Declining mind or mental health? what sort of age?

as you already know stress caused mental distress and lack of clarity.. Before you decide you have a problem I would suggest you start some sort of relaxation regime which could be Mindfulness, meditation, yoga, tai Chi, Chi Gung.. even having massages.... all would probably help you at the moment..

I woudn't be so concerned if it was just one or two but seems to be most I know of those over 65.

I don't recognise that generalisation.

I have friends in their 80s who are still mentally alert so I think your problems are more likely to be caused by stress.Do seek help if your problems persist .Best wishes for a happy future.

I don't know the average age at which dementia (IF it's going to happen) kicks in. But I would have thought you were too young an age.....

I would say a prolonged period of stress can have an effect - which, hopefully, will vanish once the stress is over/has been recovered from.

I was a bit worried recently for a spell - and getting annoyed at my mind not functioning quite so well as normal. I'm used to having a pretty good mind and regard it as one of my advantages and so that was really annoying me that it wasnt working properly. But I did realise it was stress and that the causes of the stress had dialled down. In my case it was a combination of 1. house renovation (in an area of the country with particularly unreliable workmen - they're known for the "Pembrokeshire Promise" here, ie they promise and then they often do a let-down) 2. Bad neighbours here and some of whom were trying to make me decide to move back to England and they would have denied that's what they were up to - but I had realised!!!! 3. Lockdown.

I just had to remind myself firmly:
1. That house renovation I've had to do is basically over now - I've managed to get through the workmen and get the house up to normal standard finally (not the bodge job/old-fashioned it was to start with).
2. The worst neighbours of all have moved (near enough to still be a pain if they can possibly think of an excuse - but at least they're not in my road anymore).
3. Lockdown is over.

So a lot of the stress has dialled-down at last and it was just a case of gritting my teeth, being determined not to be beaten by it and hopefully I'd get "my full mind" back and I have and my mind is "my own normal one" again at last.

I have the same problem, not with my friends but with myself. My mind is nowhere near as sharp as it was even 5 or 10 years ago. As far as I can make out, it's normal to lose sharpness as we grow older (it happens with our limbs, organs, skin, etc, so why would our brain be immune to deterioration?). Our current societal ideals would have us believe that age/death can be outrun (the Internet is full of answers, from eating miracle pills to drinking your own urine). I don't think it can. That's a hard thing to accept but since when was reality a soft cuddly reassuring thing? You can only try your best to hold on to what you have, in whichever ways you feel will help. We aren't clones of one another, so what works for me might not work for you. Surf the net for answers - but NOT quick-fix promises which will almost certainly cost a lot of money and won't work anyway. Try to keep smiling and don't let the black dog catch you. All the very best from me and doubtless loads of others who also recognise what you're saying.

Go and ask your doctor for a Memory test if you are really concerned.

I think it is perfectly understandable that being recently divorced would cause you stress, along with anxiety when driving and some loss of memory. A relaxation regime, as suggested by pascal, I am sure would help you. 💐

Age has got very little to do with it. My father lived to 92 and was still an active committee member of three local organisations.

A dear friend recently died of dementia at 75

mrsnonsmoker - it’s almost certainly stress. (but ofcourse don’t take my word for it). When I was 50 and going through separation/ divorce, I lost my sense of direction, twice. Once, I could not find my daughter’s house and another time, my own house I had driven past both the houses. Saw my GP, who assured me there was nothing wrong with my memory. It’s just that my mind was pre-occupied.
Please see your Doctor and ask for a memory test.

Maybe it's worth mentally reviewing what types of life these friends are living - as in is it a type of life where they are still making new friends/following new interests/following what's going on in the world OR is it a life where they keep doing "the same old same old" and nothing and nobody in their lives ever changes much?

There's a lot to be said for still checking out new people/new ideas/etc throughout one's life - whereas many people think "done and dusted - this is me and my life now" and change nothing. So perhaps a combination of telling yourself "This too will pass - it's just stress and understandable" and doing the "new things/new people" bit.

M0nica

Age has got very little to do with it. My father lived to 92 and was still an active committee member of three local organisations.

A dear friend recently died of dementia at 75

Agreed, not about age. My dad was the same aged 96, until he died of a broken heart.

It's not about age- some of it is genetic, but most is due to lifestyle. Keeping active, physically (walking is the best, or swimming), socially, go out, meet people, and learn something new every day. Doesn't have to be fancy, academic stuff either. But repetitive memory tests like Sudoku, don't help. It has to be new stuff- crochet, a card game, a bit of a new language, the list is endless.

And if you want to keep driving- do it daily or as often as possible. Don't let your DH drive you everywhere, and hope you will remember how to when he can't anymore.

Eat well and healthy, don't smoke, and drink in moderation. And daily concentrated curcuma- proven to help reduce the inflammation that causes brain issues (and joints, win win).

The death of mr i, only six months from diagnosis, was just 2 years ago. During the 6 months diagnosis to death I got on with it, smile on my public face, weeping walking my dogs.
After he died, I lost confidence, I’ve always been a confident driver, dog handler (I’ve fostered ‘damaged’ dogs etc) and confident communicator. That diminished.
My conclusion is we consistently under estimate the impact of trauma. I ‘knew’ this in my working life. Remembered it in my private life. Despite this, I believe inexpected too much of myself.
Do t over think this mrsnonsmoker. Take some time, live quietly and breathe

My Mum was 80 when dementia was diagnosed.
Not everyone can take curcuma aka turmeric Fleurpepper, I can’t, so worth checking.

I don't know the average age at which dementia (IF it's going to happen) kicks in. But I would have thought you were too young an age.....

