John Vorhaus6 Tips You Can Do to Take Care of Your Brain Health During the Mid Age
There is a big difference between dementia and Alzheimer’s, which middle aged men and women are concerned about, and some of these differences will be discussed below. Not only that, but some tips on how to improve your brain health, so you can reduce your risk of dementia and/or Alzheimer’s, will be discussed.
Difference Between Alzheimer’s and Dementia
Both conditions can affect your ability to remember things, your thinking skills and even your language can be affected. Daily activities can be difficult to do and you might struggle both emotionally and behavior wise.
Generally speaking, Alzheimer’s Disease is one of the main causes of dementia. When a person is diagnosed with dementia, then it means there are set of symptoms that they are being diagnosed with. Some forms of dementia are reversible, but Alzheimer’s Disease is not reversible, which is another difference.
Here are more details about how the two are different. With that said, some of the things middle aged men and women can do to take care of their brain health and reduce their risks of dementia and Alzheimer’s include:
- Exercise
There is research that suggests that using your muscles may provide benefits to your brain. In research, it was shown that animals were able to increase the number of blood vessels that deliver oxygen-rich blood to the area of the brain that’s responsible for thinking. This was shown in animals that exercised on a regular basis. Exercise also plays a role in helping the brain become more adaptive due to it helping in the development of nerve cells. Furthermore, exercise helps the brain by reducing mental stress, improving cholesterol levels, lowering blood pressure levels and it fights diabetes.
- Eat A Good Diet
Practicing good eating habits is a great way for you to help your brain. A reduce caloric intake has been associated with a lower risk of mental decline. Determine how many calories you should consume regularly and then aim to get that many. Also, you’ll want to reduce the amount of cholesterol and saturated fat from animal sources, as well as limit your intake of hydrogenated vegetable oil. Don’t forget to consume vitamin B12, B6 and folic acid. These vitamins are known for lowering levels of homocysteine, which has been associated with a higher risk of dementia.
- Work On Improving Your Blood Pressure
When you are middle age and you have high blood pressure, then you are at a higher risk of suffering from cognitive decline. It’s in your best interest to make necessary modifications to your lifestyle if you want to lower your blood pressure levels. Some of the best ways to do this is to exercise on a regular basis, keep yourself lean and reduce the amount of alcohol you consume. Do not drink more than two alcoholic beverages per day. Other things you can do is eat right and reduce stress.
- Avoid Abusing Alcohol and Tobacco Products
As previously mentioned, you should only limit yourself to no more than two alcoholic drinks per day. You do not want to abuse alcohol because this has been linked to a higher increase for dementia. In fact, abusing alcohol is one of the most major risk factors associated with dementia. By avoiding alcohol altogether, you can drastically reduce your risk. It’s worth pointing out that there are a number of studies that show there is a reduced risk of dementia in those who are older and keep their alcohol consumption low. Besides that, you’ll want to avoid all tobacco products. It doesn’t matter what they are, just avoid them at all costs.
- Try to Be in Control of Your Emotions
Not many people realize this, but depression, anxiety and depriving themselves of sleep can cause their cognitive abilities to decline. If you’re middle aged, then it is more important now to get enough sleep than it was when you were in you early 20s or 30s. Take care of your emotions and get plenty of sleep if you want to maintain and improve good brain health.
- Mental Stimulation Is Important
Finally, get mental stimulation because this is important. Research suggests that the brain may generate new cells when it is being stimulated. As for what activities you can do, there are many. You can take a few courses or you can read regularly. You can also new games that challenge you to think, such as word puzzles or math problems. Doing just about anything that stimulates your mind can help improve your overall brain health, especially if you are middle aged.
Remember, nobody is invincible when it comes to being diagnosed with dementia or Alzheimer’s. The good news is the above things can improve your brain health and help you fight Alzheimer’s and dementia. Everyone should do the above, especially those who are middle aged.