When life gets busy, it is normal to naturally forget things such as your wallet, keys or your cell phone. You’re not paying attention to everything you have to remember, and you’re rushing out the door. However, what happens when you’re older and you have those moments when you just can’t seem to remember something. Whether it is a large event, or a small one; you want to know if this is normal. Is this a natural part of aging, or a sign of much worse things to come?
Senior Moments
Researchers have found that these “senior moments” should be taken seriously, because even though they might be the smallest of things; they might be warning you of what is to come.
Those that have these moments more often than not are at an increased risk for developing dementia or Alzheimer’s disease in the future. The clues to this disease can start as soon as 12 months before an initial diagnosis. This means, that at the age of 40, you could be starting to see signs that perhaps something is happening that shouldn’t be.
During the study, it was found that around 80% of those with dementia had memory loss earlier on in life. They never thought anything of it, until the disease progressed and their memory started fading faster. This was out of 531 different patients. The most remarkable finding was the fact that these patients started seeing memory loss problems much earlier on before the diagnoses.
Memory Loss Early in Life
If memory loss starts this early on, those “senior moments” may be something to speak with your family doctor with to ensure that you’re doing everything you can to exercise your brain, including eating healthy brain-food and doing the recommended amount of brain activities. These exercises can sharpen the mind, allowing it to stay whole and provide you with a way to fight off the effects of dementia.
A few years ago, these memory loss signs were dismissed as easily as they were brought up when the person was in their 40’s. Now, with dementia on the rise, it seems as though many physicians are taking more care to listen to the patients and the symptoms they are experiencing to find out if this is an early sign of dementia.
The brain reaches its maximum volume around the age of 40. This is when the brain cannot grow anymore, and is at the potential to start to shrink. This is why memory loss becomes so apparent during this time. When the brain shrinks, memories and certain information is lost with the brain. In those that have dementia, the rate of shrinkage becomes much worse.
So the next time you are running out the door, grabbing everything and trying to remember it all, stop and think for a second. Helping yourself remember can boost your immunity against this disease and can help you strengthen your brain. While not all signs might be stating that you will develop this disease, these signs might also mean something is much worse. Speak with your healthcare provider to find out more about dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and your risks.