Am I losing my mind or just getting old?
April 17, 2011 8:24 PM Subscribe
I've recently noticed that I occasionally feel lost (literally) when I absolutely shouldn't.
For example, I'll be going up or down the stairs at work, come out onto my floor and all of a sudden have completely forgotten which way to go to my office.
A couple of points:
1. It always (I think) happens when I'm multi-tasking. In the example above I'll have been reading my phone while walking down the stairs.
2. I recently hit middle age (41).
3. This didn't used to happen.
4. I'd say it happens a couple times per week.
Is this a normal part of getting older? Obviously I can just make sure to not multi-task while traveling, and I've never gotten completely permanently lost. It's not that it's a huge deal or debilitating, but I'm really wondering if this is 'normal' for someone my age or if I should freak out.
For example, I'll be going up or down the stairs at work, come out onto my floor and all of a sudden have completely forgotten which way to go to my office.
A couple of points:
1. It always (I think) happens when I'm multi-tasking. In the example above I'll have been reading my phone while walking down the stairs.
2. I recently hit middle age (41).
3. This didn't used to happen.
4. I'd say it happens a couple times per week.
Is this a normal part of getting older? Obviously I can just make sure to not multi-task while traveling, and I've never gotten completely permanently lost. It's not that it's a huge deal or debilitating, but I'm really wondering if this is 'normal' for someone my age or if I should freak out.
From what I know, there are specific indicators that alzheimers doctors look for when it comes to determine whether someone could be developing it. Perhaps it's worth looking into a test?
For what it's worth, I think you're just gettin' older! ;-) This kind of thing happens to me every now and again. I remember when I left a job that required a great deal of memorization. It was a high stress environment and when I left it seemed like I left my memorization abilities at the job. Heh.
posted by tcv at 8:41 PM on April 17, 2011
For what it's worth, I think you're just gettin' older! ;-) This kind of thing happens to me every now and again. I remember when I left a job that required a great deal of memorization. It was a high stress environment and when I left it seemed like I left my memorization abilities at the job. Heh.
posted by tcv at 8:41 PM on April 17, 2011
This has happened to me a few of times since I turned 40, but if it started happening a couple of times a week I think that would warrant a trip to the doctor's office for me.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 8:58 PM on April 17, 2011
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 8:58 PM on April 17, 2011
It started happening to me when I hit my 40's too. Unless you get to the point where you can't find your way all of the time or constantly forget where you are, I'd say (as a non-doctor) it's a normal part of aging.
posted by patheral at 9:02 PM on April 17, 2011
posted by patheral at 9:02 PM on April 17, 2011
Are you dealing with a lot of stress? I was, and on two occasions when things got really rough, I forgot where I was. I called my wife and she helped bring me to my senses.
posted by brownrd at 9:50 PM on April 17, 2011
posted by brownrd at 9:50 PM on April 17, 2011
Mine gets much, much worse if I am even mildly short on sleep.
posted by metahawk at 10:01 PM on April 17, 2011
posted by metahawk at 10:01 PM on April 17, 2011
Welcome to the over 40 club. Happens to me when I'm problem solving in my head and driving in really familiar territory while running errands. I agree with the other person, though, that a couple of times a week seems rather frequent, but I would guess you're simply stressed.
posted by InsertNiftyNameHere at 11:22 PM on April 17, 2011
posted by InsertNiftyNameHere at 11:22 PM on April 17, 2011
hmmm...let me ask a little question: what kind of physical shape are you in? does this always happen (as in your example) when you're on the stairs or otherwise moving around, possibly after a long period of sitting? remember that the human brain is very sensitive to changes in oxygen levels and when you suddenly start moving around (causing your body to burn more oxygen) it can deplete the amount of oxygen available to the brain. are you experiencing any dizziness as well? maybe try getting a bit more exercise...particularly cardio stuff like jogging or biking.
also, multitasking: yer brain ain't made for it. (a while back OSHA did a study on the effects of the concept of 'multitasking' on the american work environment. their findings? it cost american business to lose ~5 BILLION dollars and ~50,000 people to lose their lives, due to industrial accidents, poor decision-making, and etc...it takes the average person around 10-15 minutes to 'switch tracks' when changing from one task to another. if you try to arrange your day such that you are only working on one thing at a time as much as possible, you'll find that you will become much more productive...try turning off the alerts on your phone and set aside certain times to check email/messages/etc...like, in the morning, at lunch, end of the day...and no other times.) one interesting thing that can happen while multitasking is that you can actually forget to breathe(!), so, along with the cardio workout, you def want to try to concentrate on your breathing more...yoga is really good for this.
