Learn how this disease affects the nervous system. How Long Does Coronavirus Live On Surfaces? You can’t find your keys. If you’re distracted when learning new information, you won’t be able to encode and retrieve it as well as you otherwise could, Suzanne Schindler, M.D., Ph.D., an assistant professor of neurology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, tells SELF. Dementia. use of alcohol or drugs and some prescription medications, cancer treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation, or bone marrow transplant, mental disorders such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and dissociative disorder, neurodegenerative illnesses such as Huntington’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS), or Parkinson’s disease, cognitive testing to check your thinking ability, blood tests to look for various conditions including vitamin B-12 deficiency and thyroid disease, imaging tests such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography (CT) scan, electroencephalogram (EEG) to measure the electrical activity of the brain, cerebral angiography, which is an X-ray to see how blood flows through the brain. Brain damage can be responsible for causing memory lapses. If all of this sounds eerily familiar, you’re not alone. Nutritional supplements can be useful against memory loss caused by a nutritional deficiency. Dementia happens when nerve cells in the brain become damaged. During the beginning stages of this disease, a patient may forget small things for a short period of time, such as where he put his car keys. Memory may gradually improve over time. Reversible causes of memory loss Depression. Of course, this data must be taken with a grain of salt; the report doesn’t say anything about new diagnoses, only privately insured U.S. women filling prescriptions. Anxiety, Blackouts (memory time loss), Confusion, Difficulty falling asleep. Arrange to have someone help in the home. All rights reserved. For example, drugs are available to treat memory problems related to Alzheimer's disease, and drugs to help lower blood pressure can help reduce the risk of more brain damage from dementia related to high blood pressure. SELF does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. There are, of course, cases in which memory lapses could be a sign of an underlying medical issue. Blackouts (memory time loss) WebMD Symptom Checker helps you find the most common symptom combinations and medical conditions related to blackouts (memory time loss). They may also ask a few questions to test your memory. In the wake of a brain injury, someone may experience impaired memory in a variety of forms, with the a brief lapse being one of the least serious impairments. SheCares.com is dedicated to providing reliable, up-to-date information and advice on the most common topics in women's health, including PMS, menopause, natural hormones, hormonal conditions, and fertility. In very rare cases, it could be something more serious. Random brain farts like these happen to a lot of us. One of the most commonly cited causes is age; as people grow older, their brains appear to go into decline, and memory lapses are one of the early signs of degeneration. Usually, testing is done as an interview performed by a doctor or a psychological test measuring cognitive functioning. ", University of Maryland Medical Center: "Dementia. Many degenerative neurological diseases also damage the memory, with short lapses being an early sign of problems. That includes getting your seven to nine hours of rest each night, as recommended by the National Sleep Foundation. Brain damage can also be responsible for causing memory lapses. In one 2014 study in the journal PLOS ONE, 14.4 percent of the 4,425 18- to 39-year-olds surveyed thought they had memory issues. The content of these informational pages is for educational purposes and health care support only and does not intend to be used for diagnosis or treatment of a health problem or as substitute for consulting a licensed medical professional. ©Copyright 2020. You forgot the name of your newest neighbor—again. What Are the Different Causes of Memory Lapses? “There is no brain disease that affects only long-term—meaning years ago—memory.”, You may also want to schedule an appointment if you’re having trouble keeping track of the calendar date or repeating yourself in conversation over and over again. Perhaps you rely more on lists and calendars to remember chores and appointments. The REM (rapid eye movement) stage of sleep kicks up around 90 minutes after you fall asleep. Your doctor should also give you a complete physical exam and ask about other physical symptoms. Dementia is the name for progressive loss of memory and other aspects of thinking that are severe enough to interfere with the ability to function in daily activities. Discover new workout ideas, healthy-eating recipes, makeup looks, skin-care advice, the best beauty products and tips, trends, and more from SELF.