Caring for an Aging Brain

 

As we age, memory loss and dementia become what we most fear. We fear it more than cancer. Because it robs us of our ability to care for ourselves, to interact with our friends and family and, ultimately of our ability to be us. Many other deadly diseases can now be treated or even reversed. Alzheimer's can't.

The good news is that dementia is not inevitable. And while there is not presently any way to guarantee you will not suffer from it, there is  a great deal that you can do, right now and every day, to minimize your risk.

Cognitive impairment and dementia are diseases, like heart disease, diabetes and cancer. And like these other diseases, they rarely have one single and definitive cause. Yet modern medicine treats cognitive decline as though it were one single thing with one single cause, and such treatment as there is usually targets only one single factor of the disease. This "one-size-fits-all" approach lends itself to drug treatments but often does little good for the patient.

Dr. Ginger Schechter, MD, is the Chief Medical Officer of AffirmativHealth in Sonoma, CA where she focuses on cognitive health. She offers the following lifestyle steps to minimizing your risk and minimizing the degree of impairment if you are affected.

Keep your blood sugar levels under control. Many recent studies have found strong links between blood glucose and insulin levels and dementia. In fact, some doctors have take to referring to cognitive decline as "Type-3 Diabetes". High glucose levels create inflammation in the brain, which is a risk factor in cognitive decline. The best way to control blood sugar levels is with a healthy diet.

Exercise. Regular moderate exercise preserves brain tissue, stimulates areas of the brain involved in cognition and enhances the ability of neurons to generate new connections that improve memory and learning.

Adequate sleep. Sleep is when the body does its repair and maintenance work and also when the brain forms new memories. Poor sleep is strongly linked to cognitive decline and Alzheimer's. If you get less than 7 or more hours of sleep every day, you are at measurably higher risk.

Managing stress. Stress is not a bad thing in itself. It can prompt us to perform better or extract ourselves from a dangerous situation. But when stress becomes chronic it causes the release of inflammatory hormones like cortisol. Long term exposure to stress can damage cognitive health. Try to become aware of the stress in your life and find ways to deal with it through things like breathing, meditation, yoga or anything that helps you relax. No, a couple of Scotches do not count.

These may all sound like the same basic advice we get for managing many health issues, and of course they are. But here is one more that is specifically helpful in lowering your risk of cognitive decline.

Socialize more. Making and maintaining strong social connections with family and friends can significantly reduce your risk of cognitive issues, by as much as 70% according to some studies. 

The bottom line is this. There is a great deal that you can do starting right now to reduce your risk of dementia and cognitive decline. It is never too late to begin. But you do have to begin. So what are you waiting for? Remember to take action. While you still can.