Short, Temporary Memory Loss

Any loss of memory can pose a serious problem.



Memory means the ability to store, recollect and recall information about past experiences, thoughts and knowledge. This is a very important faculty in order to function properly in daily life.




Memory for specific information may vary greatly depending on the person and his or her state of mind. Depending on the content of the information, memories may vary.



For example information that is interesting or exciting is more likely to be better remembered as compared to information that is uninteresting or mundane. Memory lapse would normally be caused by a failure to adequately store a particular memory in the first place, or by a failure to retain and later recall the information. A memory loss, commonly also referred to as amnesia is a degree of forgetfulness or failure to recall past events that is above the normal level. There may be different causes for a short term memory loss, and depending on the cause the memory loss may be sudden or gradual, and either permanent or temporary.

Memory loss may at times be limited to an inability to recall events that are recent, events from the past or both. The normal aging process does affect the learning and retention of new material but in normal cases is not the cause of memory loss that is very significant, unless caused by a disease.

Transient global amnesia is just one type of short term memory loss that is very rare, and is a complete, but a temporary memory loss.



Anterograde amnesia on the other hand is a memory loss wherein the individual can not recall recent events occurring in the aftermath of the trauma, but can clearly recall events of the distant past. Retrograde amnesia is a condition of memory loss in which the individual has no recollection of events preceding or leading up to the trauma, but can recall all subsequent events.
Memory loss could have a variety of causes that could include quite a few chronic medical and psychological conditions, drug or alcohol abuse, trauma, medications and infections.

Memory loss is something quite terrifying when serious, and cannot be treated with drugs, but research now indicates that dietary measures can prevent or contain the seriousness of the problem. Diets that have a high content of leafy vegetables, fruits, cereals, legumes and fish are believed to be beneficial, while large amounts of red meat, alcohol and foods with saturated fats are harmful and may accelerate memory loss. Studies have in fact found that the occurrence of memory loss causing disorders is much lower among populations where vegetarian foods and fish are the main components of the diet, while proportionately high among groups where the diet is rich in fats and cholesterol. Some of the most popular diets to prevent and limit memory loss, that are even used to treat Alzheimers, include the Mediterranean diet, vegetarian diets or low fat diets.