Do you ever walk into a room and forget why you went in there in the first place? Or was going to say something and forgot your words. This happens countless times to most of us. But if you have chronic bouts of forgetfulness it could be your anxiety causing the mental miscues. This is because stress, anxiety, and even depression, can cause memory loss and mental haze.
Too much stress over long periods of time can hinder brain function in a major way. One of the reasons for this is: because when you become stressed your body releases a stress hormone called cortisol. This hormone, which is also known for causing excess belly fat and therefore increased risk of heart disease, affects your ability to remember things and think straight.
When we become stressed or anxious, our bodies also release adrenaline into the bloodstream, which in turn causes the body to release cortisol. The two compounds are an essential part of your fight or flight response but are very different. One of the major differences is that cortisol remains in your body much longer than adrenaline does. This gives the cortisol the time it needs to adversely affect your brain cells (watch how stress triggers adrenaline and cortisol ).
While in the brain cortisol disrupts the normal function of neurotransmitters, which are the brains “communication towers.” Neurotransmitters are the chemicals used by brain cells to carry information and if they are disrupted by cortisol your brain has a difficult time sorting things out.
In addition to memory loss, this is also why you experience the anxiety gaze (staring blankly) and brain fog from time to time. Your brain’s ability to transmit information, like memories, is temporarily affected by the stress hormones you release when you are feeling high anxiety or prolonged stress. The brain is simply bogged – down by all the anxiety juice released into the bloodstream.
Here it is again, anxiety unmasked for what it really is. Anxiety is really high levels of stress over a long period of time, which is sustained by ‘bad’ thoughts. I was tempted in the past to put a magical circle of light around my anxiety disorder for its ability to do nasty and seemingly mysterious things to me. But now I see it for what it is and in a lot of ways it makes it a lot less imposing to view it as just a physiological response to stress and not some ‘crazy’ disorder.
The moral of the story is that you must lower your stress level. In the long run stress will not just eat at your memory but also at your physical health. Stress can cause you to become so anxious that you also start to imagine sickness and before long you have accomplished this goal via a psychosomatic effect. In other words, you stress so much and it makes you feel so bad that you assume and start to believe that you are sick and eventually this will be the case.
Don’t chalk up all your bad sensations to anxiety. Realize while your feeling anxious you are also under a great deal of stress. Try to tone down your stress levels by eating a healthy diet and getting regular exercise. The exercise will help to burn off that “excess” adrenaline and hopefully will prevent the release of excessive amounts of cortisol. Relax as much as you can, it’s for your own good. For more information on how stress affects the brain click here. Recommended reading: The Relaxation & Stress Reduction Workbook
Link Between Heart Attacks & Memory Loss!!!
Half of Heart Attack Sufferers Have Memory Loss. The study, led by Lund University investigators, suggests cardiac arrest causes a temporary lack of oxygen to the brain that has lasting effects on patients’ mental functions that could lead to dementia. The findings are based on the experiences of 950 heart attack survivors in Europe and Australia who underwent cognitive screening tests.
Both the patients and their relatives were also asked to report changes that had taken place following the cardiac arrest. Half of all heart attack survivors experience memory loss, attention problems, and other cognitive deficits, new research shows. The study, led by Lund University investigators, suggests cardiac arrest causes a temporary lack of oxygen to the brain that has lasting effects on patients’ mental functions that could lead to dementia.
The findings are based on the experiences of 950 heart attack survivors in Europe and Australia who underwent cognitive screening tests. Both the patients and their relatives were also asked to report changes that had taken place following the cardiac arrest.
Tobias Cronberg, M.D., associate professor at Lund University and consultant neurologist at Skåne University Hospital, said the study underscores the need to provide quality post-operative care — such as encouraging healthy lifestyle habits that boost brain function —
to compensate for the potential cognitive deficits that heart attack patients may suffer.
“Our conclusion is that if we are to provide good treatment to cardiac arrest patients, we don’t just need to save their lives; we also need to ensure that they tackle these risk factors, for example through improved diet and more exercise.
Otherwise they are at risk of developing dementia,” said Dr. Cronberg, who reported the team’s findings in the journals Circulation and JAMA Neurology
Special: Do You Find It Hard to Control Your Anxious Thoughts?
Immediate treatment is essential when dealing with cerebral hypoxia. The sooner the normal oxygen supply is restored to the brain, the lower the risk of brain damage. The type of treatment depends on the cause of the anoxic injury and may include:
– Breathing assistance via mechanical ventilation and oxygen.
– Controlling the heart rate and rhythm.
– The use of medicines such as phenytoin, phenobarbital, valproic acid, or general anesthetics.
