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Senile dementia is a disease manifested by memory loss and other cognitive problems that prevent the patient from living his daily life.
It occurs in various forms, for example as vascular dementia, Parkinson’s or Huntington’s disease.
However, the most common form, which accounts for 60 to 80% of all cases, is Alzheimer’s disease.
Early signs of dementia
If we cannot remove the cause of dementia, it becomes a progressive disease.
Its most common early symptoms are:
- apathy
- depression
- problems remembering current events
- incoherent speech
- difficulty engaging in meaningful conversation
- forgetting the names of familiar people
Risk factors for dementia
In addition to increasing age, these risk factors also significantly influence dementia:
- head injuries
- poor thyroid function
- low physical activity
- poor diet and deficiency of several vitamins
- use of certain medications
- cardiovascular diseases, such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure or diabetes
- alcohol consumption
- smoking
How to prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s and senile dementia
If you do not want to develop these diseases later in life, you must not postpone the necessary steps until it is too late. You must start doing them now.
Here are 9 measures to take:
1. Stop smoking
Smoking causes great damage to the body, including brain damage. According to several studies, smokers have up to a 45% higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s than non-smokers.
Therefore we strongly recommend that you try to give up this bad habit.
2. Start being more physically active
To strengthen the circulatory system, it is necessary to support blood flow and the heart rate.
Regular exercise can prevent several chronic diseases. It is recommended to exercise at least 30 minutes a day.
3. Take B vitamins
B vitamins reduce the level of homocysteine in the blood, which damages blood vessels and arteries. High levels of it increase the risk of heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases.
To prevent age-related decline of the body, take B vitamins in the form of dietary supplements.
4. Ensure you get enough vitamin D
Researchers have found a connection between low vitamin D levels and cognitive decline that leads to signs of dementia.
Get vitamin D either by spending enough time in direct sunlight (at least 30 minutes a day), or by supplementing it during the winter months.
5. Challenge your brain
Scientists have also found that the onset of dementia in bilingual (two-language) people is delayed by up to 5 years compared to people who speak only one language.
Challenging the brain provides significant benefits. Other options include solving crosswords, which delay dementia on average by 2.5 years.
6. Avoid head injuries
If you ride a bike, always wear a helmet on your head. Protect your head in all other sports with available protective gear as well.
Brain injuries contribute to an earlier onset of its cognitive decline.
7. Limit alcohol consumption
While moderate alcohol consumption has a positive effect on the cardiovascular system, excessive consumption significantly harms the body, especially the brain.
The limit is one standard alcoholic drink per day (1 beer or 2 deciliters of wine or 0.5 dl of hard liquor).
8. Watch your parameters
You should always be aware of your current condition and regularly check your blood pressure, weight, body mass index (BMI) and blood cholesterol level.
The main predictors of dementia are the health of the circulatory system and your metabolism.
If you want to have a healthy mind, you simply must also have a healthy body.
9. Social relationships
Another important factor in preventing dementia is maintaining healthy social connections and relationships.
For example, you can walk with a friend in nature, or at least speak more often with your friends and family to prevent problems with diminished brain activity.
Many doctors also recommend learning new things at any age. It has a directly beneficial effect on your brain.
