Can’trememberthe name of the person you just metagain?
Forgot where you parkedagain?
Episodes of forgetfulness like these can be nerve-wracking.
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Some people find them a little scary.
By contrast,long-term memoryis where you keep the information you know by heart."
Short-term memory loss involves forgetting information that you recently thought about or learned.
Some common symptoms include:
Why Short-Term Memory Matters
Short-term memory is essential to daily living.
Short-term memory is a temporary holding area for information you are currently using or focused on.
Because short-term memory is limited in terms of its capacity and duration, problems can happen.
This helps explain why it is also subject to all sorts of glitches.
Taking a Memory Loss Test
Theres a bit of truth in the phrase “senior moment.”
Another quiz you might try is theMini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE) Online Test.
It is designed to measure thinking and memory problems that can be early indicators of Alzheimer’s disease.
It should take approximately 15 minutes to complete.
Once completed, the test will need to be scored by your healthcare provider.
If needed, your provider may also order brain scans and cognitive tests.
Keep Your Brain Active
So use your head as much as possible.
Lifestyle Modifications
Certain lifestyle changes may help improve short-term memory.
Getting regular exercise and staying physically active throughout life can also play an important role in combatting memory loss.
Research has even shown that exercise canimprove memory performancein older adults.
National Institute on Aging.Memory, forgetfulness, and aging: What’s normal and what’s not?
Atkinson RC, Shiffrin RM.The control processes of short-term memory.
Institute for Mathematical Studies in the Social Sciences, Stanford University.
Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation.Memory quiz.
The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.SAGE: A test to detect signs of Alzheimer’s and dementia.
2022;15:771553. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2021.771553
National Institute on Aging.Assessing risk for Alzheimer’s.
