Dementia Prevention: Lifestyle Changes To Reduce The Risk Of Dementia

In this article, we’ll discuss some important lifestyle changes for dementia prevention.

Overview

Dementia is no longer an unfamiliar term. Most people have heard of it. You could even have interacted with someone suffering from it. Or perhaps you show symptoms of dementia?

It is something that no longer feels quaint. But, is it actually a normal part of aging?

The answer is no. Yet, it has become quite common these days. This is because of the unhealthy lifestyle adopted by most people.

You reap what you sow. This holds true in the case of dementia. The way you lead your youth impacts your old age. Although brain injuries are known to be the leading cause of dementia.

What can one do to prevent the onset of dementia? Read on to find out.

What Is Dementia?

Dementia is a mental syndrome. It leads to a set of problems that interfere in a person’s daily life. Most of these issues are either because of brain injury or some kind of trauma. These include:

• Memory loss
• Decline in cognition
• Inability to think
• Personality changes

Dementia could be considered as a general term for a range of diseases, Alzheimer’s is one of them.

Dementia can be chronic or progressive as it gets worse with time. Eventually, a person’s cognitive abilities reach an ultimate low.

This also affects one’s emotions and their social presence is hampered, leading to a loss of motivation.

What Causes Dementia?

Dementia is a group of brain problems. These are caused by abnormal brain changes or damage to connections or parts within the brain.

There could be damage to the brain cells or connecting arteries. Even severely reduced blood flow to parts of the brain contributes to making it difficult for them to interact.

How To Identify Dementia?

Dementia usually onsets in old age. A decline in cognitive capabilities leads to abnormal and possibly even childlike behavior. Some of the most common symptoms of dementia include:

• Basic tasks become the hardest to do
• Short-term memory issues
• Confusion
• Ridiculously short attention span
• Inability to focus
• Poor judgment
• Problems in communication

Can Dementia Prevention Possible?

Prevention is always better than cure. There is nothing that cannot be prevented. All one needs is strong will power.
We have listed some ways to reduce the risk of dementia in your future. The sooner you implement these lifestyle changes, the better the condition of your brain would be.

Lifestyle Changes To Reduce The Risk Of Dementia

1. Eat A Balanced Diet

Eating healthy is the key to avoid health issues and dementia can also be prevented in the same way.

Green, leafy vegetables should be eaten due to their amazing nutrient composition. A healthy and balanced diet should be followed to largely reduce one’s risk of dementia.

This promotes health benefits from a 360-degree perspective. There are many chronic diseases gaining prevalence. Some of these are cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. Even these take a back seat for a person following a healthy balanced diet.

2. Keep Your Mind Active

Your body needs proper exercise. Similarly, the brain also needs exercise.

One should regularly stimulate their brain. This provides short-term as well as long-term benefits.

Challenging your mind keeps it active and reduces the risk of dementia. The brain builds an ability to cope up and easily your brain safe from harm.

3. Get Proper Sleep

A proper sleep routine is a must. One should sleep for 7-8 hours daily as this gives the brain sufficient time to rejuvenate.

People with sleep disorders are at risk as their mind is not able to reboot. They are eventually left stressed and this stress can build to dementia at later stages.

4. Avoid Alcohol Consumption

Alcohol is known the impair an individual’s senses. This occurs as the liquid mixes in the bloodstream and creates a toxic atmosphere. Even worse, the brain fails to send and receive signals from different body parts in an efficient manner.

This is why people can’t walk or see straight when they consume too much alcohol. Chronic consumption not only ruins your liver but also leads to deterioration of brain health. Over time, the brain becomes slow and lands up having to deal with several almost completely inactive regions.

Once parts of your brain are inactive, you are vulnerable to being diagnosed with dementia.

5. Avoid Bad Habits Like Smoking

Smoking is toxic to the lungs and once you get addicted, it would undoubtedly lead to many more health issues.

Smoking harms the blood circulation in the body and adversely affects vital organs. These include the heart and the brain. Due to the nicotine, there is plaque formation in the arteries and it becomes harder for blood to flow to the brain. Even when blood reaches the brain, it is contaminated with the chemicals in a cigarette.

When your brain is receiving impure and toxic blood, what do you expect will happen?

6. Exercise Regularly

Exercising has many benefits and is also the cheapest and most effective method to improve health. Regular exercise keeps blood circulating to and from your brain. This keeps your brain and body active at all times.

It is observed that when dementia patients perform exercises, they begin to show a sign of greater intelligence and fewer dementia symptoms. They also respond quickly and remember occurrences quicker too. All this happens as their brain is receiving greater than usual blood flow and is thus excited.

7. Don’t Be A Social Pariah

People who interact with others have a lower risk of dementia, thus you need to have a social circle to talk it out on a daily basis.

Actively take part in social activities and make efforts to keep in touch with people. Volunteering and helping others can also boost your mental health.

8. Take Therapy If Necessary

Anxiety and depression increase the risk of dementia. People should be cautious about this and never ignore mental illnesses. Speak to a therapist and look for a medication that increases the secretion of hormones that positively impact your mood.

Remember, detection of dementia at an early age is extremely crucial for fending off an increase in incapability caused by the condition. It becomes easier for a doctor to devise a treatment plan and tackle damaged parts of your brain in a step-by-step fashion.

Extra Benefits Of Adopting A Healthy Lifestyle

Implementing these lifestyle changes has several other benefits too.

• Can prevent depression and keep your mental health strong
• Medication side effects are reduced
• The risk of thyroid problems reduces
• Vitamin deficiencies are treated

Dementia Prevention: Conclusion

As long as you lead a lifestyle that involves daily fitness, a balanced diet, and least involvement in bad habits like smoking and drinking, you are on the safe side of dementia.