As people age, many health related fears start coming to mind. But one thing in particular really worries people.
“The biggest fear older adults have is that they may lose their memory and become a burden to others,” he said. Dr. James EllisonA geriatric psychiatrist at Jefferson Health in Philadelphia.
Health: Itching in the ears? This could be a sign that you are entering this dangerous phase.
The specific type of memory loss that is the biggest fear for many older adults is known as dementia, which is a broad term that refers to conditions that cause “mental impairment, cognitive impairment that is severe enough to affect daily functioning.” Dr. Victor HendersonDirector of the NIH Stanford Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center in California.
Dementia may cause a person to forget their address, not remember why they are doing a particular task, or be unable to pay the bills they always pay. It is a scary disease that some people are genetically prone to, but it is believed that certain lifestyle habits also make one more vulnerable to it. can put you Increased risk.
Henderson said, “I want to start with a caveat; there are a number of lifestyle factors that are associated with an increased risk of developing dementia. The caveat is that most of these have not been studied, at least not studied well enough in randomized clinical trials.”
Meaning, following the guidance below won’t completely prevent a dementia diagnosis, but these are habits that benefit your health overall. So, there’s no reason not to follow them, whether they’re good for reducing your dementia risk, your chance of having a heart attack or improving your mood. Here’s what:
Certain behavioral habits may put you at higher risk of developing dementia. Javier Zayas Photography via Getty Images
1. Ignoring the impact food has on your brain health.
“Many of the things we talk about for dementia prevention or brain health optimization are things that people will be familiar with when they hear about cardiovascular and other health initiatives,” he said. Dr. Christina PratherDirector of the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences.
“We’ve always said, what’s good for the heart is good for the brain,” Dr. Rudy TanziDirector of the McCance Center for Brain Health at Massachusetts General Hospital, HuffPost was previously told.
Health: Vomiting diseases are destroying people these days in winter. Here is where they spread the most.
Just like the Mediterranean diet – which is High in healthy fats, lean meatWhole grains, fruits and vegetables – good for your heart health, it’s also good for your brain health, and it’s a diet that Prather recommends.
She also suggests following mind dietWhich encourages whole grains, beans, berries, leafy vegetables, fish, olive oil and other foods that are said to be beneficial for brain health. Prather said a plant-based diet is also good for brain health.
2. Not managing diabetes, high blood pressure and other health problems.
You shouldn’t put off managing your medical conditions, Prather said. Certain medical conditions, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, are dementia risk factors, he said.
“Really aggressively managing those risk factors is one way to reduce the risk of cognitive health dementia in the future,” Prather said.
Health: Doctors are appealing to middle-aged women to make this one change in lifestyle as soon as possible.
“This is especially important for those with atrial fibrillation or vascular risk factors such as hypertension or hyperlipidemia,” Ellison said. Ellison said that doing this protects circulation, blood supply and oxygen supply to the brain.
This is especially important for the prevention of vascular dementia, which occurs when blood flows Even the brain is blocked. Vascular dementia is a common type of dementia.
3. Not getting enough restful sleep.
“People need to get enough sleep because during deep sleep the brain renews itself and reduces the concentration of beta amyloid, which is a toxic protein that contributes to the development of Alzheimer’s disease,” Ellison said.
Prather said you should also be sure to treat any sleep disorders that may be interfering with your rest.
Health: Study reveals biggest risk factors for getting early dementia
“There is an undiagnosed sleep apnea epidemic in older adults,” Prather said.
And sleep apnea results in poor quality sleep.
He said that the use of sleep inducing medicines can also affect sleep.
“These are all signs that your body isn’t getting the restorative sleep it needs to consolidate memories and have optimal cognitive function,” Prather said.
Health: Dementia experts reveal 7 rules you should follow to keep your mind sharp
4. Not making time for friends and family.
It’s also important to prioritize social connections, Prather said. “We know that loneliness and depression and isolation are exceptionally negative for health,” he said.
“They have an impact on cognition as well as mortality,” Prather said.
“Loneliness is an epidemic among older adults, and it is associated with mortality rates (that are) similar to moderate smoking,” Alison said.
