The unpredictable and uncontrollable nature of dementia can make it a terrifying concept. To make matters worse, treatment options remain limited and tend to only slow the progression of the disease. Still, research studies have highlighted various ways to reduce dementia risk.
None of these approaches are guaranteed – and there is still much that we don’t know about the development of dementia. That doesn’t make them worthless ideas. If nothing else, they can all promote health in other ways, including improved cognitive health.
Some of these may also be helpful for seniors, including these with early dementia symptoms.
Ways to Reduce Dementia Risk
- Stay mentally engaged
- Focus on learning
- Pay attention to your senses
- Stay socially active
- Promote your overall health
- Stay physically active
- Believe in yourself
- Minimize alcohol and smoking
- Eat well
- Get enough sleep
1. Stay Mentally Engaged
Keeping your mind sharp is good general advice. It’s also particularly relevant for decreasing dementia risk. After all, the various types of dementia do significantly impact cognition and the way that the brain works. So, it’s not surprising that keeping mentally engaged can have some protective role.
Thankfully, there are many ways to stay mentally engaged. The following are all great examples:
- Skill-based games like chess, card games, sudoku, crosswords, many video games (yes, really) and games on a phone or a tablet.
- Brain training games. There are plenty of games designed to promote cognition, including brain training games and memory games. These can be both entertaining and beneficial.
- Take up a new hobby. Many hobbies involve some mental engagement, especially those that require hand-eye coordination and/or learning a new skill.
- Work with your hands. For that matter, any activity that involves your hands can promote mental engagement, like model building or sewing. Activities that require considerable effort and dexterity are especially powerful. Playing a musical instrument is a great example.
2. Focus on Learning
There is also a link between dementia and education. Research shows that people with less than 10 years of formal education have a higher chance of dementia. Risk is especially high for people who don’t finish secondary school.
While going back to school probably isn’t a viable idea – there are plenty of other ways to learn. Online courses are one example. There may be classes in your local community too, including ones at senior centers.
Research into education and dementia risk has mostly relied on population-based studies – so we don’t know what features of education impact dementia risk. Still, it’s likely that there are still benefits from education in later years.
If nothing else, education is one way to learn new skills and perspectives. It helps to keep the mind active too.
3. Pay Attention to Your Senses
Poor memory sometimes happens because you weren’t paying close attention when events initially occurred. Paying more attention to your environment can help in this area.
The idea also helps you to appreciate moments more as they happen. A simple example is paying attention to the individual flavors in a meal and the ingredients that are responsible for them.
Some people also turn to meditation. The process can make you more aware of the environment around you and allow you to tune into your body better.
4. Stay Socially Active
Social isolation has been linked to various health issues, including an increased risk of depression. On the
Interestingly, the effect seems to be linked to the amount of social contact overall, rather than the strength of the friendship.
This suggests that social clubs offer significant benefits, along with any clubs that have you seeing others on a regular basis.
5. Promote Your Overall Health
Some health issues can contribute to the development of dementia, including obesity, high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes. These patterns highlight the importance of focusing on your health.
Key ways to do so include exercising, eating well and seeing your doctor regularly.
6. Stay Physically Active
Physical activity also has direct implications for your brain. Research suggests that staying active can significantly decrease the risk of cognitive decline.
Joining an exercise class or another type of group-based exercise can be a good way to get the benefits of exercise and social contact at the same time.
It isn’t clear how much exercise is needed to get the most benefits, but many people aren’t getting enough exercise.
7. Believe in Yourself
Confidence in yourself is an underused tool. Maintaining confidence in your own memory and ability to learn can often help you to stay mentally active and try out new things. After all, people with low self-confidence are often more hesitant and may stick to well-used routines.
Self-confidence is particularly important for combating aging stereotypes. Such stereotypes are far too common and they can strongly influence the decisions that people make.
For example, people who regularly talk down their cognitive skills or focus on ‘senior moments’ (even in jest), may make less effort to keep their mind sharp and stay engaged.
8. Minimize (or cut out) Alcohol and Smoking
Both alcohol and smoking are linked to various health problems. For example, high levels of alcohol consumption have been linked to cognitive damage, along with increased heart disease risk. Smoking can increase your blood pressure.
9. Eat Well
Eating good food is important for health and for reducing dementia risk. For one thing, your food choices will influence your weight and your overall health.
This means that you should be eating a balanced diet and following any recommendations from your doctor. Such practices will typically include eating plenty of vegetables and lean protein, while also keeping calorie intake at a desirable level.
Focusing on whole food ingredients and preparing fresh meals is also important. Processed foods often include additives and can be high in calories.
Some foods have also been linked to decreased dementia risk, including the following:
- Berries
- Leafy green vegetables
- Coffee (and caffeine)
- Dark chocolate
- Nuts
- Fish (due to the omega-3)
- Cinnamon
- Turmeric
- Fruits and vegetables overall
If you’re looking for a specific diet approach, consider the Mediterranean Diet. This may help to improve overall health and cognition.
10. Get Enough Sleep
Sleep is one of the most commonly recommended ways to improve your health and for good reason. Getting enough sleep is critical for allowing your body and mind to function optimally.
This also highlights the importance of talking to a doctor about any sleep problems or health issues that may be affecting sleep.
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