London - An increasing number of young people are suffering from poor memory, according to a new report.
While memory problems are normally seen as a sign of ageing, the University of California, Los Angeles study found that 14 percent of young men and women between 18 and 39 also complained that their memory was poor.
Researchers leading the study say that stress and multitasking lifestyles could be to blame.
To examine the impact of these lifestyle choices on memory throughout adult life, the researchers collaborated on a nationwide poll of more than 18 500 individuals between the ages of 18 and 99.
Respondents were surveyed about both their memory and their health behaviour, including whether they smoked, how much they exercised and how healthy their diet was.
As the researchers expected, healthy living related to better self-perceived memory abilities for most adult groups.
“These findings reinforce the importance of educating young and middle-aged individuals to take greater responsibility for their health, including memory, by practising positive lifestyle behaviours earlier in life,” said the study’s first author, Gary Small, the director of the university’s Longevity Centre.
While 26 percent of older adults and 22 percent of middle-aged respondents reported memory issues, it was surprising to find that 14 percent of the younger group complained about their memory too. “Memory issues were to be expected in the middle-aged and older groups, but not in younger people,” Small said.
“A better understanding and recognition of mild memory symptoms earlier in life may have the potential to help all ages.”
Small said that generally, memory issues in younger people may be different from those that plague older generations. Stress could play more of a role.
He also noted that the ubiquity of technology – including the internet, texting and wireless devices that can result in constant multitasking, especially with younger people – may impact attention span, making it harder to focus and remember.
Research carried out last year showed that the average age when people experienced memory loss was 57, although it has been known that a declining ability to recall simple facts can start in your thirties.
An online poll found that 11 percent of respondents said they had started to notice their memory suffering in their forties. Six percent had noticed it in their thirties.
The survey, published to coincide with the UK’s first online memory training course, also revealed that the over-fifties are plagued by the fear of memory loss and many have frequent and embarrassing memory lapses. – Daily Mail