speaking about our cell phones, pagers tuned for the license, enter to buy a memory," he said. "It's very easy for things to go under in the crowd. This is not Alzheimer's disease."
So how do you know if you have a serious problem and is there anything you can do to strengthen your memory? Dr. Grossberg offers this recipe for brain health:
Try to understand what is causing oblivion. Do you have a wrong turn on the wheel while talking on a cell phone and listen to radio? Maybe you have tried to do too many things at once and you have to turn the phone on or off the air.
* Train your body. In addition to improving cardiovascular health, exercise increases endorphins, "feel good", which improves your mood and prevent depression. Causes depression and cognitive impairment is a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease.
* Exercise your mind. Research shows mental challenge can help you close the connections in the brain that improve your business and make it more resistant to disease. How to find a new hobby, learn to play chess, with the left hand if you are right handed, a foreign language, or to study the calculation.
* Watching. Control of risk factors for cardiovascular disease such as high blood pressure, smoking, high cholesterol and obesity can help reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease.
* A good night's sleep. Not enough restful sleep and cause cognitive decline later in life. Also, if you do not sleep, you do not think clearly and are more likely to forget now. Find out why you can not sleep if there is a problem.
* Pull your brain. Some studies show antioxidant vitamins have powers of protection against Alzheimer's disease. B-vitamins, in particular vitamin B12, folic acid and are important for the functioning of the brain cells. A supplement if necessary.
* Check your medications. Sometimes medications - prescription and OTC medications - can cause problems with concentration or memory, you should discuss with your doctor.
Dr. Grossberg, says the key to whether you are concerned about the lack of memory of how she. Influence on the functioning of "The time to worry is when you know that the changes affect your ability to perform daily work. Oblivion When frequency and size is that they do their job with their ability, for example, you should see a doctor consult interfere. "
--ST. School of Medicine, University Louis
Articles in Science of Mental Health are written by the institution. This article was posted Newswise.
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