# Memory problems anyone? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 14, 2015, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memory-problems-anyone/731246 "2015-09-14T20:03:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Whitney\_Harper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f0a364/32.png) [@Whitney\_Harper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whitney_Harper)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2015, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memory-problems-anyone/731246/1 "2015-09-14T20:03:43Z")
I’m beginning to notice very slight changes in my memory, mainly my short-term memory. My long-term memory is good, but, for example, if I met someone yesterday, I may not be able to remember their name today. Have any of you folks noticed problems with your memory? If so, was it very gradual? What age, on average, does a person’s memory begin to decline? ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2015, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memory-problems-anyone/731246/2 "2015-09-14T20:50:28Z")
**Moderator Action** Since this is basically polling users for their experiences, let’s move it to IMHO. The factual question regarding the average age of memory decline may still be answered in that forum. Moving thread from General Questions to In My Humble Opinion. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2015, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memory-problems-anyone/731246/3 "2015-09-14T21:05:23Z")
I’ve had problems with names since roughly, oh, forever. My memory with names and with other things does seem to be getting worse, though. It’s happening fairly slowly, I think. I’m just shy of 50 and it’s been happening for a while. You might find some of the info on this wikipedia page to be helpful. > **[Memory and aging](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memory_and_aging)** > > Age-related memory loss, sometimes described as "normal aging" (also spelled "ageing" in British English), is qualitatively different from memory loss associated with types of dementia such as Alzheimer's disease, and is believed to have a different brain mechanism. > Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a condition in which people face memory problems more often than that of the average person their age. These symptoms, however, do not prevent them from carrying out normal activities and are not as... ---
**Author:** ![janeslogin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@janeslogin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janeslogin)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2015, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memory-problems-anyone/731246/4 "2015-09-14T21:09:54Z")
Some getting better and some worse e.g. people and names always marginal and getting worse while remembering to finish a task like putting tools away or turning off the stove once really bad now quite good. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2015, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memory-problems-anyone/731246/5 "2015-09-14T21:20:33Z")
I’ve had memory problems for time out of mind. Of course, with sufficiently severe memory problems, that could be just a couple of hours. 😃 ETA: I figure maybe I ought to contribute actual information. You could say I forgot before hitting “Submit”. 1. My particular trouble spots are words, including names, and recalling recent thought. Something I used to do a lot as a kid. “Here’s what I’m thinking. What made me think of that? Ok, so what made me think of that?” And so on to a root thought, which would have arisen out of an inarticulate insight. I.e., a “first thought”. I used to love to chase my trains of thought up to the locomotive. Now I can’t reliably find the first car. ☹ This also figures into the “why did I come here” kind of forgetting I do a lot of as well. Annoying when walking into a room, stupidly wasteful when going shopping. A recorded (written, or in the smartphone) list is no longer merely a good idea. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2015, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memory-problems-anyone/731246/6 "2015-09-14T21:20:50Z")
I’m 17 days short of 70. My short-term memory of people’s names is of course atrocious. On the other hand, I can remember the names of many kids I went to grade school with (and my teachers), none of whom I’ve seen in all the intervening years. I even have a distinct memory from before I was a year old. ---
**Author:** ![Whatever4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@Whatever4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whatever4)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2015, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memory-problems-anyone/731246/7 "2015-09-14T21:32:38Z")
I was prescribed Paxil in 1990-something. My short-term memory took a hike. My ability to speak was affected, in that I’d say the first syllable of a word, followed by a syllable of some other word. Happened in my typing and writing by hand. My ability to concentrate was compromised, so reading became damn near impossible. Since I am still experiencing those problems, though less severely, I can’t tell if my memory problems fit into the “this is your brain at 66” or “this is your brain at 66 on drugs” category. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2015, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memory-problems-anyone/731246/8 "2015-09-14T21:35:52Z")
OP, what you need is a [nomenclator](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nomenclator_%28nomenclature%29): > [@](#): > > in classical times […] a slave whose duty was to recall the names of persons his master met ---
**Author:** ![Carryon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc29f/32.png) [@Carryon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carryon)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2015, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memory-problems-anyone/731246/9 "2015-09-14T21:59:46Z")
Short term memory does decline with age but the good new is studies have shown you can actually improve your memory by keeping active and doing mental exercises, roughly akin to working out and lifting weights improves muscle health. Crosswords, chess, checkers, and even trivia challenges are good for this. Remember it’s normal to forget the trivial but not normal to forget larger things. For instance, it’s normal to forget where you put your car keys, but it’s not normal to forget you own a car. Or it’s normal to forget your grandkid’s name but it’s not normal to forget you have grandkids. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2015, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memory-problems-anyone/731246/10 "2015-09-14T22:12:41Z")
What was the question again? My memory was sharp as a tack until my current GP added TWO new BP meds to go with the original two. I’m lucky to remember to take them. BP is way down so I should have a long…um.