Ever walk into a room and forget why you went in there? Or stare at a colleague’s face for 20 seconds before you remember his name? Or try to remember the name of that movie, the one you loved, starring that guy—it’s on the tip of your tongue! (It’s Jeff Goldblum. The Grand Budapest Hotel.)
Forgetfulness is normal and if you feel like you’ve noticed it more recently, you’re not losing your marbles. You’re just getting older. According to Harvard Health, there are seven types of normal forgetfulness. These include:
- Transience. Forgetting facts over time.
- Absentmindedness. Forgetting because you’re not paying attention.
- Blocking. The inability to retrieve a memory.
- Misattribution. Only remembering part of something.
- Suggestibility. Misconstruing facts about an incident.
- Bias. Adding your personal bias to facts about a memory.
- Persistence. Memories that won’t go away.
Unless your memory loss is extreme or persistent, there’s no need to worry about Alzheimer’s or other serious memory diseases. (Dr. Gary Small, MD, a professor on aging at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, says “About 40% of people aged 65 or older have age associated memory impairment—in the United States, about 16 million people.”) But if your forgetfulness is simply driving you crazy, check out these simple strategies, techniques, and lifestyle changes you can make to improve your memory. Read on—and to ensure your health and…
