Have you ever left a store and realized you can’t remember where you parked your car? Have you ever run into someone at the supermarket that you were recently introduced to and find that for the life of you, you can’t remember her name?

There’s the well-known joke about two older women who have met weekly for years to play cards. One day one of the women looks at the other and says apologetically “I know this is awful, we’ve known each other for years but for the life of me, I can’t remember your name. Can you please tell me your name again?” The other woman sits in dead silence for several minutes then turns to the first woman and asks “How soon do you need to know?”

In situations where we forget simple details or find ourselves standing in the middle of a parking lot with a dazed look, wondering where we left the car, we may be prone to worry if it is a sign of Alzheimer’s. But according to an article at WebMD, some memory loss is perfectly normal, especially as we age.

In fact, many people in their 20s and 30s experience exactly the same types of memory lapses. Time is memory’s worst enemy according to Stuart Zola, PhD. professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Emory School of Medicine and director of Yerkes National Primate Facility in Atlanta.

“If we have forgotten an appointment, we begin thinking, ‘Uh oh, is this the first sign of Alzheimer’s disease?’ and we become much more conscious, and it gets kind of a disproportionate amount of attention when it really may be something quite benign”

How can you tell is your memory lapses are normal or something for concern? What physical conditions other than Alzhiemer’s can cause memory problems?

Read Is Your Memory Normal at WebMD