Drugs and memory

NanKate I don't know about drugs and memory but I'm not on medication and this sounds familiar. I'm worse if I'm hassled or trying to keep too many balls in the air.

We're women

We are supposed to be multi-taskers

Shhhh!

Thanks Anya yes it could just be the stresses and strains of a busy life that are causing the forgetfulness. I also notice it with my friends. I suppose the big worry is could it be the start of dementia. I, like you, try to eat healthily and keep active, that's all I can do. The joys of ageing

I agree with Anya but I do worry about it too.

Sounds pretty normal to me!

I have a long held theory about memory which doctors may scoff at, but it seems to make sense.
Our brains develop as we grow up until they are capable of holding an enormous amount of stuff.
Then we get married and have to remember our husband's "stuff" too ("do I have any socks/shirts/pants?)" Or ("Have you remembered it's your mother's birthday?") ) Then we have children and have to remember our children's "stuff" (" don't forget you've got choir/hockey/piano after school. Have you got your packed lunch. Don't forget your maths homework/recorder")
So the stuff goes on accumulating and growing until one day your brain is so full, bits of "stuff" fall out the bottom. Things like mobiles, bottles of water, have I turned the iron off, where the hell are my car keys? But important things like your PILs' Golden Wedding, exactly where you were when DD first announced she was pregnant, or the recipe for scones - those are hard wired into your (female) brain.
So as they say, don't sweat the small stuff, if you forget some day to day things, just think of the HUGE range of stuff you still remember (first teeth, that little downy head on your shoulder, the smell of a tiny baby, sleepless nights) and reconsider were they really that important? ]

Exellent post Daphne

I agree with that too, Daphne. My memory is stuffed with so much that if I try to squeeze in any more they don't get logged in properly and fall out.
So that's why the most recent memories are the ones that we forget first.

That's the same theory that I cling to db. Right or wrong, it makes sense and is my way of trying not to worry about dementia.

ps I think very early memories are still there but hard to retrieve unless maybe under hypnotism.

I sometimes think my brain needs to go through a defragmentation process like the pc.

That way the files would be more in order and perhaps retrievable and there could be room for some new files.

Like - have I bought all the Christmas presents?

I agree with Daphne, and I'm very forgetful lately. Silly stuff like not turning the light out in the bathroom or leaving a lamp on when I've gone to bed!
I'm not having dementia!

You are all effectively saying your brain is full to capacity and there's no more room left, so something has to be dumped???

No, mine just needs tidying up a bit, there is capacity but it is fragmented
and rather foggy at the moment (post-viral - how long does this go on for, jelly legs as well).

Ah Ha! Like I've just de-fragged my computer you mean Jalima?

I believe that the brain is like a computer. Or should be other way round - a computer is like the brain. Storage and retrieval and gigabites (whatever they are) etc.
I sometimes get a message on my computer like 'you're running out of storage space!'.

Well, I will concede that my neural pathways aren't always firing. I think it's more like a traffic jam and they have to find another way, down some side street perhaps, to get to their destination.

That's certainly the case with DH.

You are all effectively saying your brain is full to capacity and there's no more room left, so something has to be dumped?



Lighten up Anya, can't you recognise a leg-pull?

With DH it's more a case of the pathway between the ear and the brain.

I am just off to plug my brain in to defragment with a and five minutes power nap.

Oh No DB, I was right there with you on the believing our memories are full of junk so often can't find anywhere to store the "don't forget to turn the hob off" message. I sometimes which I had a delete button, like the one of this lap top so I could clear a bit of space.
One good thing about getting older is that my ability to store good memories and stop ruminating over the tougher stuff is much improved. It's one of the few things physically or mentally that has improved rather than deteriorated.

I think distraction is the problem not lack of storage space. And that a lot depends on what we focus on. We remember different things. I was in a conversation recently in which a friend was saying she has a very detailed memory of "who had what" in various restaurants. Amazing recall going back over several years. She is of course very interested in food.
Of course the brain dumps stuff - but isn't it surprising when you remember something or someone that you haven't thought about for decades!
I was suffering from a lot of tip of the tongue problems a few months ago "what's the word for....?" Dawned on me eventually that it was my brain getting used to going to Welsh twice a week. It has now settled down although sometimes the Welsh word pops up when I am speaking English.