There is no age too young to develop dementia. Even some children (very few) develop it.

I certainly know of people with early onset dementia, developing it in their 40s and 50s.

No illness should ever be discounted because someone is too young. There are a number of cancers, breast cancer and stomach cancer among them, where young people have died because the doctor dismissed them as too young to have the disease.

Jaxjacky

My Mum was 80 when dementia was diagnosed.
Not everyone can take curcuma aka turmeric Fleurpepper, I can’t, so worth checking.

I am so sorry to hear about your mother.

I would be very interested in who and why can't take turmeric- never heard of this. We were told about turmeric being a really effective anti-inflmmatory- including for the brain- by a Swiss specialist in Plant pharmacology. He explained how Big Pharma is doing everything it can to stop research into any easily available, cheap, natural products- as there is not money in it for them.

Professor Kurt Hostettman works with several University Hospitals in Switzerland, India and China.

Jaxjacky. Just been checking- it seems side effects are rare, but that

'Side Effect

No apparent side effects have been reported thus far. GI upset, chest tightness, skin rashes, swollen skin are said to occur with high dose. A few cases of allergic contact dermatitis from curcumin have been reported.[41]

The chronic use of curcumin can cause liver toxicity. For this reason, turmeric products should probably be avoided by individuals with liver disease, heavy drinkers and those who take prescription medications that are metabolized by liver. Curcumin was found to be pharmacologically safe in human clinical trials with doses up to 10 g/day. A phase 1 human trial with 25 subjects using up to 8000 mg of curcumin per day for three months found no toxicity from curcumin.[42]
Interaction

Curcumin is said to interact with certain drugs such as blood thinning agents, NSAIDs, reserpin. Co-supplementation with 20 mg of piperine (extracted from black pepper) significantly increase the bioavailablity of curcumin by 2000%.[43]
Contraindication

Curcumin is not recommended for persons with biliary tract obstruction because it stimulates bile secretion. It is also not recommended for people with gallstones, obstructive jaundice and acute biliary colic. Curcumin supplementation of 20-40 mg have been reported to increase gallbladder contractions in healthy people.'

Very interesting, thanks.

Link

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2781139/

Dementia can start very young much younger than 65. Go see your GP to ask for a memory test. Probably your problems are due to stress, but best check.

I had dreadful stress from my late 50s divorce, and it did affect my driving , at one point I thought I was going to have to give it up, but at one point I was prescribed beta blockers to help with the acute anxiety, and things did settle down. Moving on a while I was diagnosed with high blood pressure and once that went down to a normal level, I was much less anxious, I guess if your blood pressure is high and there are difficult situations while driving that stress you then the blood pressure rises. I'm not back to how I was pre the big stressors, but I no longer think I need to give up driving..
Stress contributes to other things that aren't dementia, one of the risk factors for prediabetes ( and obviously diabetes if not tackled) is stress, another is poor sleep. Blood sugar issues can deffo affect how you're feeling too.
Worth getting eyes checked out to make sure if you wear glasses for driving they are still ok and if you don't, maybe things have deteriorated and you might feel better with a pair for driving
I did have a period on antidepressents which helped, as did the support from the doc, I did wean myself off them gradually, I had been worried about dependency but no problems there
I did know someone with early onset dementia, she was in her early 60s, she started having problems with doing the bookkeeping for an organisation she had done it for for years, and that was the first tlsign to those who knew her through that

Defo echo re checking out the blood pressure. I got told mine was very high and worrying. Duly bought a blood pressure monitor - so I could keep an eye on things personally. I bought the Omron X3 Comfort one - as a friend of mine that's long suffered from this has got it and recommended it as easy to use. She's right - it is easy to use indeed.

It is possible to get that blood pressure down for at least some people. I'm taking a couple of natural things for it - ashwaganda and drinking beetroot juice - and reminding myself that "my own personal blood pressure" was stated as being "a bit on the low side" years back when it got measured.
Sure enough - it's gone from worryingly high to normal (yep...."normal normal" of 120/80 - rather than "normal for my agegroup normal"). In fact I think it's going back to "my own normal of years back".

So - yep....that is proof in my own mind that it was stress causing that high blood pressure - rather than a problem with my body doing it. I remind myself firmly "Do NOT let the neighbours and the government do that to me (ie create high blood pressure I myself am not due for)".

I think that sometimes we think ourselves into feeling 'old'.

I am 81, live alone and carry out all my own cleaning, shopping, gardening and decorating!

I have driven since 1961 and still drive with no accidents caused by me.

On no age related medications.

I love sweet foods and have always seemed to be eating the wrong things according to the experts.

According to medical experts I should be nearing the end but feel as if I am still at the beginning.

If you feel OK, carry on doing what you are doing and don't let any 'age related theories' frighten you.

Sometimes stress can cause 'mind problems' and I have experienced this from time to time but as soon as the stressful period is over the problems go away.

I hope your life has now settled and you can get back to being the young, active and clear minded person you have been in the past.

Im 69 and Im fine as are my friends older, same and younger.

Me either.. it is a sweeping generalisation

Mental decline can start at any time, but yours is doubtless due to stress, and that probably applies to many of those you know too.

Another factor is good-old-fashioned laziness! A lot of people as they reach retirement age, or after it, stop making the effort to use their memories and their brains.

My form mistress when I was fourteen informed us that the brain is the only organ of the body that will not be strained by being put to work!

Now that we nearly all have mobile phones, practically none of us can remember the screeds of telephone numbers we used to have learned by heart, can we?

Try solving the problems that have given you stress, and your memory will probably bouce back.