How Generalized Anxiety Disorder Affects Memory

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsAnxiety and Working MemoryOther Effects on MemoryAnxiety-Related Memory ProblemsTreatment for AnxietyHow to Cope

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Anxiety and Working Memory

Other Effects on Memory

Anxiety-Related Memory Problems

Treatment for Anxiety

How to Cope

Close

Generalized anxiety disorder can impair working memory or the type of memory that you actively use to perform tasks. Anxiety also raises cortisol levels, triggers the fight-or-flight response, disrupts concentration, and affects sleep, which can all have negative effects on memory.

If you experiencegeneralized anxiety disorder(GAD), you have chronic and persistent anxiety. Your friends and loved ones may describe you as “nervous” or “worried.” You may feel anxious about daily situations, and your worry is likely out of proportion or irrational. Anxiety can alter your everyday routines, and it can also have an impact on your memories.

At a GlanceMemories can be affected when you are under stress or experience some sort of disturbance in your mood. Having a significantanxiety disorderlike GAD can create some of these problems routinely, leaving you operating below your normal level of memory functioning.In this article, let’s take a closer look at how generalized anxiety disorder can affect your memory and what you can do to get help.

At a Glance

Memories can be affected when you are under stress or experience some sort of disturbance in your mood. Having a significantanxiety disorderlike GAD can create some of these problems routinely, leaving you operating below your normal level of memory functioning.In this article, let’s take a closer look at how generalized anxiety disorder can affect your memory and what you can do to get help.

Memories can be affected when you are under stress or experience some sort of disturbance in your mood. Having a significantanxiety disorderlike GAD can create some of these problems routinely, leaving you operating below your normal level of memory functioning.

In this article, let’s take a closer look at how generalized anxiety disorder can affect your memory and what you can do to get help.

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How Anxiety Can Affect Working Memory

There are several different memory systems in the brain.Long-term memoryhelps us remember information and events from the distant past, whereas working memory helps us keep information in mind as we actively use it.

Generalized anxiety disorder can also affect memory in others ways.

Heightened Cortisol Levels

Anxiety causes the body to release morecortisol, a stress hormone that triggers the body’sfight-or-flight response.

When you are dealing with an acute stressor, this helps prepare your body to quickly deal with a threat. Normally, once the threat has passed, therelaxation responsekicks in and returns your body to a pre-stress state.

Generalized anxiety disorder can lead to too much cortisol, which prevents the relaxation response and keeps you stuck in a state of heightened arousal. This can interfere with memory.

Research has also shown that long-term exposure to heightened cortisol levels increases your risk of cognitive decline andAlzheimer’s disease.

Poor Sleep

Constant worry and anxiety can also make it difficult to get a good night’s sleep. Research has found that around 60% to 70% of people with generalized anxiety disorder experience significant sleep disturbances that negatively affect functioning and quality of life.

Lack of sleepcan affect memory in a few different ways. First, poor sleep quality can impair focus and make it harder for people to focus and learn.

Sleep is also essential for memory consolidation. When you sleep, your brain processes the things you’ve learned during the day and transitions them into long-term memory so they can be recalled and utilized later on.

12 Tips for Better Sleep With Anxiety

This can be a major problem in your work and personal life. Worry can hinder your working memory, causing you to forget important tasks or appointments.

You may make more mistakes at work or have trouble juggling everything you need to do at home. You might experience lapses such as:

Research dating back to the 1970s has shown working memory and anxiety to be related. Studies have consistently shown that when people experience anxiety, particularly when worry is at high levels—a trademark of GAD—working memory capacity suffers.

School/work performance, the ability to use complexproblem-solving strategiesanddecision-making skillsmay be compromised.

If you have GAD, especially if you have a high level of worry, you may notice memory and attention problems. If so, this is an especially good reason to seek treatment for your GAD. Learning to control and minimize worrying can greatly affect your working memory.

Intervention can be a huge help, particularly if your symptoms interfere with yourjob, education, or personal life.

Therapy

Look for atherapist who specializes in anxiety disorders. They can help you manage your anxiety in a way that is healthy and sustainable. Fromcoping skillsfor calming yourself to memory tricks to help you remember important details,therapycan be a major tool in helping you get back to your daily routine.

Medication

In some cases,medicationmay be needed to control your anxiety appropriately. This can be a huge help in handling your symptoms. Your options might include medications such as antidepressants, benzodiazepines, azapirones, and antipsychotics/anti-convulsants.

