HEALTH Women's Health October 6, 2025 0 Comments

Unlock the Shocking Truth Behind Memory Loss After 50—Are These 6 Warning Signs Secretly Pointing to Dementia?

Ever found yourself wandering the car park, utterly convinced you just left your car there… only to walk right past it five times? Or battled that maddening moment when a name teeters on the tip of your tongue, but just won’t spill out? I’ve been there, and honestly, it can be both hilarious and a little scary. So, are these memory lapses just quirky quirks of getting older, or the creeping shadows of something more serious? Here’s the thing—those little forgetful moments like misplacing your glasses or walking into a room with zero clue why usually aren’t anything to stress over. But what exactly happens in our brains over time to cause memory loss? And when is it time to sit up and take notice before it turns into an early warning sign of dementia? I dug deep with the experts to unravel what’s really going on beneath the surface of our aging minds. LEARN MORE

Sometimes forget where you parked your car while running errands or struggle to recall an acquaintance’s name stuck on the tip of your tongue? You may be wondering if these memory lapses are a normal part of aging or cause for concern. The good news: Minor brain blips like forgetting where you put your glasses or why you walked into a room are typically nothing to fret over. But what actually causes memory loss over the years, and when does forgetfulness become an early warning sign for dementia? We tapped the experts to find out.

How memories are formed in your brain

When it comes to memories, you won’t find them stored in one particular place in the brain. Rather, you’ll find them across different regions of the brain that were active at the time of that memory.

One key region is the hippocampus. “The hippocampus is considered the epicenter, and without it, we can’t form new memories,” explains Kaitlin Casaletto, PhD, a board-certified neuropsychologist and associate professor in the department of neurology at the UC San Francisco Memory and Aging Center. “It’s generally thought that incoming information is processed through the hippocampus, then distributed and stored across the cerebral cortex.”

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Whenever you try to retrieve a memory, the hippocampus becomes activated. “You can think of the hippocampus as the critical filing cabinet that helps put information in the right place and pulls it back out when needed,” explains Casaletto. Memory loss occurs when the memory-related brain regions aren’t working as they should.

Aging is one of the top causes of memory loss

As we age, our body goes through some expected physical changes, such as graying hair or not having the energy of a 20 year-old. And though you may not see it outright like a new forehead wrinkle, your brain is going through changes too.

“Starting in our 40s and 50s, several biological processes appear to shift in the brain,” Casaletto says. “This includes greater inflammation, disruption to the brain’s vascular system—which provides oxygen and nutrients to the brain—and a breakdown of myelin, the fatty sheaths that insulate parts of our brain cells to facilitate fast communication.”

“There’s also an accumulation of misfolded proteins,” notes Casaletto. “This is when structural changes in our normal brain proteins cause them to become neurotoxic, which can disrupt how our brain cells communicate.” All of these factors can lead to memory problems.

3 more commons causes of memory loss

Age-related memory loss is considered normal and does not significantly disrupt your daily life. But it’s not the only factor that can cause problems with memory. Stress and anxiety can trigger brain fog and temporarily make it harder to focus, while something like an acute head injury can cause both short- and long-term memory loss. But the more common causes of memory loss for women in midlife include:

Menopause

“During menopause, there’s a rapid decline in the sex hormones estrogen and testosterone,” explains Casaletto. “We know that sex hormones are neuroprotective. They help build connections in the brain, keep our vascular system well-oiled and help regulate our immune system.”

In fact, Harvard researchers found that estradiol, the primary form of estrogen that works in the brain, safeguards memory. And research in the journal Neurology suggests that estrogen prevents a decrease of grey matter in the brain, which is essential for controlling memory.

Poor sleep

Memory consolidation, or the process of preserving vital memories and discarding excess information, takes place while you’re sleeping. The problem: Most of us aren’t getting enough sound Zzzs to keep our thinking and memory sharp.

“Getting 7 to 8 hours of quality, restorative sleep a night is critical if you want your cognitive function and memory working at an optimal level,” says Ken Sharlin, MD, a board-certified neurologist at SharlinHealth and Neurology, his private practice in Ozark, Missouri, and author of The Healthy Brain Toolbox.

What’s more, Michelle Thompson, MD, a functional medicine practitioner in Coral Springs, Florida, says going to sleep between 9 pm and midnight optimizes the brain’s healing and restoration process.

One way to see if you’re getting enough quality sleep is by tracking your sleep patterns using a sleep app. “I use a couple of sleep tracking apps, AutoSleep and Pillow, on my phone so I can collect data on how I’m sleeping,” he says. “With these apps, you can get a pretty reasonable idea on your sleep quality, how many times you wake up, and if you’ve had a healthy dip in your heart rate overnight.” For Android users, consider Sleep Cycle: Sleep Tracker or SleepScore.

Medication use

Some of the most common offenders are over-the-counter antihistamines and sleeping aids, which can bring on drowsiness and cause confusion that could be interpreted as memory lapses. In fact, “Chronic use of these types of over-the-counter medications are associated with an increased risk of [memory loss] and dementia,” warns Dr. Sharlin.

Many prescription medications can affect memory, too. That includes anti-anxiety, anti-seizure, certain antidepressants, heartburn and anti-inflammatory drugs, according to the AARP.

Signs memory loss is a normal part of aging

According to Casaletto and Dr. Sharlin, the most common symptoms of “normal aging” include:

Word- and name-finding difficulties
General slowness in thinking
Difficulties holding multiple pieces of information in mind, such as walking into a room and forgetting why
Misplacing things
Momentarily getting confused over the names of grandchildren
Occasionally forgetting an appointment

Signs memory loss may be cause for concern

While occasional brain blips are a normal part of aging, you should visit your doctor if you notice a more significant disruption in your daily activities. “You really need to take stock of how you’re functioning on a daily basis,” advises Jessica Zwerling, MD, a neurologist and professor of neurology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, NY.

Dr. Zwerling and Casaletto say memory lapses that can be red flags include:

Having trouble remembering to pay bills when you never did before
Forgetting an important ingredient in a recipe you make all the time
Getting lost in a neighborhood or familiar places, like a store where you struggle to retrace your steps
Repeating comments or questions in a short period of time
Not remembering information that should be fresh in your mind, such as what you ate for breakfast
No longer being able to use a piece of technology that was previously okay, like your smartphone

These could potentially be early warning signs of mild cognitive impairment or memory disorders such as dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. (You can see more symptoms of dementia here.)

“Often during an annual wellness visit, a primary care provider will ask questions about memory and do a validated cognitive screening if the patient has concerns,” says Dr. Zwerling, who is also the director of the Montefiore Hudson Valley Center of Excellence for Alzheimer’s Disease in Yonkers, NY.

This content is not a substitute for professional medical advice or diagnosis. Always consult your physician before pursuing any treatment plan.