4. Excessive Alcohol Intake
Moderate alcohol consumption does not hurt your memory. But high levels of intake over a short period of time might be a problem.
Scientists have used the rodent model to determine that alcohol in excessive levels causes neurodegeneration in the hippocampus. Some studies argue that these findings don’t correlate to humans[4]. Research is unclear on the long term effect of alcohol.
What is clear is that alcohol can impact the ability to form memories. Consider this recent article from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism[5]. This is what you experience if you have ever had a drinking “blackout.”
5. Thiamine Deficiency
Thiamine is a nutrient that metabolizes food and converts it into energy. It’s one of the B-Vitamins. In addition to regulating the transfer of food to energy, it also maintains normal function of the central nervous system.
Analysis published in Behavioral Brain Research determined that, in the rat model, low levels of thiamine produce cognitive impairment and memory deficits[6]. If you are experiencing memory problems, be sure to get enough B-vitamins and thiamine.
6. Lack of Sleep
Lack of sleep might be one of the leading contributors to memory loss.
While researchers don’t completely understand the process of sleep, psychologists and scientists writing for the Annual Review of Psychology have had a breakthrough in sleep research.
They argue that many studies point to the sleep process as a vital part of memory encoding, consolidation, and overall memory creation[7]. Without sleep, none of these processes can happen and memory loss is the result.