Follow neurologist's brain boosting list to reduce your risk of dementia
An estimated 7.2 million Americans age 65 and older are living with Alzheimer's dementia
"Love your heart, stay sharp and keep connected", advises an expert from Alzheimer's Research UK, who says summer is not just for beach fun, barbecues, and park picnics – it's also a prime time to rejuvenate your brain. Just like we care for other aspects of our health, there are steps we can take to boost brain health and lower the risk of dementia as we age.
Leading a healthy lifestyle is crucial to decreasing your odds of developing dementia. This involves staying active with regular exercise, maintaining a nutritious diet, keeping one's mind and social life vibrant, and managing any health issues such as high blood pressure and diabetes, reports Surrey Live.
Also, remember the significance of quality sleep and avoid smoking and excessive alcohol consumption. While there's no surefire way to prevent all types of dementia, as researchers are still exploring how the condition evolves, there's good evidence that a healthy lifestyle can help reduce your risk of developing dementia when you're older.
A healthy lifestyle can also help prevent cardiovascular diseases, such as stroke and heart attack. These conditions themselves are risk factors for Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia, which are the most prevalent types of dementia.
Professor Jonathan Schott, a neurology expert at UCL and the chief medical officer at Alzheimer's Research UK, has revealed six simple brain-boosting tips that nearly anyone can adopt into their daily routine.
1. Embrace a new hobby that brings you joy
Professor Schott advises: "Keep your brain active by doing the things that you enjoy doing." He added: "I've previously said, 'If you hate Sudoku, don't do Sudoku' as you're not going to stick with it." He stresses the importance of engaging in activities that keep you interested and mentally stimulated.
"Whether it's immersing yourself in a good book, strategizing over a game of chess, or picking up a new skill like crochet," Schott suggests. He explains that learning something new or improving an existing skill helps maintain mental agility.
Schott continues: "What we think is, when you learn new skills, those areas [in the brain] get connected better together and the connections get stronger – that's why when you repeat a skill over and over and over again then that movement becomes more automatic," and adds, "And we think that it probably makes the brain a bit more resilient."
2. Incorporate physical activity into your daily life
"I think exercising is the single best thing that we can do," claims Schott. "We talk at Alzheimer's Research UK about what's good for your heart is good for your brain, and that's because lots of the risk factors for your heart are also risk factors for brain diseases as well. Exercise can lower your blood pressure, can lower your cholesterol, can take your weight down and gives you a sense of wellbeing.
"Ideally, you want to be doing a little bit of exercise everyday and want to be doing something that gets your heart rate substantially elevated for at least 20 minutes three or four times a week." There is mounting evidence showing that regular physical activity could potentially offset some of dementia's brain-impacting triggers.
"The mechanisms aren't entirely clear, but it's likely that the chemicals that get released from the muscles get into the brain and may actually alter this," he notes.
3. Commit to regular walking
Interestingly, intense workout routines aren't necessary, according to Schott's insights. "What's really interesting is that it does not need to be hugely vigorous exercise," he says.
"We're not talking about running marathons, we're just seeing the positive impacts of walking daily or opting for stairs instead of the elevator." Adding weight to his recommendations, he revealed: "Some research we've been involved with indicates that even modest, consistent physical activity over one's lifetime can be extremely impactful." Walking in groups has the added bonus of social interaction.
4. Stay connected
Several studies have shown that keeping up social ties may be crucial in avoiding dementia risk, prompting the advice to maintain relationships for optimal brain health. "Do things that you really enjoy doing yourself, but also with other people," Schott advises.
"Staying connected helps you keep in touch with people, you get feedback on people and you can also compare how your brain performance is to other people's. When I have someone who says to me, I'm a bit worried about my memory, my immediate thought is to say what's your memory like compared to those people you hang out with?"
5. Get your blood pressure checked
Monitoring your blood pressure is key for your brain's well-being, Schott says. "We and others have found that it's your blood pressure in your 30s and your 40s which actually may have the most impact on your brain health."
The expert underlines regular blood pressure checks due to their significant role. He points out that dementia arises mainly from two paths: neurodegenerative conditions and cerebrovascular disease, with the latter being related to damage within the brain's blood vessels.
"By reducing the blood pressure, we think we're probably putting less strain on the blood vessels in the brain, which makes them more robust and less likely to get clogged or less likely to burst," he explains.
6. Complete Think Brain Health Check-in
"I would suggest that everybody do our Think Brain Health Check-in," Schott recommends. "It's been used by over half a million people in the UK, and you can go in and you can put in your own personal circumstances, and it'll ask you questions about things like exercise, smoking, diet and alcohol, and will come up with some easy-to-follow advice."
What is dementia?
Dementia is characterised by a decline in cognitive functions such as thinking, memory, and reasoning, severely affecting a person's day-to-day life and activities. Those living with dementia often find it challenging to control emotions, and shifts in personality are common.
Symptoms of dementia can include difficulties with:
Although there is no cure for dementia at the moment, an early diagnosis means its progress can be slowed down in some cases, so the person may be able to maintain their mental function for longer