When you forget the name of someone you know well, or can't remember where you left your keys, you may become irritated initially.
After a while, when you start forgetting the name of the movie you saw last week or where you left your handbag, or wallet, you may become concerned.
If you are middle aged you may start worrying about getting dementia, even though memory can slip at any age.
Lethologica is the technical term used to describe the inability to remember ‘the right word.’ You know that you know the word – it’s in your memory, but you just can’t dredge it up. It’s a temporary inability to retrieve a word but it can make you worry about it becoming a permanent challenge.
Lethonomia is the inability ‘to recall the right name,’ such as when you can’t recall the name of the movie you watched last night, or a previous colleague you haven’t seen for years.
Let's examine the seven main reasons your memory starts slipping. And then look at ways you can reduce and possibly stop this process in its tracks.
1) Your brain uses electrical-chemical power, and the neuronal ‘cables’ are getting damaged
The electro-chemical potentials that enable you to focus, concentrate, learn and recall information need strong connections between neurons to work efficiently and get what you’re learning into either short- or long-term memory.
Think of the electrical wires or cables in your home. They need to be covered with a special type of plastic which keeps the electrical impulse enclosed and capable of reaching its destination.
It's the same with your neurons. Their extensions, which reach between neurons, called axons, also need to be covered in a specific substance that allows the electrical impulse to reach its destination.
If this substance, myelin, also called white matter, becomes frayed or damaged, then the electrical impulse cannot get to where it needs to go.
Unfortunately, as you get older, this myelin can begin to wear out. Hence your lost keys and forgotten names.
2) Your brain is producing less neurotransmitters
Neurotransmitters are tiny chemical compounds that your neurons need to enable communication between themselves.
They combine with the electrical impulses that your neurons use to communicate, creating what are called electro-chemical impulses.
When the myelin that covers your axons starts to wear out, this impacts neurotransmitter synthesis. And as we age neurotransmitter synthesis also changes.
This happens because neurons will only produce neurotransmitters when they receive a message. And if your myelin is getting worn out, then messages are no longer flowing smoothly between neurons.
In addition, if your digestive system is not working optimally, which can occur at any time, but is frequent from middle age, then the protein that you are eating cannot be broken down into the amino acids which make up neurotransmitters.
Low levels of amino acids mean low levels of neurotransmitters. Low levels of neurotransmitters mean low quality messages.
3) Your synapses are deficient in the right fats
The launching pads for neurotransmitters are called the synapses. They are tiny, fatty areas on the ends of axons, which is where neurotransmitters propel themselves from, moving towards the neuron that is waiting for their command.
Synapses are made up of protein and fat, and when there is a deficiency in specific types of fat, they find it difficult to launch neurotransmitters efficiently.
This is simply because they must be functioning well to synthesise and release neurotransmitters and any change in their structure will affect these functions directly.
Synapses that are deficient in the right fats cannot work optimally, which will lead to learning and memory challenges, because if your focus, concentration and thus learning potential is low, you don’t have much to lay down in memory, and thus recall.
4) You are easily distracted by life – and possibly stressed
Whether it's something that people will admit to, or not, the brain does slow down in some areas with accompanying age.
In the same way that wrinkles are part of getting older, the brain doesn't respond in all ways as it did in its youth.
One of the primary reasons that this occurs is because it is increasingly challenging to avoid distractions as you get older.
It seems that staying focused becomes more of a challenge with age. Research backs this up. Young participants in a study were much more capable at blocking out irrelevant information during test conditions than older people.
However, this does not occur simply due to physical brain changes. Middle-aged adults generally have a lot on their minds too.
Juggling home and work, teenage children and maybe even elderly parents, with community responsibilities and the general stress that now seems to accompany life on this planet, leaves most adults feeling overwhelmed.
Feeling stressed, and barely coping with life leaves your brain tired and unable to perform at its peak. Add a poor diet and little or no exercise, and your brain is not capable of improving its performance.
Even a slight distraction can stop a memory from being made.
So being interrupted by your teenager when you walk into the house with your post in your hand, can easily lead to you forgetting where you put it.
In addition, an overwhelmed and stressed brain will often respond by producing feelings of depression and anxiety, which also impact learning and therefore memory.
A calm and focused brain has a significantly better chance of learning and laying down memories.
