How to Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia?

Trying to prevent Alzheimer’s and dementia diseases has very little chances, is a fact well known for many years now. The truth is that there is another alternative to prevent and you can do this by reducing the risk- by exercising, eating right, staying socially and mentally active and keeping the stress levels in check. Leading a healthy brain lifestyle helps preventing symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease & dementia and you can reverse the deterioration process.

The prevalence rate of Alzheimer’s disease is increasing and so now more concentration is given to preventing strategies than treatment and cure. Researchers are racing to find a cure, but they now consider the best is to prevent the Alzheimer’s disease symptoms and other dementias by following a combination of healthful habits. Alzheimer’s disease accounts for the dementia cases to approximately 50 percent, wherein the chance of vascular dementia is 40 percent in older adults, and there is much to do to prevent this dementia. Thus, it is best to promote your brain reserves as early as possible, regardless of your age and you can do this to make your brain healthy. Adopting good lifestyle habits will protect your brain from Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

Physical exercises reduce nearly 50 percent of the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Regular exercise helps people who have begun developing cognitive problems. Start exercise programs does not mean you have to begin with full force by joining a gym. You can consider small ways of getting movement such as taking the stairs, walking from the parking lot, walking in the block while on your mobile phone or carrying your groceries. Regular exercise will help you in preventing Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Below are few tips for begin and adhere with your exercise plan:

• Initiate aerobic exercise for 30 minutes five times a week. You may indulge in other activities such as swimming, walking or other activities that increases your heart rate. Even regular activities such as cleaning, gardening or going to a market or a temple is best.
• Increase muscle mass so that your brain health is maintained. You may combine strength training and aerobics to make it interesting. People over 65, can cut risk by increasing 2-3 sessions as weekly routine.
• Include coordination and balance exercises. This helps you in avoiding spills and in staying agile. Perform exercises using balance balls or balance discs.
• Stick with an exercise program for a month and make it a habit. If you find this interesting, try new changes by keeping an exercise routine. It will give a natural feel. Make a list of workout and post it in the place where you will see and reward yourself frequently.
• A key factor is to protect your head. This increases the Alzheimer disease risk. Hits in sports activities such as soccer, football and boxing or even while skating, an accident in motorcycle or even a bicycle. Protect your brain wearing helmets. Keep away from activities that will zap your attention such as stop driving while you are talking on cell. A moment’s distraction is enough for a brain injury.

You can prevent Alzheimer’s disease & dementia with healthy eating habits. Your brain like the other body parts needs good nutritious diet. Eat fresh fruits and vegetables in plenty, and do not fail to include healthy fats and lean proteins. Eating habits provide steady fuel and thus reduce inflammation. Here are some food tips that ensure protection:

• Eat a mediterranean diet that is rich in nuts, olive oil, fish, whole grains and includes fresh produce in abundance. Occasionally, eat a dark chocolate and drink a glass or red wine.
• Eat that is good for the heart as the same is good for your brain as well and thus reduces heart problems and the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
• Avoid saturated and trans fats by avoiding full-fat dairy products, fried foods, fast foods, red meat and packaged or processed foods.
• Get enough omegas 3 fats as it helps preventing dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Include cold water fish such as sardines, salmon, mackerel, trout and tuna.
• Eat small meals all through the day. Eat at regular intervals. Avoid refined carbohydrates that have white flour and sugar in high quantities and inflame your brain. Maintain blood sugar levels consistently.
• Emphasize on fruits and vegetables. Include daily servings of green leafy vegetables and berries as a brain-protective regimen. Enjoy colorful fruits.
• Have green tea to promote memory and mental alertness. Oolong and white teas are great for healthy brain. Drink daily 2-4 cups and enjoy the benefits. However, coffee, not as powerful as tea, it also assures brain benefits.

Challenging your brains and in the process, learning new things are a beautiful way of keeping Alzheimer’s disease and dementia at a distance. This is because your brain in mentally active. Activities that involve multiple tasks or need interaction, communication and organization give greatest protection. You may stimulate your brain with brain boosting activities such that you are mentally active at all times.

• Learn a foreign language, a sign language, practice some musical instrument, take up a new hobby or read a good book or a newspaper. The greater is the challenge, the larger is your brain reserves working.
• Memorize like begin with something short and progress to a little more. This may be anything such as prayers, or state capitals or rhymes. This strengthens your memory links.
• Capture details and understand every detail as who, where, what, why and when. This can be related to daily experiences and you can practice as a crime detective.
• Enjoy riddles, puzzles and strategy games. Strategy games and brain teasers offer mental workout and helps in retaining cognitive associations. Play cards or board games, number games, work with words, do Sudoku or scrabble. These games are simple, but give your brain some work to keep it active. It works as a good healthy food for your brain and ensures your memory is retained to a great extent.
• Take new routes, rearrange the computer system and eat with a hand that is non-dominant. Your habits can be changed within limits so that you are not confused, but do not give up finding new pathways and stimulating your brain.

High quality sleep can help you in preventing Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Your brain requires good sleep to function well. Deprivation of sleep leaves a person tired and cranky, besides also impairs the ability to think, process, solve problems and recall some information. Deep sleep is essential for memory retention. There is a great risk of Alzheimer symptoms developing, if you are deprived of night sleep and if it affects your mood and thinking. Majority adults require sleeping 8 hours at night. There is trouble if it is less than 6-7 hours.

Below are few tips to fight insomnia and catch up with sleep:

• Follow a sleep schedule regularly. Go and get up at same time, so that your brains clock responds to regularity.
• Avoid napping. If you take a nap, it is certainly recharging. However, for older adults it worsens insomnia. Avoid napping if insomnia is an issue and if you nap, limit it to 30 minutes and in the early noon timings.
• Reserve your bed for sleeping; avoid computers and television in the bedroom as it leads to hindrances in falling asleep.
• Create a ritual of bedtime. Do some light stretches, take bath, dim the lights and write a journal. As a habit follows, your brain will receive a signal to sleep.
• Stop the inner chatter. In case you find anxiety, stress or negative dialogues haunt you and you are unable to get the sleep. Avoid rolling on bed. It is best to relax by reading or relaxing by listening to music in another room for few minutes and to hop back to bed. Keep away the clock and do not keep looking at the clock as it will make you alert that you are unable to sleep. Calm your mind with prayers and make it a practice to keep the thoughts out of your mind. Initially, it may be a problem, with practice it will work.

Effective stress management will help you in preventing Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Stress takes a heavy toll and the primary memory area gets affected. Thus it also hinders the growth of nerve cell and thereby increases Alzheimer’s risk. There are tools to curb or reduce the harmful effects. Try the below tips to keep stress levels in check:

• Stress alters with your breathing rate. You can make your stress response quiet with abdominal deep breathing. This has an impact on the oxygen levels inside the brain. It is simple, powerful and free that can be practiced regularly. Thus you can stay stress free effortlessly.
• Relaxation activities must be scheduled daily. This can be done by keeping stress under control, but it is possible only with regular effort. Take a walk in the park, do yoga or play with your dog or a soothing massage or bath, anything that is relaxation must be your priority.
• Mind body connection is actually very strong and so associate spirituality. This nourishes the inner peace. However, regular prayer, meditation, reflection and practice immunize you from the stress and its damaging effects.

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