Sudden memory loss: When should you worry about It?

What is Sudden Memory Loss| Cause Of Sudden Memory Loss| The Stages| When Should You Worry?|

You should seek medical help if you dramatically lose your memory. Especially so, you need to be quick if you haven’t had any signs to suggest so lately. It could indicate a consuming brain cell degenerative disease that needs quick handling to prevent any possible permanent memory complication.

Have you failed to remember what you did a while ago, and it’s happened out of the blue? Are you racking your brains to figure out which University you obtained your degree from, or remember your favorite cousin’s name? These might be signs of sudden memory loss.

It should concern you if your mind is black and blank suddenly, and you can hardly remember anything. While these signs may show up, when exactly should you seek help?

We dive into when you should seek help if you suddenly lose your memory and enable you to be more proactive in this situation.

Defining Sudden Loss Of Memory

Memory loss is the unusual forgetfulness and inability to remember things that happened a while ago or in the past. It’s quite a compromising situation that results from various causes, including head trauma or concussion.

Your brain may also lack essential nutrients that improve its capacity to enable you to remember, or your daily habits and changes can be the precursors.

Memory loss can be gradual and sometimes offers signs of the onset. However, it can come out of the blue, denying you the chance to figure out why it occurred in the first place. That’s concerning and often worrying, which should prompt you to take immediate corrective measures before it drifts further south.

What can cause memory loss all of a sudden?

Memory loss often results from numerous causes, including a sudden change in your daily habits. Excessive alcohol consumption, stress and anxiety, depression, nutrient deficiency, and head injuries are the typical precursors. Also read: What causes Memory Loss And Forgetfulness

In most cases, treating it’s possible to treat the condition. It’s easy to control your anxiety and depression by practicing mindfulness, and getting some relief isn’t always a tough nut to crack.

For some causes, including brain cell degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease, there isn’t any cure. However, you can still get palliative care to help you manage the symptoms. But how does memory loss progress, and what are the stages?

The Stages of Memory Loss Progression

You may gradually lose your memory or happen suddenly. That depends on the cause and the impact of the practical reason you’re losing your memory. Temporary and short-term memory loss usually recedes, and you can be yourself again. That means you won’t undergo the stages involved. However, permanent memory loss due to Alzheimer’s disease can steadily progress and become severe with time.

Here are the memory loss stages you should know about.

• Mild Memory Loss

This stage involves the brain becoming somewhat disturbed but functioning optimally. You only experience memory lapses, including forgetting familiar words and misplacing items. The people around you may notice your behavior change but may not feel so concerned.

• Moderate Memory Loss

If you cannot remember your personal history or cannot recall the most significant things and people around you, you’re heading down. That means your memory loss has progressed and is in the moderate stage, starting to disrupt your everyday life and activity.

• Severe Memory Loss

You start losing your propensity to respond to your environment, and it may become increasingly challenging to connect to your recent experiences. You also start losing your physical ability to do things, including impaired ability to swallow, walk and sit. Most people with Alzheimer’s get to this point, which is impossible to come out of since scientists haven’t found a cure yet.

When should you worry about Memory Loss?

Mild memory loss may not be concerning but indicates a possible future severity. Therefore, you should seek medical help whenever your memory becomes more compromised. Some of the clear indications that you need medical attention and seek help include:

Getting Lost in Familiar Areas – You shouldn’t lose your way around anywhere you’re familiar with your memory intact. However, it’s possible that it occurs out of confusion or something has changed around you.

Regardless, you should be more concerned if you can’t remember your way home with no valid explanation. If so, please assess yourself and schedule a visit to your health provider for some diagnosis.

Mixing Up Closely Related Words– Your speech prowess shouldn’t fail you, not even years after staying numb. However, it can be a telltale sign of possible memory loss if you lose your ability to differentiate words that relate closely. If you can’t make a difference out of two or more closely related words, among other symptoms, you should seek help.

Taking Longer to Complete Familiar Tasks – You might wonder why you take way longer to complete familiar tasks than before. If you can’t finish working on an assignment within your usual span, a huge chance that you have memory loss is possible. It’s prudent to seek help, in that case, to help diagnose the possibility.

Difficulty Recognizing Your Family Members – You know you’re about to hit rock bottom if you can recognize your wife, mother, or people you hold dear.

That’s usually a sign of possible severe memory loss, but it shouldn’t take long enough to realize that you need help before reaching this point. If so, anyway, please ask for help since it could be possible that your memory loss problem is quickly advancing and becoming increasingly severe.

Planning and Problem-Solving Difficulties – You should solve problems like a breeze if your memory has a chunk of past familiar experiences. However, it can be challenging to curate these experiences if you can’t relate them to what’s present in your brain. That’s a telltale sign that you need help, which you should get immediately.

Putting Items in Areas They Shouldn’t Be – Often a sign of mild memory loss, you shouldn’t brush this symptom off. It usually indicates that you’re about to get into trouble, which you can avoid by being proactive. If so, please seek immediate medical help.

Asking Similar Questions Repeatedly – Also a sign of early trouble; it can be your ideal pointer that you need to get immediate help with your memory loss. You may forget that you asked a question and repeatedly ask it without knowing that you did. In that case, seeking medical help should be your priority.

Increased Anxiety and Depression – Anxiety and depression are typical memory loss causes. However, please note that you can have these conditions without memory loss. Anxiety, depression, and memory loss share a close link. Therefore, please don’t dismiss the possibility of having memory loss if you have depression, anxiety, or stress.

Where to Seek Help for Your Sudden Memory Loss?

It would help if you always visited a trusted health provider, particularly a neurologist, for your memory loss issue. These professionals understand the entire diagnosis process and can accurately determine your current phase. However, please avoid using supplements and products without scientific backing to solve your memory loss issue. They could do more harm than good and sometimes worsen it.

Conclusion

You should always seek help immediately if you feel off. Remember, there’s no right time to go to see your health provider, despite the memory loss phase you think you’re in. thankfully, you can always find help when you need it.

Medical Discalimer: The information provided here On Geeks Health website is for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. If you have or suspect a medical problem, promptly contact your healthcare provider. Reliance on any information in this response is solely at your own risk.