if you feel any of this applies to you, heed my advice before you end up fainting on a subway platform while hungry/tired/run down/hot day/looking for something in my bag/carrying on a conversation/stressing about how i was going to have time to get home and change before the party that that cute boy was going to be at/what are all these little spots flying around/why am i suddenly lying down/why is everyone staring at me.
posted by sexyrobot at 1:32 AM on April 18, 2011
also, multitasking: yer brain ain't made for it. (a while back OSHA did a study on the effects of the concept of 'multitasking' on the american work environment. their findings? it cost american business to lose ~5 BILLION dollars and ~50,000 people to lose their lives, due to industrial accidents, poor decision-making, and etc...it takes the average person around 10-15 minutes to 'switch tracks' when changing from one task to another. if you try to arrange your day such that you are only working on one thing at a time as much as possible, you'll find that you will become much more productive...try turning off the alerts on your phone and set aside certain times to check email/messages/etc...like, in the morning, at lunch, end of the day...and no other times.) one interesting thing that can happen while multitasking is that you can actually forget to breathe(!), so, along with the cardio workout, you def want to try to concentrate on your breathing more...yoga is really good for this.
if you feel any of this applies to you, heed my advice before you end up fainting on a subway platform while hungry/tired/run down/hot day/looking for something in my bag/carrying on a conversation/stressing about how i was going to have time to get home and change before the party that that cute boy was going to be at/what are all these little spots flying around/why am i suddenly lying down/why is everyone staring at me.
posted by sexyrobot at 1:32 AM on April 18, 2011
This has happened to me all my life. Similar to metahawk's comment, it's been much less frequent since I started getting better sleep.
posted by galadriel at 5:00 AM on April 18, 2011
posted by galadriel at 5:00 AM on April 18, 2011
Response by poster: All,
Thanks very much for the informative comments (can I mark them all as "best answer"?)
Since the things you point out are probably exactly what a dr. would ask if I brought this to them, I'm going to start what you made me realize I should have been doing already: collecting data about when it happens, what I'm doing at the time, was I well rested, etc. Unless the frequency picks up, I'l ask about it next time I go in for a check-up - armed with actual information.
Muchos gracias.
posted by TheShadowKnows at 6:18 AM on April 18, 2011
Thanks very much for the informative comments (can I mark them all as "best answer"?)
Since the things you point out are probably exactly what a dr. would ask if I brought this to them, I'm going to start what you made me realize I should have been doing already: collecting data about when it happens, what I'm doing at the time, was I well rested, etc. Unless the frequency picks up, I'l ask about it next time I go in for a check-up - armed with actual information.
Muchos gracias.
posted by TheShadowKnows at 6:18 AM on April 18, 2011
This happens to me sometimes when I vary a routine a little and am multitasking at the same time -- e.g., enter through one bank of elevators instead of my usual one while checking email. I don't think it's a big deal!
posted by yarly at 7:35 AM on April 18, 2011
posted by yarly at 7:35 AM on April 18, 2011
This very well may be just a sign of aging, as others have said. However, a relative of mine has very similar experiences that are indicative of partial-complex seizures, likely due to some form of epilepsy or something like it. (So far, no-one can say exactly what's going on, not even at the Mayo clinic.) Just throwing that out there as a possiblity.
posted by generalist at 8:34 AM on April 18, 2011
posted by generalist at 8:34 AM on April 18, 2011
Another thing just to throw out there:
Disorientation and forgetfulness are symptoms of menopause in women, so this may not apply. But there are some sites that talk about a decreased level of testosterone as men age can cause symptoms similar to menopause.
posted by CathyG at 3:31 AM on April 21, 2011
Disorientation and forgetfulness are symptoms of menopause in women, so this may not apply. But there are some sites that talk about a decreased level of testosterone as men age can cause symptoms similar to menopause.
posted by CathyG at 3:31 AM on April 21, 2011
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posted by inturnaround at 8:30 PM on April 17, 2011 [3 favorites]