When 61-year-old Rick Perry drew a blank while trying to remember a federal agency he wants to cut, the Texas governor’s embarrassing lapse was described as everything from a "senior moment" and "gaffe" to a complete "memory meltdown." Perry himself admitted, "Glad I had my boots on 'cause I sure stepped in it tonight."
We've all had moments where our minds go blank when trying to recall a person's name or a particular word. Newsmax Health expert Erika Schwartz, M.D., one of the nation’s top anti-aging experts, says that Perry likely suffered from stress and information overload when he tried to remember during a Republican presidential candidates debate that he wanted to eliminate the Department of Energy.
"The more stressful the situation, the more likely stress hormones will disrupt firing of synapses in the brain," says Dr. Schwartz.
These types of recall snafus may be attributed to age in older adults, but the truth is a lot of it is related to having too much going on, Dr. Schwartz explains. "It doesn't matter if you're 20 or 80. In stressful situations, people are more likely to have memory lapses. It doesn't mean you have Alzheimer's."
In fact, Christina Aguilera, who is much younger than Perry, suffered her own humiliating public memory breakdown when she forgot the lyrics to the national anthem at the Super Bowl.
Just think of students who spend all night studying for a test only to forget the answers the next day, Dr. Schwartz says. "It's the stress that causes you to forget, not age, senility, or having a stroke."
Still, the inability to recall something obvious can be disorienting and worsen an already stressful situation. As a person's inability to grasp a word or idea becomes obvious, a whole cascade of hormonal events occurs that accelerate the stress reaction.
Stress hormones shoot through the bloodstream, readying your body to escape danger. Concentration becomes more focused, reaction times faster, and strength and agility increase. "But that fight or flight mechanism makes it even more difficult to think," Dr. Schwartz adds.
The solution for Perry and the rest of us who suffer from these temporary lapses is as simple as getting more sleep (eight hours' worth) and taking periodic breaks from mental overload.
"The brain needs a time-out sometimes," Dr. Schwartz says. "Taking a break from concentrating helps memory."
Crossword puzzles and other mental exercises are often mentioned as ways to keep the mind sharp into old age. "But those are for people with extra time. Most people have too much going on," she says.
The best way to minimize the incidence of temporary forgetfulness is to take better care of ourselves. Dr. Schwartz advises plenty of sleep, taking fewer drugs (e.g. painkillers, sleep aids), and consuming less alcohol and caffeine.
Avoiding stressors and learning to relax can also help. "The more reactive we are, the more we're pouring out hormones that make us forget," she says.
A diet high in antioxidants, such as leafy vegetables, fish, fruit, nuts, and olive oil (in moderation) is good for your brain and memory.
Supplements such as fish oil, astaxanthin, and resveratrol may also help.
Mostly, though, it's lifestyle changes that do the most good, according to Dr. Schwartz. "Exercise releases hormones that keep your mind sharp," she says.
“Take time for yourself. Read a book. Calm down. Don't be in a state of hypervigilance all the time. This is probably what happened to Rick Perry."
Memory lapses occur more frequently to almost all of us as we age, she says, due to general wear and tear that is a normal part of getting older. When the problem gets suddenly worse is when concern — and a doctor's visit — is warranted.
For example, says Dr. Schwartz, when a person who periodically forgets why they've come into a room suddenly starts to forget to eat, that’s when it’s time to get evaluated. Dementia and Alzheimer's are the top neurological diseases associated with memory loss. Other possible causes include certain medications, head trauma, depression, alcoholism, vitamin B-12 deficiency, hypothyroidism, and brain tumors.
Meanwhile, Perry is using humor to deal with his mistake. On his website the Republican presidential candidate asks visitors to make a campaign contribution of “$5 for every agency you would like to forget.”
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