Memory is considered one of many phenomena that are still not fully understood. Each of us is familiar with situations when you forget your house keys, a scheduled meeting flies out of your head, etc. Small memory gaps occur in everyone, but if they happen too often, there is reason to think. This may be a symptom of a serious illness. Memory loss is observed in both young and elderly people. The second option is more common and popular. Unfortunately, close relatives and friends of people of age often do not attach importance to memory lapses.
Loss of memory: what is it called and what is it?
Four processes can be distinguished into which memory is subdivided: memorization, storage, reproduction, and forgetting. This article will focus on the last of them. In medicine, memory loss is called amnesia. There are two main types: partial and full. The first option is a completely normal situation, because everyone is prone to forgetting something insignificant. As for the second type, it represents a complete loss of memories. However, it should be noted that amnesia in this form is treatable.
Loss of memory is observed mainly in older people. Close people need to make every effort to protect their friend or relative from the age of such an ailment. Even if there is no obvious reason for excitement, you should still carefully monitor the situation. As you know, everything happens from small to large: from forgetting one’s business two days ago to complete amnesia.
Short-term view of memory loss
Short-term memory loss is a common thing among old people. It is characterized by the loss of vivid memories of events that occurred several days or months ago. Such a syndrome lasts for a couple of minutes, it cannot last for years.
The causes of this ailment can be head injuries, medication, and infectious diseases. Sometimes short-term memory loss occurs with the desire to lose weight by fasting and strict diets. For people aged, the most common source of the problem is medication. Specialists in the field of medicine call this syndrome "forgetfulness of the elderly." This can be cured with certain medications, good nutrition principles, and some tips for improving brain function.
Harsh amnesia
This type of memory loss is very similar to the previous one. It is observed most often in older people, manifested by the fact that there is a rapid deviation from the intended goal. The simplest example: a person goes to the kitchen to get water, and along the way forgets what he wanted to do. Severe amnesia occurs in young people. This is due to a violation in the functioning of the brain. From a medical point of view, a reaction occurs, similar to a mini-stroke, and previous activities suffer from this.
Among the reasons for the appearance of such an ailment, one can distinguish a sharp rise from a sitting position and other similar actions. Memory loss in older people has more serious consequences. Therefore, you need to see a doctor as soon as possible. The doctor will prescribe drugs aimed at improving vascular activity, which will benefit old people.
Sudden amnesia
Here we will talk about the loss of memories, which can lead to death. This refers to cases when people leave the house for a store, and then cannot find the way back due to forgetfulness. Unfortunately, modern medicine has not yet fully studied this phenomenon, so the question remains open.
Those who have experienced a sudden loss of memory cannot remember either their name or any other data from their past. The danger of this type of amnesia is the inability to determine the sources of the disease. It turns out that no one is safe from such a phenomenon, even preventive measures in the world will not help. Of course, there are cases when memories are completely lost due to a head injury or an infection, but most situations cannot be rationally explained. Such patients often go missing, and if they are, it is very difficult to determine anything. Close relatives are only rarely announced, which makes the problem even more serious.
Sclerosis: what is it?
Many people equate amnesia with senile sclerosis, but this is not the case. Sclerosis is a complete disease in which part of the brain cells die. Such a development of events is associated with the accumulation of cholesterol plaques in the vessels, which interferes with the blood circulation. Sclerosis in rare cases attacks young people, but the elderly suffer more. Let's see why:
- Blood supply is disturbed a priori. It is logical that when the body ages, the vessels age, losing their elasticity. Sclerosis in such situations is manifested by insomnia and irritability.
- Cell repair is slow. With age, the regeneration process slows down significantly, and updating is necessary for normal life.
- The degradation of processes in the body. As you know, the brain transmits impulses to nerve cells, in older people this function works worse, due to which mental and motor activity decreases.
Causes of amnesia
To determine the severity of the disease, it is necessary to study the sources. The causes of memory loss are often:
- chronic diseases of any nature, strong blows and severe head injuries;
- disturbances in brain activity, destruction of nerve cells, disorders;
- insomnia, sedentary lifestyle, metabolic disorders in the body;
- lesions leading to poor circulation, depression and stress, bouts of chronic fatigue;
- lethargy or overexcitation, malnutrition.
