Dementia is Horrible. And the Older you Get, The More You Worry About it. Here’s How to Help Prevent Dementia
April 2023
Many people in middle age care for parents or in-laws who have dementia. Is it a foretaste of what’s to come for them? Or can you prevent dementia from happening to you?
The good news is that dementia CAN be prevented – or at least delayed.
There’s some fascinating research on dementia, as well as great advice on how to avoid it in later life.
Let’s look at these all-natural methods to stay safe and well as you age gracefully.
What Is Dementia?
It’s a disease that causes the destruction of brain cells, which erodes memory, thinking, movement and personality – sometimes all at once.
Dementia is now the number 1 killer in the UK. And it’s a massive problem in the US.
Is It Inevitable That You’ll Get Dementia As You Age?
No, it’s not inevitable.
Dementia is most common in developed countries with older populations. By comparison, there’s almost no dementia in indigenous Amazon tribes.
Can You Prevent Dementia?
Experts say that around 40% of dementia cases can be prevented or delayed – that’s HUGE!
You MIGHT still get dementia even if you do everything right, but you can definitely reduce your risk of Alzheimer’s or dementia in 4 ways.
Here’s what to do.
Prevent Dementia By Starting Young
One of the interesting facts is that, even though most people get dementia as they age, in fact the seeds are sown in your brain while you are young.
Research shows that if you get a good education when you are young, you have a better chance of preventing dementia.
For many people, this isn’t possible, for example due to household income and home environment.
But a good education makes you more resilient and builds up the brain, helping to protect it from damage later on.
Here’s something fascinating –
- People who have had an excellent education and use their brain well throughout their life, seem to get brain damage from dementia as they age – but don’t appear to suffer the problems associated with the disease.
- People who have NOT had a good education but work in jobs that stretch their brains every day, may also get dementia damage in their brain – but don’t seem to suffer from it.
So perhaps most people get dementia symptoms in their brain, but it’s less likely to manifest or show the symptoms if your brain is active – isn’t that amazing?
This research seems to show that it’s all about using your brain throughout your life, learning new things and challenging your brain all the time, and staying social and interacting with lots of people.
If you’re retired, find something to do that uses your brain. And do puzzles or play cards or read books instead of watching late-night TV. Grandkids keep you on your toes by asking lots of questions that keep your brain working!
Stay Nourished
Your brain can’t be healthy unless you give it good nutrition.
A healthy diet also helps to prevent other diseases such as diabetes, heart disease etc., but mostly, healthy eating protects your brain.
Avoiding fast food and processed foods is always good. If you want something more specific, consider the Mediterranean diet which focuses on fresh foods with healthy fats.
It’s not clear if supplements really work – it’s always better to get your nourishment from real food instead of chemical pills. But one that does seem to work, and is important to take, is a vitamin D supplement if you don’t get enough sunshine. It helps you to sleep and protect your bones, amongst other benefits.
Get Your Hearing Checked to Prevent Dementia
It seems hard to believe, but if you suffer from hearing loss, you’re more likely to suffer from dementia!
When you don’t hear properly, your brain gets less stimulation, but also less social interaction. It shrinks more rapidly if you’re not interacting with people.
If you need to turn up the TV quite loud to be able to hear it, or if you think other people mumble, you might be hard of hearing.
Luckily, this is easy to solve with a hearing aid. There’s still a bit of a stigma about wearing aids, but it’s much more acceptable now, and it can really help – it’s an easy way to help to protect yourself from dementia!
Try Not to Damage Your Brain
There are so many ways to damage your brain, and some of them can’t be helped, for example if you have a traffic accident or a fall.
Being in the military, and many sports can also cause brain injury – boxing, rugby and horse riding for example.
Air pollution, smoking and alcohol (more than 21 units a week) also damage your brain.
And all of them increase your risk of dementia.
Keep Moving to Prevent Dementia
Of course, you knew exercise was going to come up, didn’t you?
People who are active have significantly less risk of dementia. Try to mix it up with aerobic, weight-bearing and other different types of exercise. At least try to walk for half an hour 5 times a week.
Scientists keep finding, again and again, that dementia and Alzheimer’s are LESS common in people who exercise.
Get Enough Sleep
When you don’t get enough sleep, it affects every aspect of your life. And it has a big impact on your brain.
When you sleep, all sorts of wonderful processes happen throughout your body, and one of the most amazing is that toxins are ‘washed’ out of your brain.
If you don’t get enough sleep, this doesn’t happen, and your brain struggles to cope.
Summary
The evidence seems clear.
Dementia CAN be prevented, or at least delayed, by keeping your brain active throughout your life, eating healthy food, protecting your brain from traumatic injuries, sleeping well, keeping moving, stopping smoking and reducing alcohol, and staying social (with a hearing aid if necessary).
The Covid pandemic really showed us how important it is to stay social – there are so, so many cases of people who deteriorated rapidly purely from lack of social connections during that time.
And I think it’s fascinating that there are people who appear to have dementia damage in their brains, but because their brains are active, they don’t seem to suffer from the disease!
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