I forgot my work laptops's creds. Should I be worried about my health?

Question

Hi.Last week, after getting back from vacation, I wanted to check something from my work laptop. To my disbelief and horror, I could not remember the password, and eventually logged myself out of the MacBook. It has fingerprint activated, so I do not enter password for every unlock.Now, my question is not about how to reset the password on MacOS. It's about Alzheimers/Dementia. I am almost 38 years old, an IT practitioner like most of the people here, and used to be "famous" for my (mostly long-term) memory. I vaguely remember (ironically :D) that this password forgetting also happened some months ago, although I eventually figured it out that time. Should I take these as signs of what is coming for me? Or they are fairly recurring among my peers? Do you experience these stuff?And if this is indeed it, is there anything I can do to change/delay the eventual fate? Any practice, etc? I have been learning languages continuously and I thought that would work. Not sure anymore.If I want to have a medical checkup, what kind of specialist do I have to refer to?Many thanks

coldtea · Accepted Answer

Is it a difficult password? Many characters, weird combos, special characters, thrown in?
If yes, why would you expect to remember it? Especially after a period of no use, like a vacation? (and technically, why isn't it in a password manager?)
If you're 38 you are not a spring chicken anymore, you also probably have stress, a lot on your plate, etc. Some things become harder with age, including keeping a sharp memory. That doesn't mean it's Alzheimers/Dementia. Not to mention the dietary and other factors affecting memory.
If anytime some person forgot their password it was Alzheimers/Dementia, we'd be crawling in Alzheimers/Dementia patients.

giorgioz · Answer

If you are using random passwords like ys8@202hfjwoi! then it's normal to forget them. I recommend to switch to long meaningful sentences, parts of songs and proverbs or a quote that you remember.If you are trying to recover a password you forget be METHODIC about it. Write down each attempt you made on another laptop in paralell and double check before entering that you wrote down the password to try on the other laptop. Sometimes you are off by just one letter.

mytailorisrich · Answer

I always write down my work passwords before going on holidays because I never remember them after 1-2 weeks otherwise.I'd say nothing to worry about, it's just your brain telling you what matters, and what doesn't.

garnimo5 · Answer

Welcome to adult life, it will only get worse with time. Start building appropriate habits, less depending on memory and more depending on notebooks, calendar reminders, physical backups for passwords and keys, etcAlso, if you work in IT, you should already know that people forgetting their work computer password after a vacation is a common occurrence...