Getting older goes hand in hand with forgetfulness — like not remembering the name of the new restaurant in town or misplacing your glasses. And while it can be frustrating, it isn’t instantly concerning (phew!).
“Some degree of memory loss can be considered normal, especially with age,” Carmen Carrión, a neuropsychologist and an assistant professor of neurology at Yale School of Medicine, told HuffPost via email.
“As people grow older, they may experience mild forgetfulness, such as misplacing keys or having trouble recalling names. These age-related memory changes are typically not a cause for concern,” Carrión added.
In other words, you don’t need to panic if you notice your memory isn’t as sharp as it used to be — that’s just a part of aging. And it isn’t exclusive to people whom society considers “old,” either.
“Here’s a very depressing fact: We start to lose neurons in our 30s,” said Dr. Michael Rosenbloom, a neurologist at the UW Medicine Memory and Brain Wellness Center in Washington.
“With time, we become less efficient at learning and remembering, and to me, it almost feels like this life cycle — when you’re young and you’re a student, you need to learn more information and those systems have to be working on all cylinders, but when you get older, it’s less critical,” Rosenbloom said.
However, certain forms of memory loss are abnormal and can be indicative of larger issues. Below, neurologists told HuffPost the signs of abnormal memory loss and what to do if you’re concerned:
1. An inability to learn new things.
As time goes on, things like cell phones, computers and even cars require some additional education. Think about it: Compared to 30 years ago, cars have backup cameras, GPS capabilities and some are even all-electric.
If you find that you struggle to learn anything new, it could be concerning, experts say.
“The common thing in our society is you get a new device and you just cannot figure it out,” said…
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