This is the fourth installment of the ‘Help to Reduce Your Risk and Protect You Brain’ series. The fourth prevention pillar that I will be writing about is quality of sleep. For your brain to function at optimum capacity it needs regular and restful sleep.
Lack of sleep will not only leave you tired and cranky, but it impairs your ability to think, problem-solve and process, store and recall information. If nightly sleep deprivation is slowing your thinking and affecting your mood, you may be at greater risk of developing symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. Deep, dreamy sleep is critical for memory formation and retention. The recommended about of sleep per night for a vast majority of adults is at least 8 hours. Any less, and productivity and creativity suffers.
This is the third installment of the ‘Help to Reduce Your Risk and Protect You Brain’ series. The third prevention pillar that I will be writing about is mental stimulation. Continuing to learn new things and challenging the brain will help to slow down the progress and reduce the risk of dementia in healthy elderly people. In essence, you need to ‘use it or lose it’.
Make time for activities which involve communication, interaction and organization. This can involve games, puzzles, handicrafts and social gatherings. Setting aside time each day will help to stimulate the brain which keeps it active.
This is the second installment of the ‘Help to Reduce Your Risk and Protect You Brain’ series. The second prevention pillar that I will be writing about is a healthy diet. Just like the rest of your body you brain needs a nutritious diet to work at its best. The main focus of a healthy diet is to eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, lean protein and healthy fats.
Researchers believe that gilal cells may help remove debris and toxins from the brain that can contribute to Alzheimer’s disease. Eating foods like ginger, green tea, fatty fish, soy products, blueberries and other dark berries may protect these important cells from damage.
This is the first instalment of the ‘Help to Reduce Your Risk and Protect Your Brain’ series. The first prevention pillar that I will be writing about is regular exercise. According to professional health reports physical exercise helps to reduce the risk of dementia by 50%.
Although we have been told that there is little we can do to prevent the Alzheimer’s disease, there is however truth in reducing your risk. The wheel above shows the 6 pillars of a brain healthy lifestyle to reduce your risk and protect your brain. This includes exercise, healthy diet, mental stimulation, quality sleep, stress management and an active social lifestyle. By leading a brain-healthy lifestyle it may be able to prevent Alzheimer’s symptoms and slow down or even reverse the process of deterioration.
As the elderly population is increasing, the number of people needing care is set to nearly treble globally by 2050. This increase in elderly care means that the traditional system of informal care by family, friends and the community will need much greater support.
