Susan always recognized that when she retired she would be living an active lifestyle. She travels a lot and at 68 she’s been to more than 12 countries and is planning a lot more trips. On some days you’ll find her tackling a hiking trail with her grandchildren, on others she will be volunteering at a local soup kitchen, and sometimes you will see her out enjoying the lake.
Susan always has something new to see or do. But in the back of her mind, Susan is worried that cognitive decline or dementia could change all that.
Her mother showed first signs of dementia when she was about Susan’s age. Over a 15 year period, Susan watched as the woman who had always cared for her and loved her without condition struggled with seemingly simple tasks. She forgets random things. Eventually, she could only identify Susan on a good day.
Having seen what her mother went through, Susan has always attempted to stay healthy, eating a well-balanced diet and exercising. But she isn’t sure that will be enough. Is there anything else she can do that’s been shown to slow cognitive decline and dementia?
Luckily, there are things that can be done to prevent cognitive decline. Here are only three.
1. Exercise Everyday
Susan learned that she’s already on the right track. She does try to get the appropriate amount of exercise each day.
Individuals who do moderate exercise daily have a reduced risk of cognitive decline according to many studies. This same research shows that people who are already coping with some form of mental decline also have a positive impact from consistent exercise.
Researchers believe that exercise may stave off mental decline for a number of very important reasons.
- As an individual gets older, the nervous system deteriorates and consistent exercise can slow this. The brain uses these nerves to communicate with the body, process memories, and consider how to do things. Exercise slows this breakdown so scientists think that it could also slow mental decline.
- Neuroprtection factors may be enhanced with exercise. There are mechanisms within your body that safeguard some cells from damage. Scientists believe that an individual who exercises may produce more of these protectors.
- The risk of cardiovascular disease is reduced by exercising. Blood carries oxygen and nutrients to cells in the brain. If cardiovascular disease stops this blood flow, cells die. Exercise may be able to delay dementia by keeping these vessels healthy.
2. Address Vision Concerns
An 18-year study of 2000 individuals with cataracts, demonstrated that having cataract surgery halved the rate of mental decline in the group who had them extracted.
Maintaining healthy eyesight is essential for cognitive health in general even though this research only concentrated on one common cause of eyesight loss.
Eyesight loss at an older age can lead a person to disengage from their circle of friends and stop doing things they enjoy. Further studies have examined links between social isolation and advancing dementia.
If you have cataracts, don’t just dismiss them. You’ll be protecting yourself against the advancement of dementia if you do what’s necessary to preserve healthy vision.
3. Get Hearing Aids
You might be heading towards cognitive decline if you have neglected hearing loss. The same researchers from the cataract research gave 2000 different people who had hearing loss a hearing aid. They tested the progression of mental decline in the same way.
They got even more remarkable results. The individuals who received the hearing aids saw their dementia progression rates decline by 75%. Put simply, whatever existing dementia they might have currently had was nearly completely stopped in its tracks.
This has some probable reasons.
The social component is the first thing. People will often go into seclusion when they have neglected hearing loss because interacting with friends at restaurants and clubs becomes a challenge.
Second, when someone slowly starts to lose their hearing, the brain forgets how to hear. If the person waits years to get a hearing aid, this deterioration progresses into other parts of the brain.
Researchers have, in fact, used an MRI to compare the brains of individuals with neglected hearing loss to people who use a hearing aid. The brain actually shrinks in people with neglected hearing loss.
Obviously, your mental capability and memory are going to start to slip under these conditions.
If you have hearing aids, wear them to stave off dementia. If you have hearing loss and are hesitant to get hearing aids, it’s time to schedule a visit with us. Find out how you can hear better with modern technological advancements in hearing aids.
References
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3258000/
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2018/10/11/hearing-aids-slow-dementia-75-new-study-finds/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6581941/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5764000/
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/healthy_aging/healthy_body/the-hidden-risks-of-hearing-loss