Amnesia occurs sometimes due to excessive thoughtfulness and distracted attention. Young people should carefully study their behavior in order to get rid of all the prerequisites. You can observe memory loss after a severe shock, for example, a car or plane crash.
Signs
The loss of memories can act as a full-fledged disease with its own causes and symptoms. We examined the sources, now let's talk about the signs:
- a person does not fulfill the promise because of forgetfulness;
- inattention is often observed in the conduct of business;
- distraction, speech disturbances appear;
- irritability for no apparent reason; the person himself cannot explain why he is so angry;
- sometimes you can track a change in handwriting;
- chronic fatigue, rapid fatigue, a bad mood is constantly observed, not caused by any factors.
The disease, memory loss, accompanied by these symptoms, can develop in a person aged 40-50 years. If you notice such signs with your loved one, you must consult a doctor to prescribe treatment. In any case, older people should undergo therapy regardless of the manifestations of the disease.
Diagnostics
Before prescribing therapy, the attending physician should conduct a study in order to identify the disease. Diagnosis involves determining the nature of amnesia, which in the future will give a complete picture for the restoration of memory processes. The most effective laboratory measures for determining the diagnosis are: EEG, computed tomography, biochemical blood count, duplex scanning, etc.
The specific procedure is prescribed by the attending physician, depending on the situation. Basically, there is a study of the brain, and all its processes. Based on the results of the study, the doctor makes a diagnosis. Then a treatment method is selected and therapy is prescribed. It is not recommended to recover on your own, because taking some medications will only aggravate the situation, it is possible to provoke a stroke or heart attack.
How to treat memory loss?
It depends, first of all, on the nature of the problem. There are at least two types of therapy in this situation: medication and psychological. First, consider the first option.
Partial memory loss is treated with the following medications:
- Trental will improve the blood circulation of the brain;
- "Piracetam" and "Actovegin" are aimed at preventing the destruction of neurons (these are cells of the nervous system that transmit information from the brain);
- "Glycine" is used to improve the memory function.
A number of other seemingly similar agents differ in their contraindications and side effects. It is for this reason that it is forbidden to self-medicate.
Psychotherapy
Psychological treatment involves the restoration of the brain system through classes with professionals. The most effective is complex therapy, including medication, and communication with psychologists. Defectologists, psychotherapists quite often confine themselves to solving puzzles and puzzles, board games. Such simple methods help to activate brain activity, which sooner or later will lead to a positive result.
If a severe case is observed, specialists use hypnotic suggestive therapy. Hypnosis allows a person to remember many moments in life. But such a treatment should be carried out only by a professional, because there is a chance of exacerbating the situation.
Daily regime
How to treat memory loss in the elderly? It is not recommended to send them to special medical institutions, this will only worsen the situation. A person aged will recover faster in a circle of people close to him. From the side of relatives it is necessary to ensure:
- the old man’s sleep is at least 9 hours a day, and maybe more, depending on age;
- calm atmosphere in the house: forget about quarrels and disputes, it is advisable not to raise your voice during conversations;
- attention: sometimes a little conversation is enough for an elderly person, it is better to spend as much time as possible with him (play, walk, watch TV, etc.);
- fresh air: daily you need to walk with the old man, at least an hour, preferably twice a day;
- moderate physical activity: this means morning exercises, if an elderly person is hard, do gymnastics together.
The key word in the last factor is moderate. In no case should overload be allowed, this will worsen the general condition of a person. The exercises and the number of their accomplishments will be prescribed by the attending physician after the examination.
Prevention
It is impossible to completely prevent the disease. The only thing that can be done is to slow the progression of the disease through preventive measures. Already at the age of 20, a person begins the process of dying of brain cells. However, this is not a sentence; if the right actions are taken, other cells with the functions of those destroyed will be reprofiled.
Such processes occur due to a number of factors:
- reading, and no matter what kind of literature: whether it is fiction, historical or documentary;
- gaining new skills, including singing, dancing, sewing, etc.
- learning foreign languages;
- solving puzzles, crosswords and crosswords, it slows down the process of memory loss by an average of three years;
- active life with constant communication.
In addition to the above preventive measures, it is necessary to exclude the impact of negative factors. This refers to alcohol and smoking. In addition, follow the daily routine: observe an 8-hour daily sleep, eat correctly, you need to diversify the diet with vegetables and fruits.