Some memory loss is considered a mild cognitive impairment, but chronic, long-term stress can have a serious effect on the severity of that memory loss. When you’re exposed to stress, your body releases hormones, including cortisol, which may prevent the brain from remembering new information or even retrieving already stored items.
Excessive stress can actually damage that part of the brain which is central to learning and memory. It’s called the hippocampus, and the problem centers around the continued secretion of corticosteroids or cortisol.
To better understand why our memory sometimes falters, we need to understand how the brain stores information. Information is not stored in a single area of your mind, but are scattered over various regions. You can think of you brain as an area containing various storage bins. Each time you collect a piece of information, you brain decides how to categorize it and then what bin to drop it into. The next time you go looking for those facts, your brain then at least has an idea of what bin it placed it in.
More and more, people are turning to herbal and nutritional supplements for better memory and longer life. Some supplements are very familiar while others are less well known. Fortunately, there is a lot of investigation and research being carried out in Asia and Europe on natural and herbal remedies of that have a positive effect on memory.
Generally speaking, nutritional intervention is key in boosting a failing memory. Herbs and nutritional supplements are a great way to do this without the side effects of prescription drugs. There are several herbs that contain an outstanding array of phytonutrients to help you either curb forgetfulness or help maintain a healthy memory.