Our brains and mental functions change with age. It’s a commonly feared consequence of ageing, especially among young people with sharp minds and impeccable memories. It’s normal to forget where you put your keys or occasionally miss an appointment. These slip-ups don’t have to indicate a sign of Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. However, difficulty completing familiar tasks or losing track of the date or season could be a sign. As researchers continuously work to find a way to prevent Alzheimer’s disease, taking care of your brain and body is the most proactive way to prolong your cognitive health.
How well your brain can perform mental processes determines your cognitive health. This includes remembrance, learning abilities, and using language. A healthy brain also plays a role in a healthy body with several ways you keep your body healthy coinciding with keeping your brain healthy. Cognitive impairment does not have to be inevitable if you proactively maintain your brain function long before signs of impairment. Let’s dive into what cognitive impairment is and how you can maintain your brain function long-term.
Nova Vita Solutions
Aging shouldn’t have to be a dreaded concept. At Nova Vita, we focus on longevity and anti-aging services. Our NAD+ infusion is proven to result in beneficial effects against aging and age-related diseases. Increased levels of NAD+ in the body are known to extend lifespan. Our red light therapy uses specific wavelengths of red light to stimulate your body’s internal biochemical processes that repair damaged skin and replenish dead skin cells. Our anti-aging Hydrafacial clears away dead skin and debris and infuses your skin with antioxidants, peptides, and hyaluronic acid. Additionally, Nova Vita’s weight management will assess an appropriate diet and lifestyle plan targeted toward your health and age-related concerns. Contact us today to get ahead of aging consequences.
What is Brain Health?
Brain health is how well a person’s brain functions across several areas:
- Cognitive health: how well you think, learn, and remember.
- Motor function: how well you make and control movement, including balance.
- Emotional function: how well you interpret and respond to emotions.
- Tactile function: how well you feel and respond to sensations of touch.
- Sensory function: how well you see, hear, taste, and detect smells.
Your brain health can be affected by normal age-related changes in the brain, as well as traumatic brain injuries, strokes, mood disorders such as depression, substance abuse, addiction, and diseases such as Alzheimer’s and dementia.
What is Cognitive Decline?
Cognitive decline is when your brain doesn’t perform as well as it used to. For example, an older individual may have difficulty remembering things or learning a new task. Some cognitive decline is a normal part of aging. A cognitive decline that happens quickly or noticeably affects day-to-day activities is called dementia. Dementia is an umbrella term for loss of memory and other thinking abilities that are severe enough to interfere with daily tasks. Alzheimer’s disease is a specific brain disease marked by symptoms of dementia that worsen over time. Typically, Alzheimer’s disease first affects learning abilities and early symptoms include changes in memory, thinking, and reasoning skills.
Cognitive decline can also be affected by brain injuries such as traumatic brain injury, mood disorders such as depression, substance abuse, or addiction.
While the consequences of aging and normal cognitive decline are not always reversible, you can do things to reduce your risk of decline. Scientific research suggests that there are small changes you can make to reduce your risk of cognitive decline and maintain your brain health. By implementing these healthy choices into your routine you can support your brain function now and for years to come.
Get Mental Stimulation
Brain activities can help maintain cognitive health in older adults, even stimulating new connections between nerve cells and generating new cells. Mentally stimulating activities should help improve your brain function. Activities can include reading, taking a new course, engaging in word puzzles and math problems, and other creative mental exercises such as drawing, writing, painting, and other crafts.
Staying mentally active is not just important to your brain performance, it benefits your mental health. Try challenging yourself to learn something new like crocheting and you’ll find your attention and focus increases as does your mood. Read to stay informed and educated, but also just for fun. When socializing with friends, try out a new card game, complete a puzzle over a charcuterie board, or try other memory exercises together.
Stay Physically Active
Being physically active, through regular exercise, household chores, and other activities has many benefits. You will benefit from improved strength, energy, balance, and mood. Exercise lowers blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels, all of which help your brain as well as your heart health. Exercise also boosts blood flow to the brain and increases the connections between brain cells (synapses). This means your brain is more plastic, adaptive, and efficient, which is important in counteracting the cognitive decline that comes with aging.
The CDC recommends that all adults get at least 150 minutes of physical activity weekly. If you’re new to intense physical activity, walking (even socially with friends) is a great start. Always consult your healthcare provider before starting a new exercise regimen that may be affected by any current health conditions. Additionally, we recommend exploring programs that teach you about safety to prevent falls which can lead to serious brain injuries.
Prioritize Your Physical Health
In addition to regular exercise, there are several other ways taking care of physical health will benefit your cognitive health:
- Ask your doctor about regular health screenings you should look into as you age. These may include breast cancer, colon cancer, and cervical cancer screenings. (Nova Vita regularly hosts HerScan events that can detect breast cancer)
- Review medication side effects that could impact your memory, sleep, or brain function
- Reduce your risk for falls that could lead to brain injuries by removing hazards around your home.
- Treat age-related sensory conditions such as hearing or vision loss.
- Manage chronic health conditions such as high blood pressure (your doctor may suggest exercise, changes in your diet, and medication if needed), diabetes, depression, and more.
- Limit alcohol consumption and ask your doctor if any current medications can be dangerous when mixed with alcohol.
- Eat a nutritious diet full of vitamins and fiber.
- Prioritize your sleep. It’s no secret that sleep quality drastically affects our brain function!
Eat a Healthy Diet
Countless studies show that a healthy diet can help reduce the risk of many chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes and how certain diets can reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s and maintain cognitive function. Generally, a “healthy” and balanced diet consists of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, fish, poultry, and low-fat dairy products. Limit solid fats, sugar, and salt, and control your portion sizes. A healthy diet includes plenty of water intake as well.
Some studies have shown that people who eat a Mediterranean or MIND diet (rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, olive oil, beans, and fish) have a lower risk of dementia. The MIND diet has also been associated with a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s and some studies show a slower rate of cognitive decline.
While no single supplement is recommended for preventing Alzheimer’s and cognitive decline, taking a daily multivitamin may improve memory and cognition.
Address Physical and Mental Health Concerns
Several health conditions can affect the brain and cognitive functions. Examples include:
- Stroke: can damage blood vessels in the brain and increase the risk for vascular dementia.
- Depression: can lead to confusion or attention deficit and has been linked to dementia.
- Delirium: appears as a sudden state of confusion and can be followed by cognitive decline and impairment.
If you have any of these health concerns or other physical and/or mental conditions it’s important to seek treatment. Your doctor will suggest effective management through medication and lifestyle changes that may help prevent or delay cognitive decline.
Stay Social
Keeping in touch with your family, friends, and neighbors through social activities can support your brain function and combat loneliness and mental health issues. Research shows high social engagement is associated with better cognitive health in later life. To strengthen your social connections, consider doing volunteer work or joining a group focused on a hobby of yours, such as a book club or hiking group. Introduce yourself to neighbors, have people over for dinner, and call family members frequently.
Bottom Line
As we age, it’s normal to experience some memory loss, decreased mental sharpness, and slower cognitive processing. If it gets to the point that these issues severely interfere with daily functioning, you may be at risk of dementia or Alzheimer’s. Staying active, eating a healthy and balanced diet, getting adequate sleep, and engaging in mentally stimulating and social activities can help reduce your risk of cognitive decline as you age. Contact Nova Vita for longevity and age-related support.