Coping With Anxiety and Memory Problems

If you are struggling with generalized anxiety disorder and memory issues, some self-help strategies can help you cope:

Utilize Relaxation Strategies

Learning some effective relaxation techniques can be a great way to cope with feelings of stress and anxiety. Some that can be particularly effective include:

Get Regular Exercise

Staying physically active can be a great tool for managing symptoms of anxiety. Researchers have found that exercise can be effective in the treatment and prevention of anxiety.

Research has also shown that exercise can positively affect memory.(Plus, it will help you sleep better, too!)

Try Some Memory Strategies

If you struggle to remember important details, test out some helpful memory strategies to determine which ones work best for you. Some that you might find helpful include:

How to Improve Memory Effectively

Keep in Mind

Generalized anxiety disorder can cause problems with memory, but there are steps you can take to cope. First and foremost, getting the right treatment for GAD is the best way to manage your symptoms and prevent serious memory problems.

However, it is also important to talk to your doctor about yourmemory problems. Anxiety might be the primary culprit, but other factors might play a role.

Some other possible causes of memory issues include depression, medication side effects, brain tumors, brain disorders, substance use, medical conditions, nutritional deficiencies, and other causes. Your doctor can rule out other potential causes and recommend treatments that can help.

Memory Loss Tests to Check Your Short-Term Memory

9 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Balderston NL, Vytal KE, O’Connell K, et al.Anxiety patients show reduced working memory related dlPFC activation during safety and threat.Depress Anxiety. 2017;34(1):25-36. doi:10.1002/da.22518Ouanes S, Popp J.High cortisol and the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease: a review of the literature.Front Aging Neurosci. 2019;11:43. doi:10.3389/fnagi.2019.00043Carbone EA, Menculini G, de Filippis R, et al.Sleep disturbances in generalized anxiety disorder: The role of calcium homeostasis imbalance.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023;20(5):4431. doi:10.3390/ijerph20054431National Institutes of Health.Sleep on it: How snoozing strengthens memories.Vytal KE, Cornwell BR, Letkiewicz AM, Arkin NE, Grillon C.The complex interaction between anxiety and cognition: insight from spatial and verbal working memory.Front Hum Neurosci. 2013;7:93. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2013.00093Strawn JR. Geracioti L, Rajdev N, Clemena K, Levine A.Pharmacotherapy for generalized anxiety disorder in adults and pediatric patients: An evidence-based treatment review. 2018;19(10):1057-1070. doi:10.1080/14656566.2018.1491966Banushi B, Brendle M, Ragnhildstveit A, et al.Breathwork interventions for adults with clinically diagnosed anxiety disorders: A scoping review.Brain Sci. 2023;13(2):256. doi:10.3390/brainsci13020256Aylett E, Small N, Bower P.Exercise in the treatment of clinical anxiety in general practice - a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC Health Serv Res. 2018;18(1):559. doi:10.1186/s12913-018-3313-5Loprinzi PD, Roig M, Etnier JL, Tomporowski PD, Voss M. Acute and chronic exercise effects on human memory: What we know and where to go from here.J Clin Med. 2021;10(21):4812. doi:10.3390/jcm10214812

9 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Balderston NL, Vytal KE, O’Connell K, et al.Anxiety patients show reduced working memory related dlPFC activation during safety and threat.Depress Anxiety. 2017;34(1):25-36. doi:10.1002/da.22518Ouanes S, Popp J.High cortisol and the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease: a review of the literature.Front Aging Neurosci. 2019;11:43. doi:10.3389/fnagi.2019.00043Carbone EA, Menculini G, de Filippis R, et al.Sleep disturbances in generalized anxiety disorder: The role of calcium homeostasis imbalance.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023;20(5):4431. doi:10.3390/ijerph20054431National Institutes of Health.Sleep on it: How snoozing strengthens memories.Vytal KE, Cornwell BR, Letkiewicz AM, Arkin NE, Grillon C.The complex interaction between anxiety and cognition: insight from spatial and verbal working memory.Front Hum Neurosci. 2013;7:93. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2013.00093Strawn JR. Geracioti L, Rajdev N, Clemena K, Levine A.Pharmacotherapy for generalized anxiety disorder in adults and pediatric patients: An evidence-based treatment review. 2018;19(10):1057-1070. doi:10.1080/14656566.2018.1491966Banushi B, Brendle M, Ragnhildstveit A, et al.Breathwork interventions for adults with clinically diagnosed anxiety disorders: A scoping review.Brain Sci. 2023;13(2):256. doi:10.3390/brainsci13020256Aylett E, Small N, Bower P.Exercise in the treatment of clinical anxiety in general practice - a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC Health Serv Res. 2018;18(1):559. doi:10.1186/s12913-018-3313-5Loprinzi PD, Roig M, Etnier JL, Tomporowski PD, Voss M. Acute and chronic exercise effects on human memory: What we know and where to go from here.J Clin Med. 2021;10(21):4812. doi:10.3390/jcm10214812