The patient’s recovery depends on how long the brain lacked oxygen. The patient might have a full return to function. . . if the oxygen supply to the brain was blocked only for a short time. The longer a person lacks this oxygen supply, the higher the risk for serious consequences, including death, and severe brain injury.
LOOKING FOR BEHAVIOR PATTERNS. Sundown Syndrome is a condition most often associated with early-stage Alzheimer’s, but has been known to affect the elderly recovering from surgery in hospitals or in unfamiliar environments. Occasionally, the syndrome will also affect people in the early morning hours. Sundowning, or sundown syndrome, is a neurological phenomenon associated with increased confusion and also restlessness in patients with delirium or some form of dementia.
Most commonly associated with Alzheimer’s disease, but also found in those with other forms of dementia, the term “sundowning” was coined due to the timing of the patient’s confusion. For patients with sundowning syndrome, a multitude of behavioral problems begin to occur in the evening or while the sun is setting.
Sundowning also seems to occur more frequently during the middle stages of Alzheimer’s disease and mixed dementia. Patients are generally able to understand that this behavioral pattern is abnormal. Sundowning also seems to subside with the progression of a patient’s dementia. Research shows that 20–45% of Alzheimer’s patients will experience some sort of sundowning confusion.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Here are the criteria for GAD from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) of the American Psychiatric Association: Excessive anxiety and worry occurring more days than not for at least 6 months, about a variety of events.
The individual finds it difficult to control the worry.
The anxiety and worry are associated with three (or more) of the following six symptoms (with at least some symptoms having been present for more days than not for the past 6 months):
– restlessness
– being easily fatigued
– difficulty concentrating
– irritability
– muscle tension
– sleep disturbance
The anxiety causes distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning. The disturbance is not related to substance (e.g., a drug of abuse, a medication) or another medical condition. F. The disturbance is not better explained by another medical disorder (e.g., hyperthyroidism).
Clear The Clutter and Calm Down
Anxiety about a variety of issues, more days than not for 6 months or longer. And at a level that results in some social and occupational impairment – meaning that the person finds it difficult to control the worry and that worry gets in the way of relating with others and getting things done. The key here is that the anxiety is about a wide variety of issues.
For example- if the person is experiencing a grave financial crisis and finds himself worrying about finances most of the time – but doesn’t find that the worry generalizes to other circumstances – we are less likely to generate this diagnosis.
The key elements then are (a) anxiety about a variety of situations; (b) more days than not; (c) for 6 months or longer; (d) the worry is difficult to control; (e) the anxiety is at a level that interferes with daily functioning.
It can be diagnosed via a clinical interview that assesses all of these areas.
There are several steps in the process of diagnosing generalized anxiety disorder. Doctors routinely conduct a physical examination to rule out medical problems that may be causing your anxiety. A psychological test is usually given to eliminate other causes.
Health care professionals may also ask a series of questions related to the symptoms experienced. The final diagnosis is made if you meet the specific criteria for GAD listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), which also include experiencing severe anxiety for a minimum of six months, not feeling in control of your anxiety, and having your worries get in the way of your daily routine.
Anxiety and Memory Loss.
Memory loss is a byproduct of stress, but various other anxiety symptoms can actually create further memory loss as well. Below, we’ll explore the effects of memory loss on anxiety and provide tips for controlling it. Memory loss anxiety symptom description: For example, you may struggle with memory loss once in a while and not that often, feel it off and on, or feel it all the time. Memory loss anxiety symptoms may precede, accompany, or follow an escalation of other anxiety sensations …
This is because stress, anxiety, and even depression, can cause memory loss and mental haze. Too much stress over long periods of time can hinder brain function in a major way. One of the reasons for this is because when you also become stressed your body releases a stress hormone called cortisol. Chronic Anxiety, Stress and Memory Loss. Chronic stress and anxiety, on the other hand, can be very harmful to brain health. Chronically elevated levels of circulating cortisol can physically change parts of the brain – hardwiring strong connections between the amygdala and hippocampus (the brain areas for fear processing and memory formation) according to this study.
How to manage memory loss. Memory loss due to depression is typically managed with regular counseling or therapy and antidepressants. Leading an active lifestyle and getting involved in your community can also elevate your mood. You can also manage your memory loss by using memory aids.
A recent study suggests that significant amounts of stress and anxiety can be the cause of short-term memory loss in aging adults. According to findings published in the Journal of Neuroscience this month, researchers from the University of Iowa observed that high levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, can affect areas of the brain linked to memory.
How to Make Stress Your Friend. Normally, when a person feels stressed, their blood vessels constrict, McGonigal says. If prolonged, this cardiovascular state could lead to major health problems. However, in one particular study, those who viewed the effects of stress as helpful didn’t have any blood vessel tension.