• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Type 2 Memory

woollygal

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,485
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Coffee diabetes
So is it normal in diabetes to have appalling memory.

I’m self employed and for my instructor work I have to claim hours off the online system. Forgot to do this for one trainee last week but when I went on to check I hadn’t done it in over a month.

I could have sworn I had been doing it all these weeks but I haven’t.

I forget everything and it’s really frustrating me

I spoke to dr a while back and and she said it was just anxiety and stress but it’s really impacting on my life.

I forget to contact pupils to book them in and when I’m home I just don’t think about work at all. Which is good but being self employed not so much.

I know I’m having a bad day anyway because I spent the morning in floods of tears and couldn’t stop crying. So my mood swings are in full force today.

But my memory is doing my head in. I’m not doing what I should.
 
I wouldn't say its normal for diabetics to have appalling memory.

But diabetes can have a knock on effect on other bits, as you suggested. Such as increased stress levels, increased mental health issues etc. which can lead to anxiety and forgetfulness I would think.

But having diabetes itself wouldn't make you forgetful, or not that I have seen any reports of.
 
Could it be the software, not you, that’s at fault with the bookings? And in my opinion it’s healthy to have time for yourself at some point in the day.
How are your blood sugar levels? They can affect mood: I can be tearful for no discernible reason when low.
 

Yes good point, glucose levels should be well controlled. Hypos can cause forgetfulness.
 
Hello @Cana I have to admit my memory isn't what it should be, and I put that down to my diabetes, too much to think about all the time so in that respect my mind is occupied with 'many diabetes thoughts' I tend to write alot of things down now if I need to remember something, but certainly feel it's improved with tighter control as when I was first diagnosed I had a mind like a sieve..
 
Stress and anxiety are a vicious circle sometimes, and any extra stress from coping with diabetes can't help.
My memory is affected by fibromyalgia and anxiety at the moment rather than my diabetes which is well-controlled, but it has always been a problem for me.
I rely on my online calendar and my phone alarms for routine stuff.
Pill times on my phone, a to-do-list broken down into single items and logged on my calendar with email reminders.
Today's list reads:


I tried postit notes, etc in the past, but don't have a set office space now.
 
My memory is fantastic at not being able to remember a single thing.... I find, I get distracted easily and I'm often in a state of thinking about multiple things at any given point. Which are often completely unrelated to what I was meaning to do or remember, which I think contributes to the "Walking into a room and can't remember what I walked in there for" syndrome.

I was going to say something else, but....
 
When first diagnosed I took Metformin and Atorvastatin one tablet of each a day except for two days when I took two Metformin - not consecutively.
In a few weeks I was walking around in a daze. I burnt the dinners, could not find my glasses and car keys, I could no longer sing my songs from memory and even using a book I was hesitant and could not remember which verse I had just sung. I would lose the car in the supermarket car parks, forget the things I went to buy, and I did all the Christmas shopping twice, I left the first lot in the car.
I think that is a yes - but I am pretty sure it was not the diabetes causing it.
 
Mention your memory issues at your review, @Cana . There seem to be a gazillion and one things where symptoms include poor memory. I'm not necessarily talking big scary things, but maybe being a bit low on some vitamins, or iron, and of course my personal hobby horse, our beloved thyroids.

My memory is OK, but every since I worked a really pressurised diary, I always set reminders for even things I do regularly. I just look at my calendar for the day each day (and the next day) and see what I need to achieve. Obviously the reminds also help nag me along!
 
At the apex of my diabetes journey - just before I discovered ketogenic eating - I had absolutely awful cognitive function. Everything was confusing, and the only thing I could reliably remember was how dumb I had become. Luckily I'm really smart again now, but I would certainly say that diabetes can and does affect mental performance and state of mind.
 

I did t see this till after the review. I’ve mentioned it before but she just said it was stress and anxiety.

Think a lot of it is my life revolves around diabetes. It’s in my head constantly. Not worrying just about how I’m feeling and I guess low mood doesn’t help.

I’ll mention it again in November.
 

Do your medics test Vit D as part of your routine bloods? So, so many people are low in that, even when they have a good diet and seem to be exposed to a fair amount of sun.
 
I'd to tend agree with @Jim Lahey on this, in that for a number of years before I was diagnosed, I spent my life in a complete brain fog, and wasn't really capable of knowing which way was up. Being diagnosed and starting eating a low carb diet gave me back a clear head and a functioning brain. Ketones do wonders for my brain!!

If you check Google there are references to research that suggests that our brains can suffer from insulin resistance, e,g. "Brain insulin resistance is a shared metabolic abnormality amongst many individuals with T2DM and MDD. Patients with either or both diseases often exhibit disturbances in cognition and mood, as well as the presence of anhedonia-like symptoms. However, individuals with high glycemic control have reduced cognitive and depressive symptom burden. "

However - I have also had minor, generally short term, memory "blips" since I was in my 40s and menopausal, and I believe this is maybe a female? hormonal issue. At that time I was working with a number of other women of a similar age, and it was apparent that even the clearest headed of us became similarly addled on occasion. And I do still get these little blanks occasionally.

Robbity
 
Last edited:
I've forgotten appointments even with alarmed same day reminders, diary entries and asking my partner to remind me. Worse on none tightly controlled days which are without R-ala supplement.
Nerve signals can get affected with diabetes. I think
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn More.…