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Balderston NL, Vytal KE, O’Connell K, et al.Anxiety patients show reduced working memory related dlPFC activation during safety and threat.Depress Anxiety. 2017;34(1):25-36. doi:10.1002/da.22518Ouanes S, Popp J.High cortisol and the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease: a review of the literature.Front Aging Neurosci. 2019;11:43. doi:10.3389/fnagi.2019.00043Carbone EA, Menculini G, de Filippis R, et al.Sleep disturbances in generalized anxiety disorder: The role of calcium homeostasis imbalance.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023;20(5):4431. doi:10.3390/ijerph20054431National Institutes of Health.Sleep on it: How snoozing strengthens memories.Vytal KE, Cornwell BR, Letkiewicz AM, Arkin NE, Grillon C.The complex interaction between anxiety and cognition: insight from spatial and verbal working memory.Front Hum Neurosci. 2013;7:93. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2013.00093Strawn JR. Geracioti L, Rajdev N, Clemena K, Levine A.Pharmacotherapy for generalized anxiety disorder in adults and pediatric patients: An evidence-based treatment review. 2018;19(10):1057-1070. doi:10.1080/14656566.2018.1491966Banushi B, Brendle M, Ragnhildstveit A, et al.Breathwork interventions for adults with clinically diagnosed anxiety disorders: A scoping review.Brain Sci. 2023;13(2):256. doi:10.3390/brainsci13020256Aylett E, Small N, Bower P.Exercise in the treatment of clinical anxiety in general practice - a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC Health Serv Res. 2018;18(1):559. doi:10.1186/s12913-018-3313-5Loprinzi PD, Roig M, Etnier JL, Tomporowski PD, Voss M. Acute and chronic exercise effects on human memory: What we know and where to go from here.J Clin Med. 2021;10(21):4812. doi:10.3390/jcm10214812

Balderston NL, Vytal KE, O’Connell K, et al.Anxiety patients show reduced working memory related dlPFC activation during safety and threat.Depress Anxiety. 2017;34(1):25-36. doi:10.1002/da.22518

Ouanes S, Popp J.High cortisol and the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease: a review of the literature.Front Aging Neurosci. 2019;11:43. doi:10.3389/fnagi.2019.00043

Carbone EA, Menculini G, de Filippis R, et al.Sleep disturbances in generalized anxiety disorder: The role of calcium homeostasis imbalance.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023;20(5):4431. doi:10.3390/ijerph20054431

National Institutes of Health.Sleep on it: How snoozing strengthens memories.

Vytal KE, Cornwell BR, Letkiewicz AM, Arkin NE, Grillon C.The complex interaction between anxiety and cognition: insight from spatial and verbal working memory.Front Hum Neurosci. 2013;7:93. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2013.00093

Strawn JR. Geracioti L, Rajdev N, Clemena K, Levine A.Pharmacotherapy for generalized anxiety disorder in adults and pediatric patients: An evidence-based treatment review. 2018;19(10):1057-1070. doi:10.1080/14656566.2018.1491966

Banushi B, Brendle M, Ragnhildstveit A, et al.Breathwork interventions for adults with clinically diagnosed anxiety disorders: A scoping review.Brain Sci. 2023;13(2):256. doi:10.3390/brainsci13020256

Aylett E, Small N, Bower P.Exercise in the treatment of clinical anxiety in general practice - a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC Health Serv Res. 2018;18(1):559. doi:10.1186/s12913-018-3313-5

Loprinzi PD, Roig M, Etnier JL, Tomporowski PD, Voss M. Acute and chronic exercise effects on human memory: What we know and where to go from here.J Clin Med. 2021;10(21):4812. doi:10.3390/jcm10214812

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