9 Ways to Improve Your Memory If You Have Hypothyroidism

Low thyroid levels can affect all of your organs, your brain included. Find out what you can do to protect your cognitive abilities.

By Marie SuszynskiMedically Reviewed by Kacy Church, MD

Reviewed: January 30, 2020

Medically Reviewed

Use reminders on your phone to keep you on schedule.iStock

Forgetting where you left your keys, having a name slip from your mind, struggling to concentrate — these can all be part of frustrating brain fog or memory issues related to hypothyroidism.

Thyroid hormone regulates metabolism in every organ of the body, including the brain. When thyroid hormone is low, it can affect your memory span and ability to concentrate.

For many people, brain fog is a fleeting symptom. When hypothyroidism is diagnosed and treated early, metabolic processes normalize and you may not have a problem with memory issues or other symptoms hypothyroidism can cause, says Joel Zonszein, MD, an endocrinologist and director of the Clinical Diabetes Center at Montefiore Medical Center in New York.

But if you don’t take medication and continue to have a very low thyroid hormone level, you could end up with severe or persistent hypothyroidism, which can cause many changes in your body. In addition to weight gain, swelling, and vascular changes, your hypothyroidism symptoms can include cognitive problems. But these are extreme cases, Dr. Zonszein adds.

The good news: It’s very easy to test your thyroid hormone, and the tests are sensitive enough for your doctor to know if you’re taking the right amount of medication, he says. So talk to your doctor about possible symptoms of hypothyroidism, get tested, and get treated if necessary. “If we replace thyroid correctly, memory problems shouldn’t be a factor,” Zonszein says.

Tips to Improve Your Memory

Hypothyroidism that’s treated properly shouldn’t cause persistent brain fog or memory concerns. But anyone can experience issues with memory or concentration from time to time. These strategies can help:

Take your medication.  The best thing you can do for your memory is to get your thyroid hormone back to a healthy level, and that means taking your medication regularly and correctly and going back to your doctor for follow-up appointments to be sure you’re taking the right dosage, Zonszein says. The American Thyroid Association says it’s best to take your thyroid hormone on an empty stomach at the same time every day, and to not stop taking it without first talking to your doctor.

Get out of the house, and get moving. Staying active has an important effect on the brain, so keep up with your hobbies and social activities, along with exercise. Physical activity is associated with a better working brain, according to the National Institute on Aging (NIA), which says that exercise has been found to stimulate your brain’s ability to maintain old network connections and make new ones. A study published in July 2019 in the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society found that immediately following moderate exercise, participants showed a significant increase in memory.

Get a good night’s sleep. The deep sleep you get from a good night’s slumber helps keep your brain functioning well, Zonszein says. If you have trouble falling or staying asleep, try these tips:

• Keep your bedroom dark and cool
• Avoid alcohol, caffeine, and heavy meals too close to bedtime
• Practice a relaxing bedtime ritual, like taking a warm bath, meditating, or reading a book you enjoy
• Stick to a schedule: Go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day, even on the weekend

Play memory games. Anything that keeps your mind working, including computer games designed to make your brain sharper, is a good idea.

Focus on one thing at a time. Set your attention on only one thing, eliminate distractions like TV, and try not to let your mind drift to other things. When you focus like this, you’re more likely to be able to concentrate and remember what you’re doing, notes the American Psychological Association.

Stick to a schedule. When you do something at the same time every day and in the same sequence, it will be easier to remember.

Use tools to help you remember. If brain fog has you forgetting appointments, use tools like to-do lists, sticky notes, reminders on your phone, or a large wall calendar to help you stay on track, the NIA recommends.

Designate a place for your things. Keep your keys, wallet, purse, glasses, day calendar, and phone in the same place so you’re less likely to misplace them.

Repeat names and other important information. When you meet someone new or a doctor is giving you important information about your health, repeating the information back to the person or in your mind a few times can help you remember, Zonszein notes.

Thyroid problems can last a lifetime, so it means you’ll have to continue taking medication and seeing your doctor to ensure your levels stay healthy. But taking those steps to get treatment also means that memory issues related to hypothyroidism won’t last.

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Psychiatric and cognitive manifestations of hypothyroidism

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Why can forgetfulness appear?

If you are in your early 40s, then the cause of your memory problems most likely has nothing to do with Alzheimer’s disease.

Tags:

Diseases

What do these symptoms mean?

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If you find it difficult to find the right word, remember the phone number, and performing usual tasks takes an unusually long time, you should definitely make an appointment with a doctor. Yes, all this can be a signal of a neurological disorder, but if you are 40 years old and a little older, then memory problems are more likely to indicate other diseases.

Contents of the article

Anemia

The lower the level of hemoglobin in the blood, the less oxygen the brain receives and, accordingly, the more difficult it is for it to cope with its tasks. If you have been diagnosed with anemia for a long time, be sure to monitor your hemoglobin levels and take action if it drops (and memory deterioration, as well as cognitive decline, is a red flag for you, warning that it is time for another check). If you have not suffered from anemia before, take a general blood test and pay attention to the hemoglobin level: if it is below 120 g/l, you need to make an appointment with a doctor.

Inflammatory process

Any inflammation inevitably causes intoxication – poisoning. And the stronger it is, the greater the negative load on the brain, the more difficult it is for it to cope with tasks. Anyone who has ever had the flu or a severe ARVI remembers this feeling, when the convolutions seem to barely move, and any tasks that used to be solved almost by themselves now require almost supernatural efforts. Take a general blood test, pay attention to the indicators of leukocytes and ESR (erythrocyte sedimentation rate): if they are high, most likely there is an inflammatory process in the body, and it’s time to see a doctor.

Thyroid diseases

Two of the most common thyroid diseases, hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism, affect our memory equally badly. With hypothyroidism, when the thyroid gland produces less specific hormones than our body needs, the metabolism slows down, and we ourselves experience a state resembling depression, which is also accompanied by a weakening of memory. If too much hormones are produced (hyperthyroidism), our nervous system is constantly in a state of overstrain, nerve cells are depleted, memory and cognitive abilities decrease. Make an appointment with an endocrinologist, check the condition of the thyroid gland and get tested for the corresponding hormones – in any case, this should be done once a year, especially in those regions where there is a deficiency of iodine and sunlight.

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Hypertension and hypotension

Both elevated (from 130/90 mm Hg and above) and low (less than 110/70 mm Hg) blood pressure has a bad effect on memory and the ability to concentrate and process information. With increased pressure, the vessels become narrow and cannot provide sufficient blood supply to the brain, and with low pressure, the blood pressure in the arteries and vessels is too weak to deliver enough oxygen to the brain. Control your blood pressure, especially if you are over 40 years old – this is one of the most important indicators of our health.

Diabetes mellitus

The main source of energy for nerve cells is glucose. With diabetes, there is a lot of it in the blood, however, due to increased tolerance to insulin, “fuel” cannot penetrate into the cell, and our brain is forced to exist on starvation rations.