Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia and affects many millions of people around the world. There are many factors that increase your chances of developing dementia. Some of them include genetics, obesity, diabetes, infections, vascular diseases, and stroke.
The risk of dementia increases as people age, which is why we may see it more often in seniors, but it doesn’t mean that it’s normal to have this disease when you grow older. Your lifestyle choices and habits play a huge role in developing a neurodegenerative disease, which means they are largely preventable.
The symptoms of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease include forgetfulness, confusion, memory loss, poor decision-making, frustration when trying to think what to say, and depression. If you know anyone experiencing these types of symptoms, it would be wise to see a doctor immediately.
Lifestyle Changes to Help Keep Your Mind Healthy
Of course, there are the usual lifestyle changes you need to make, which is quitting bad habits such as smoking. Cigarette smoke tightens the blood vessels, restricting proper blood flow to the brain and damaging its health.
However, there are more lifestyle changes that you can do, which will help you prevent dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
Modify Your Diet
Your body needs essential vitamins and minerals for the brain to function well. Much of that comes from the foods you eat, so if you’re not eating healthy, you’re not getting the right nutrients in sufficient amounts.
There are many foods you can add to your diet that are nutritious and beneficial. If you are not familiar with the Mediterranean diet, take a look at the food choices. It’s a lifestyle diet that includes lots of vegetables, fruits, grains, fish, and olive oil. These are all foods you can add to your daily diet.
Make sure that you also eat foods that are rich in Vitamin D, which are essential for cognitive function. They include fatty fish, such as tuna, egg yolks, and mushrooms.
A healthy diet, such as the Mediterranean diet will also help improve your cardiovascular health and help prevent type 2 diabetes, obesity, and hypertension.
Exercise Improves Your Body and Mind
You know that exercise is good for overall well-being, but your brain needs exercise too. Exercise is particularly helpful in managing the symptoms of type 2 diabetes, obesity, and hypertension, which are risk factors for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Exercise lowers blood pressure, boosts brain function, and improves cognition.
Exercise your brain in memory games that can test your attention and reasoning abilities. Brain training helps keep your mind active, allowing new neuro-connections to form and helping to preserve the older connections. Play crossword puzzles, read books, attend online classes, and play! You are never too old to play games.
Exercise physically for at least 150 minutes every week. You can do light to moderate exercises. Even an hour of walking three times a week is excellent for your health.
Reduce Your Stress and Get Social
Too much stress is bad for health, and it’s one of the biggest risk factors for many diseases. People dealing with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease are subjected to constant stress and anxiety, which can develop into depression.
You need to reduce stress to improve brain function. Identify the triggers of your stress so that you can avoid these stressful type situations. You may also need to change your environment to avoid stressful conditions. Don’t forget to give yourself a break from work and try to focus on the positive aspects of your life.
Practice a little self-care and relaxation techniques, too.
You may find being with other people reduces your stress, so find ways to improve your social life. Being socially active can help maintain your brain health and reduce the risk of dementia. If you’re socially isolated, it can make you feel lonely and increases your risk of developing dementia.
Clean Your Brain with Quality Sleep
Lack of sleep can result in various health problems, including Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. It prevents the body from healing and cleansing your system naturally during sleep. Your body needs sleep to do a deep-clean of your brain!
It’s important to maintain brain health to prevent cognitive, memory, and other neurodegenerative diseases. Dementia and Alzheimer’s can be debilitating, so you need to make lifestyle changes to reduce your risks as early as possible. Keep in mind the advice above and remember that your choices now have effects that can last for a lifetime.
