The news is that there is no cure for dementia, but there are steps we can take to keep our minds healthy and reduce our risk. These include compensatory strategies — like using songs to memorize the names of presidents — and simple lifestyle changes.
Eat a well-balanced diet of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy and fish. Get 7-8 hours of sleep each night. Stay on top of health conditions and manage your medications.
Eat Well
A healthy diet is important for a healthy brain. The MIND diet, which is high in fatty fish like salmon, kale and spinach as well as nuts, berries and eggs, has been shown to increase the volume of gray matter in the brain.
Antioxidant-rich foods like blueberries, dark berries, and arugula are packed with nutrients that help protect the brain from oxidative damage. Turmeric, a popular spice that has been getting a lot of attention lately, contains an active ingredient called curcumin that may improve memory and cognitive function. Leafy greens are rich in vitamins A and K, which are essential for proper brain function. Nuts and whole grains are good sources of B vitamins, which have also been linked to improved brain health.
Exercise
Exercise is key to keeping your body and brain healthy. Aerobic exercise, like walking, jogging or swimming is the best for your brain; it boosts blood flow to the brain and helps maintain brain cell growth and improves memory.
It’s also important to challenge your brain with learning new things and using all of your senses. Playing a musical instrument, learning a language, taking a cooking class or even playing chess are ways to keep your mind active.
People with a higher level of education, who engage in mentally stimulating activities and who exercise are less likely to develop Alzheimer’s or other degenerative mental disorders. It’s also helpful to see your healthcare provider regularly for regular health checks to help prevent and treat issues that can lead to memory loss, including high blood pressure, diabetes, depression, stress and obesity.
Stay Active
As people age, it’s important to stay active both physically and mentally. Regular physical activity transfers blood, oxygen and nutrients to the brain and can help reduce your risk of memory loss. Mental exercise such as reading, doing crossword puzzles and jigsaw puzzles, learning a new language or hobby, playing games or volunteering can also keep the mind sharp and may even prevent some forms of dementia.
While there are all kinds of gimmicks that claim to keep your brain young and healthy, there is no single treatment proven to 100% prevent dementia or Alzheimer’s. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth trying to live your best life and make the most of your health.
Stay Social
Social interaction is important at every age. From the time they’re infants, babies pick up on social cues through verbal and physical interactions, which helps them build and maintain brain connections throughout their lives. Even older adults need to stay connected, with a recent study showing that people who have an active social life have a 70% lower risk of Alzheimer’s.
Learning something new is also great for your brain. It enriches brain networks and opens up routes that your brain can use to bypass damage, studies show. Try learning a language, taking a class, or volunteering in your community.
Get regular health check-ups to ensure that any conditions, such as high blood pressure or depression, are treated and under control. Getting enough sleep is important, too.
Relax
You’ve been working on a big presentation or drafting a legal brief and you just can’t seem to get it right. But when you step away and take a deep breath, the next time you sit down to study or work on the project, everything clicks together. That’s because the relaxation and stepping away allowed your brain to process and make the connections that had been blocked by stress.
It’s also important to challenge your mind with new activities. Just like exercise builds muscles, mental stimulation builds neurons. So try a new word game, play an instrument or learn a new language. Also, it’s important to manage any health conditions you may have because they can affect your memory. So get regular check-ups to nip any issues in the bud.