Short Term Memory Loss – What It Is, What Causes It, and How To Prevent It

Short-term memory loss, what it is, what causes
it, and how to prevent it — check this out. Hey, guys, this is Ron White. Maybe you saw
me on Stan Lee’s Super Humans on the History Channel or the National Geographic show, Brain
Games. When I was training for the USA Memory Championship, and I’m a two-timer USA Memory
Champion, I would store information in my short-term and my long-term memory. What is
short-term memory? Short-term memory is anything that’s in your memory for just 15 to 30 seconds.
If it makes it past that 30-second mark, it’s considered to be long-term memory. Examples
of short-term memory might be temporarily remembering or memorizing a phone number until
you have a chance to write it down. You just say it over and over in your brain — 867-5309
— until you have a chance to write it down. Another example of short-term memory is when
you’re having a conversation with someone, and you think of something that you want to
say, and you hold that in your short-term memory until you are able to fit it into the
conversation. A 50-year-old study suggests that the brain can hold, on average, seven
pieces of information in the short-term memory. More recent and modern studies, though, suggest
this number is closer to four pieces of information. Now, a lot of people may get panicked because
they have short-term memory loss. But, here are some examples of short-term memory loss
that are absolutely normal and nothing to worry about. Misplacing common objects, like
your keys — totally normal. Another example would be not being able to think of the right
word — totally normal. Not being able to remember what you just read or walking into
a room and not remembering why you are there are also examples of normal short-term memory
loss. Even occasionally calling someone by the wrong name is nothing to really be that
worried about. But there are some signs that your memory
may be in more serious trouble, and those would include getting seriously lost when
you’re driving home and you’re really close to home; or having a hard time following very
simple movie or book plots. Another example of what may be serious short-term memory loss
would be something like not being able to remember if you’ve eaten yet today. Repeatedly
asking the same question over and over again or even personality changes are more examples
of more serious short-term memory loss. So, that’s what short-term memory loss is;
now, what causes short-term memory loss? Sleep apnea is a sleeping disorder where breathing
temporarily stops briefly, but frequently, during the night. You may have sleep apnea
if you wake up with a headache, or you have daytime fatigue, or people complain about
you snoring. These are signs of sleep apnea. One reason sleep apnea affects the memory
is because, during the night, your brain is briefly deprived of oxygen and this is going
to impact your brain and memory. The type of memory that sleep apnea is going to affect
is remembering where you put your keys or trying to remember directions. Another thing that can cause short-term memory
loss is a silent stroke. These silent strokes really affect the smaller blood vessels and,
in doing that, it’s going to affect the amount of oxygen that gets to your brain and it’s
going to affect your short-term memory. The third thing that can impact your short-term
memory is medications. When I was training and preparing for the USA Memory Championship,
I would not take anything like a Tylenol PM or an Advil PM in the weeks or months prior
to the tournament because I knew that would cloud my head and affect my short-term memory.
Some examples of medications that can really affect your short-term memory are sleeping
aids, antihistamines, anti-anxiety medications, pain killers, and even diabetes medication
can impact your short-term memory. Number four, the next thing that can lead
to short-term memory loss is a nutritional deficiency or, specifically, a lack of B12.
A lack of B12 can lead to confusion and even dementia. And number five — stress, anxiety, and depression
can also lead to short-term memory loss. Prolonged stress will lead to depression and this is
really going to impact your ability to remember and function. Think about it. Was there a
time in your life when you were really, really stressed? Your memory was probably also really
poor during that time. So, that’s what short-term memory is and what
can cause it. Now, here are some steps to help you prevent short-term memory loss. The
first step is getting a good night’s sleep. Studies will suggest eight hours of sleep
is really the optimal amount of sleep that’s going to support healthy, normal brain function
the next day. Number two, a good way to combat short-term memory loss is through exercise.
Now, remember that stress, anxiety, and depression can lead to short-term memory loss? One of
the best natural cures to combat stress, anxiety, and depression is exercise. It’s also going
to get that blood flowing and that increased blood flow is more oxygen to your brain and
your memory is going to thank you for that. Next, avoid unnecessary medications. In other
words, if you are taking pills to sleep, it’s much better to go to sleep because you’re
exhausted from a good workout or a long day than it is to take medications to help you
sleep because this might cloud your head the next day. So, specifically, maybe some supplements
that have B12 in them, but just make sure that you’re getting all your essential vitamins
and nutrients because that’s going to really help your memory. Don’t smoke. Tobacco is
going to kill your memory. It’s terrible for your brain. It’s terrible for your body. It’s
terrible for your memory. Avoid smoking. If you haven’t started, don’t start. Studies
show that men who are heavy drinkers will experience mental decline, on average, six
years earlier than those who are light drinkers. So take it easy on the bottle. All right, guys, studies will tell us that
the average person can hold four to seven pieces in their short-term memory. I have
a technique known as the Mind Palace that will allow me to hold literally hundreds of
pieces of information in my short-term memory. The Mind Palace is my favorite memory training
technique. I have a free training for you on that and I show you exactly how to build
it the right way and avoid all the common mistakes. So, get the training right here
on how to build the Mind Palace the right way or click the link right here for my free
gift to
help your short-term memory.

Written by Valentin Lakin

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