Anxiety and memory loss: how are they related?

Forgetting that we had a date today. Not remembering where we parked the car or that we had put something in the oven. We all forget from time to time, but the truth is that there are times when these situations occur with a high frequency and there comes a point where we get scared… Anxiety and memory loss present a significant link that is worth knowing.

The state of constant hypervigilance that defines this psychological condition reduces some brain functions. Likewise, it is important to note that not all anxiety experiences have this impact on our cognitive processes. In general, It is generalized anxiety disorder that most correlates with these memory failures.

When we use selective attention from which we interpret and filter reality based only on our emotional state, priority is given to some brain regions and not others. In these mental scenarios, the person in control is the amygdala, that sentinel of alarm and fear that distorts everything.

Only acting or being able to escape matters, we stop thinking clearly and even memory fails…

Anxiety and memory loss, a significant relationship

Generalized anxiety and acute stress have a serious impact on our cognitive processes. Factors such as memory, attention, the ability to solve problems or reflection are affected. Does this mean that we lose faculties? Is there evidence, perhaps, of some type of cognitive decline? The answer is no.

This memory loss has nothing to do with the deterioration associated with age or dementia. This is in fact a topic that psychology and neuroscience has been studying for decades.

We know, for example, that this situation is reversed when the person follows appropriate psychological therapy. Likewise, there is another fact that anxiety and memory are related, but this link affects a particular type of memory: working memory. Let’s get more information.

Failures in long-term memory, which helps you solve problems

The brain has several mechanisms and ways of storing information. We have episodic memory, short-term memory, long-term memory, semantic memory… Now, The one that is affected by states of stress and anxiety is working memory, which is defined by the following characteristics:

It is made up of attentional and executive processes. That is, it is what operates with everyday operational information so that we can carry out more complex cognitive processes.This type of memory is what helps us solve everyday problems.It allows us, for example, to remember what we have just read or talked about and then act accordingly.The person with anxiety may go blank after a conversation and ask yourself: “What did we end up with, what did he tell me?”Failures in working memory cause us to not remember directions to do something or get somewhere.In turn, it causes us to not perform in studies, in exams.that we have problems completing work hours, etc.

Anxiety and memory loss: what is the cause?

Åbo Akademi University and the University of Helsinki conducted a study in 2019 in order to understand the link between anxiety and memory loss. Thus, something that is evident is that these experiences only become evident when the person’s anxiety is higher.

What causes this psychophysiological state is that attentional processes are altered. Simply put, it is impossible to remember something when we have not actually been able to focus our attention on that specific event.

The brain is subjected to an intense emotional state and in these circumstances, The prefrontal area, linked to cognitive processes, is no longer efficient.

Likewise, there is another associated factor and it is the lack of a good night’s rest. Anxiety correlates with insomniaand not having a deep and restful sleep also affects the correct consolidation of memory.

Treatment for memory failures associated with anxiety states

We know that anxiety and memory loss are related. What can we do about it? How to act if we are suffering small but constant forgetfulness? The most important thing is to always have a good diagnosis. Ruling out health problems is the first step and then knowing what type of anxiety we suffer from.

In these cases, we may need some pharmacological treatment such as anxiolytics. However, It is essential to always have psychological support to manage that anxiety in a healthy way with appropriate coping techniques.

We all have resources that, at any given moment, we can activate and develop to promote our well-being.

These memory failures will be reversed as we take control of our emotions, thoughts and behaviors. Change is always possible.

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