How to Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease?

One of the biggest concerns most people have as they get older is Alzheimer’s. The thought of developing Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia can be a frightening prospect, especially if you have witnessed someone you love affected by the disease. You may think that all you can do is hope for the best and wait for a pharmaceutical treatment. But the truth is much more encouraging. Promising research shows that there are steps you can take to reduce your risk of developing symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia or to slow the deterioration process if you’ve already been diagnosed.

Tips to Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease

By identifying and controlling your personal risk factors and making simple but effective lifestyle changes, you can maximize your chances of lifelong health and preserve your cognitive abilities for longer. Experts now believe that the risk of Alzheimer’s is not limited to old age, but may actually begin in the brain, often in middle age, long before symptoms are detected. This means it’s never too early to start looking after your brain health. The more you include the following 10 suggestions in your daily life, the longer and stronger your brain will continue to work. You will also be better able to reduce your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia or delay the onset of more severe symptoms.

1. Exercise Regularly

Regular physical exercise can reduce your risk of Alzheimer’s disease by up to 50 percent. What’s more, exercise may also slow further deterioration in people who begin to develop cognitive problems. Exercise protects against Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia by stimulating the brain’s ability to maintain old connections and form new ones.

Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise each week. The ideal plan includes a combination of cardio exercise and strength training. Good activities for beginners include walking and swimming. Build muscle to strengthen your brain. Moderate weight and resistance training not only increases muscle mass but also helps protect your brain health. For people over 65, adding 2-3 strength workouts to your weekly routine can cut your risk of Alzheimer’s in half.

2. Give Importance to Social Participation

Humans are extremely social creatures. It is not possible to develop both physique and brain in isolation. Staying socially engaged may even protect against symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia in later life. That’s why you can make it a priority to develop and maintain a strong network of friends. Although many of us become lonelier as we get older, it is never too late to meet others and develop new friendships.

3. Pay Attention to Healthy Nutrition

In Alzheimer’s disease, inflammation and insulin resistance damage neurons. For this reason, communication between brain cells is blocked. Alzheimer’s is sometimes described as “brain diabetes.” A growing body of research suggests a strong connection between metabolic disorders and signal processing systems. But you can help reduce inflammation and protect your brain by adjusting your eating habits. For this, check out the suggestions below:

• Excess weight is a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia. Therefore, keep your weight under control.
• Reduce sugar. Sugary foods and refined carbohydrates, such as white flour, white rice, and pasta, can lead to spikes in blood sugar that inflame your brain.
• Enjoy the Mediterranean diet. Many epidemiological studies show that eating a Mediterranean diet significantly reduces the risk of cognitive impairment and decline from Alzheimer’s disease.
• Get plenty of omega-3 fats. Evidence shows that the DHA found in these healthy fats may help prevent Alzheimer’s disease and dementia by reducing beta-amyloid plaques.
• Include leafy greens, berries, and cruciferous vegetables like broccoli in your diet to maximize protective antioxidants and vitamins.

In addition, cook meals at home frequently. By cooking at home, you can be sure to eat fresh, healthy meals that are rich in brain-healthy nutrients and low in sugar, salt, unhealthy fats and additives.

4. Learn New Things

You can challenge your brain by learning new things throughout life. Activities that involve multiple tasks or require communication, interaction, and organization offer the greatest benefits. Take time every day to stimulate your brain. Learn a foreign language, practice a musical instrument, or learn to paint or sew. One of the best ways to pick up a new hobby is to enroll in a course and then schedule regular times to practice. The greater the novelty, complexity and challenge, the greater the benefit.

If you’re not eager to learn something new, you can challenge your brain by increasing your skills and knowledge about something you already do. For example, if you can play the piano and don’t want to learn a new instrument, decide to learn a new piece of music or improve how well you play your favorite piece. You can also challenge your brain with puzzles, riddles, intelligence and strategy games. Brain teasers and strategy games provide a great mental workout. It improves your capacity to form and maintain cognitive associations. Solve puzzles, play board games, cards, or word and number games like Scrabble or Sudoku.

5. Pay Attention to Your Sleep Pattern

There are a number of links between poor sleep patterns and the development of Alzheimer’s and dementia. Some studies have highlighted the importance of quality sleep to clear toxins from the brain. Others have linked poor sleep to higher levels of beta-amyloid in the brain. This sticky protein can further disrupt deep sleep, which is necessary for memory formation. If lack of sleep at night slows your thinking or affects your mood, you may be at higher risk of developing or worsening Alzheimer’s disease symptoms. Create a regular sleep schedule. Going to bed and waking up at the same time strengthens your natural circadian rhythms. Your brain’s clock responds to regularity.

6. Strengthen Stress Management

Chronic or persistent stress can cause severe damage to the brain. It can cause shrinkage in an important memory area, inhibiting nerve cell growth and increasing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. However, simple stress management tools can minimize its harmful effects. This can also protect your brain. Quiet your stress response with deep, abdominal breathing. Additionally, keeping stress under control requires regular effort. Learning relaxation techniques such as meditation, gradual muscle relaxation, or yoga can help you reduce and reverse the harmful effects of stress.

7. Pay Attention to Your Vascular Health

There’s plenty of evidence that what’s good for your heart is also good for your brain. Maintaining your cardiovascular health, protecting your brain, may be crucial to reducing your risk for different types of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia. Of course, addressing heart health issues can also help reduce your risk of having a heart attack or stroke in the future. To do this, keep your blood pressure under control and take care of a healthy diet.

8. Manage Your Blood Sugar

Higher than normal levels of blood sugar or glucose can lead to diabetes. This can increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, cognitive impairment and dementia. Making healthy food choices, exercising regularly, and controlling glucose levels can help manage blood sugar.

9. Don’t Ignore Hearing Problems

Hearing loss can affect cognition and dementia risk in older adults and make it difficult to interact with others. To help prevent hearing loss, protect your ears from loud noises and use hearing aids if necessary. If you have hearing problems, do not neglect regular examinations.

10. Take Precautions to Prevent Head Injuries

Head trauma at any stage of life can significantly increase your risk of developing dementia later on. Studies have shown that adults with a history of moderate brain trauma have twice the risk of developing Alzheimer’s later in life compared to their peers without a history of trauma. The risk of developing dementia is more than quadrupled in those with a history of severe traumatic brain injury. Take steps to prevent falls and head injuries, such as making your home fall-proof and wearing shoes with non-slip soles that properly support your feet.