Keeping your mind socially engaged is also an important way to stay cognitively connected, Prather said, whether it’s participating in conversations or listening to stories from loved ones.
5. Drinking too much alcohol.
Many recent researches have shown that alcohol is not good for your health. it to lead Liver damage increases the risk of certain cancers, and it’s not good for your brain health either.
“I tell people, if you’re having trouble with your cognition or you’re concerned about your memory, the first piece of advice I’m going to give you is to reduce your alcohol intake,” Prather said. Like our entire body, the liver is aging and can no longer tolerate alcohol the way it did when you were 21.
“The other thing about alcohol is not only that it’s a direct toxin (we increasingly know it increases the risk of almost all cancers), but it can really disrupt sleep,” Prather said.
He suggested that the next time you drink something before bed, pay attention to how it affects your sleep. And, as mentioned above, getting restful sleep is important for reducing your risk of dementia.
Prather explained that after age 65, it is recommended that people have no more than one standard drink a day and no more than seven standard drinks a week.
CDC recommends No more than two drinks each day for men and no more than one for women.
Liked this article? Keep independent journalism alive. Support HuffPost.
Head injuries are linked to higher dementia risk, making it important to wear a helmet when riding a bike. Halfpoint Images via Getty Images
6. Skipping exercise.
According to Alison, it’s important for both to lead a generally active lifestyle and get aerobic and other types of exercise.
This might mean walking to errands instead of driving, or even planning to go to a workout class or go for a bike ride.
“It’s recommended that older adults get 30 minutes of aerobic exercise five days a week, but only 10% of those over 75 meet that level of activity,” Ellison said.
While exercise is good for your heart health, as mentioned above, it’s also good for your brain health.
Prather said fitness is something you should prioritize no matter your age and, “before any cognitive changes occur.”
7. Not wearing a helmet.
“One thing I tell my patients is if you’re riding a bicycle, wear a helmet,” Henderson said.
“There have been a large number of observational studies linking head injury to dementia,” Henderson said. There is growing consensus that head injuries play a role in dementia risk, he said.
How big a role does it play in someone’s dementia risk? “The answer may be that at the population level it doesn’t play a huge role, but at the individual level, it’s probably really important,” Henderson said.
8. Ignoring the symptoms of depression.
“As a psychiatrist, of course I want to shed some light on DepressionAlison said.
While severe depression is not as common in older adults than in younger adults, both severe depression and low-grade depressive symptoms can disrupt things that are important for cognitive health such as socialization, exercise, self-care and diet, Ellison said.
“So, treating depression may be one way to improve cognitive aging,” he said.
Dementia rates are decreasing and this may be due to certain lifestyle habits – but if someone develops dementia, it is not their fault.
“The number of people with dementia is increasing. I think everyone knows about it. But it’s increasing partly because the number of people living to much older ages is increasing,” Henderson said.
Most dementia occurs in older people, Henderson said.
But, on the positive side, “if you look at the actual probability of getting dementia at a particular age, it’s actually gone down a little bit, not a whole lot, but a little bit, and that appears to parallel progress in heart health care,” Henderson said.
There are now disease-modifying FDA-approved drugs for the most common form of dementia, which is Alzheimer’s, said Ellison, who stressed that it is important to start taking these drugs early in the disease.
If you notice that you have cognitive challenges, it’s important to talk to your doctor. frequently losing itemsMemory changes that disrupt your life or make it difficult to solve problems.
“When most people have someone in their lives who is affected by this disease, it’s very difficult to be afraid of something, and it feels like the risk of it happening in the future is out of your control. But all the things we’ve talked about, all the lifestyle changes that can be made for the better, are within our control.”
Still, there will be people who get types of dementia because of genetics or other immutable risk factors, “and we can’t expect them to fail to prevent (dementia) through their actions or choices. That’s just not fair,” Prather said.
“But, many of us can make changes to our lifestyle and know with confidence that we have done everything we can to prevent it,” she said.
The original version of this story appeared on HuffPost at an earlier date.
