Written by: Emma Thomas
Dementia is a critical condition that affects the cognitive abilities of patients. It starts as casual lapses in temporary memory and progresses into the loss of language, identity, and emotional stability. The condition is caused by neurological degeneration by age and tends to become a challenge for not just the individual but also their family members.
The most worrying fact about dementia is that it is growing increasingly in the aging population across the developed and developing nations. The seismic shift in lifestyle through the gravitation towards sedentary living has acted as a catalyst for the cause.
To help our readers prevent the onslaught of this detrimental health hazard, our team has a list of eight steps that can help you maintain the distance from this disease. The key to success is to begin strategist today.
So get yourself a pen and notebook today to start right away!
Physical activity
Remember when we were forced to participate in physical sports during school? That was one of the best non-academic things school has instilled in our daily habits. The addition of a physical chore that builds endurance and muscle strength is like a sure-shot way of keeping the onslaught of dementia at bay.
When you engage in physically-taxing exercises like running, working out, aerobics, or even swimming, you boost the activity in your neurological centers. Hence, you prevent the development of plaque in the neural passageways that lead to dementia after fifty years of age.
Proper hydration
Drinking more than the average amount of water required for daily activities is irrevocably the best health practice. It keeps you healthy, happy, and safe from neurodegeneration for a lot longer than anything else. Proper hydration is beneficial for the skin, cardiovascular health, and also keeps the mind focused. What else could one ask for?
Invest in good nutrition
You are what you eat. When you consume sugary foods that look like deep-fried potatoes and blobs of cheese, your energy and metabolic speeds begin to resemble the looks of a sloth. This is why the use of sugary foods and beverages is discouraged as it can lead to obesity and also diabetes. Unhealthy foods paired with a sedentary lifestyle sounds like a recipe for disaster! This is why you must invest your energy in the consumption of leafy vegetables and fruits rich in antioxidants.
It helps in the accumulation of good minerals and vitamins to boost the brain’s activity that could possibly prevent the decomposition of neural synapses. Remember to add nuts and good fats to your diet to avoid developing memorial lapses before hitting seventy candles on your birthday cake.
Improve social skills
Social skills play a very critical role in our lives and cognition. The more we speak to people, interact with them, and engage in social activities that broaden our horizons, the better we are. Developing empathy for others and trying to improve cooperative skills help the individual improve their mental health. It keeps you away from the grasp of depression, which is the number one, undiagnosed cause of dementia in men aged forty and above.
Click here to learn more about how you can socialize online in the times of lockdown.
Avoid the use of addictive substances and alcohol
There is no harm in indulging in a glass or two of red wine every now and then. But if you tend to drink habitually or are used to smoke a packet of cigarettes within a few hours every day, then we must let you know that you are on a quick route to dementia.
Hence in order to avoid stumbling on the path, you must limit the use of addictive substances and restrict yourself to a little alcohol. Try eating dark chocolate instead! It is an indulgence that can boost your mental capacities!
Strengthen your mind
A strong mind that engages in critical activities is always healthy enough to beat dementia before it encamps on the brain. Brain strengthening activities that are easy and quick include playing video games that involve critical thinking, solving crossword puzzles, and trying to engage in challenging activities that push you past your limits of comfort.
Learn new things
Learning new languages and musical instruments is a fun way of engaging critical neurological pathways. It helps the individual increase their knowledge and helps them gain a skill that can help you get better at life. The retention of a new language past the initial twenty years of life is very challenging as the brain has to change its patterns of memory. This facilitates the development of new synaptic responses in the brain.
Sit in the sun
Sitting in the sun boosts the absorption of Vitamin D in the body. Since the nutrient not absorbed in greater volumes through any other measures. The increased exposure to healthy sunlight strengthens your bones and skin and helps you have the best mental abilities until a long age of health and happiness.
Be kind to yourself
Being kind to yourself is not an easy thing. This involves self-care when you are emotionally struggling for support and taking breaks when work gets slightly over the top. This can help you remain sound and safe when emotionally taxing events take place. ‘You must also invest in psychotherapy if you have been feeling depressed or have symptoms of any other mental illness, it is better to be careful than to succumb to a disease so severe that you lose sight of yourself.
Final Thoughts
Dementia is a disease that you must work against to live a life of quality and joy in your retirement years. Try developing a set of good health routines today to improve your chances of prevention. So what are you waiting for? Try some of these activities today. After all, the lockdown is the best time to improve your health!