5) Your aging brain produces lots of free radicals
As you get older your brain cells become more susceptible to the free radicals that are produced when they produce energy.
When there are too many free radicals a situation known as ‘oxidative stress’ occurs.
Free radicals are unstable molecules that cause harm to stable, healthy cells. In addition, neurons become less effective at producing energy, which also increase free radical production.
Over time, they cause more and more damage in the brain, leading to neurons becoming less capable of producing energy and even resulting in neuronal death.
Adding insult to injury, decades of being exposed to heavy metals like mercury and lead, as well as pesticides and other airborne toxins, also increases free radical production and neuronal damage.
6) Your hormones are fluctuating erratically and/or declining
Sex hormones also play a role in cognition, and anyone that doubts this fact, hasn't spoken to menopausal women.
Estrogen, progesterone and testosterone all play significant roles in your brain, some more so than others, depending on your sex.
Hormone replacement therapy, such as Bio- Identical hormone therapy may be a safe option to investigate if you have tried other options to improve your memory with little to no success.
In addition, natural testosterone synthesis can be stimulated by increasing resistance exercise.
This is a natural way to increase testosterone levels in both genders which can improve memory, motivation and mood.
7) Your brain uses glucose less efficiently
Our brain uses glucose, which is produced from the carbohydrates we eat, as a source of energy.
It can also use ketones, which are compounds produced when the body breaks down fats.
As we get older, some research suggests that for a variety of reasons our brain becomes less efficient at using glucose.
When your brain doesn’t have enough energy it can’t focus or concentrate optimally, which impacts learning and memory. It also impacts mood.
It may therefore be useful to use ketones as a source of energy if you are experiencing brain fog and feel less cognitively capable than you used to feel.
Some research has suggested that using ketones in supplemental form can be as useful as being in ketosis, which occurs when carbohydrate intake is very low. (Please see this article for more detail around ketosis.)
Both the C8 and C10 forms of ketones, derived from coconut oil, and called Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCTs), have produced positive results in some research studies.
It is easy to see how damaged myelin, fewer neurotransmitters, impoverished synapses, a distracted, stressed brain, lots of free radicals, hormone fluctuations and an inefficient neural energy production process can lead to a less than optimally functioning brain, with increased memory loss and distress.
Solutions please!
The best foundation for an aging brain (and any brain) is to find, prepare healthfully, and eat the best fresh food you can find.
There is no supplement in the world that can replace eating the best produce, so this needs to be your first step in looking after and supporting your brain to improved memory function.
Purchase the most colorful fresh foods that you can find, and you’ll be able to reap the best benefits from this food.
This is not a complete list because the use of dietary supplements should be personalised. However, here are a few supplements that can help everyone, but only if they are an addition to, and not a replacement for, the best fresh foods you can find:
• The best EFA blend you can find, which supports both the structure and function of your fatty brain.
• If you suspect your brain isn’t using glucose efficiently, or if you’d like to try and see if ketones improve your mental clarity, either try ketosis, or use the extracted C8 and C10 triglycerides found in an organic Medium Chain Triglyceride (MCT) product.
• A superior multi-vitamin and mineral formula, with Vitamin A, all the Bs, C, D and E, as well as magnesium and chromium – you may not get all these nutrients in one formula.
• Phosphatidylcholine, which is found in lecithin, which must be organic and non-GMO.
• N-Acetyl Carnitine (NAC) is the precursor to Glutathione, a potent antioxidant, which helps to disarm free radicals, protecting cells from free radical damage.
Our brain is the most sophisticated and complex organ we have ever encountered, and we are still scratching the surface of its huge potential.
However, we do know that it is made up of the same things that our body is, so what you choose to eat and supplement with everyday plays an enormous role in how this amazing organ ages.
There are other tactics you can action to protect and heal your brain. If you would like to know more about them, click on this link.
Conclusion
Although some memory lapses seem to be a normal part of getting older, you can do something about them progressing to real memory challenges, which can lead to cognitive challenges like Alzheimer’s.
As always, eating real, fresh food is the first step in looking after all your health challenges, and can make a huge difference in terms of brain health, as the brain is the hungriest and greediest organ you possess. If you'd like to read more about what the ideal diet is for brain health click this link.
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