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Every person over the age of 60 is at risk of suffering from dementia, a syndrome in which a fellow loses his memory and the ability to think clearly. Statistics show that, on average, about 10 million new cases of the disease are registered annually. The cause of senile dementia is always brain damage. In some cases, people have a hereditary tendency to the disease, but sometimes the wrong lifestyle leads to this. Scientists believe that even with a predisposition, dementia can be prevented by following a few simple rules every day. This was recently partly proven in a study involving more than a thousand Britons born in 1946. What was the essence of the experiment and what simple rules are we talking about?
How to avoid dementia in old age
According to scientists, the risk of developing dementia in old age is directly influenced by lifestyle. If you spend a lot of time at the computer, rarely read books, and often eat chips and other unhealthy foods, you urgently need to change something in your life. Otherwise, over time, you may notice the occurrence of memory problems, which can flow into full-fledged dementia.
This lifestyle is a direct path to dementia.
Recently, scientists conducted a study in which 1,184 people who were born in 1946 took part. When they were 8 years old, they took a cognitive ability test. At the age of 69, that is, in 2015, the volunteers passed a similar test. The results of these tests were combined with information about their degree of education, participation in community projects and other life achievements.
By examining all this data, the researchers were able to identify some of the lifestyle habits that most reduced the risk of developing dementia. So what do you need to be throughout your life to meet a happy old age?
Try to get the best education
The results of the test showed that people with higher education in old age think much better than people without formal education. This is quite logical, because while studying, a person receives a huge number of skills, which trains memory, logical thinking and brain function in general. So, if you are in your 20s, you should try to get a higher education – it does not matter if you need a diploma in the future or not. And if you are already an “aged” person, you should at least try to learn something new every day. In addition, some people get higher education after 30 years and at an older age.
Constantly learning new skills is important for brain health
Choose an active holiday
From time to time, unloading the brain before watching a series is sometimes useful. But if this is the only scenario for rest, something urgently needs to be done. The test showed that leisure activity saves from dementia even better than getting knowledge at universities. Active recreation is not so much sports, but participation in volunteer projects, attending adult education courses and gardening. People who have included this kind of activity in their lifestyle, thinking in old age turned out to be more clear.
Volunteering is also a good way to develop skills
Improve your professional skills
Especially well the test was solved by people who held a high position. Unfortunately, the harsh reality is that it is very difficult to climb the career ladder even for those who do their job as well as possible. However, the very fact of holding a high position is not very important. For brain health, you just need to be a highly qualified specialist. The point again is that people who constantly improve their professional skills train their brains, thanks to which they retain mental clarity in old age.
High qualifications are needed not only for a good salary
In addition to all this, people need to observe the correct sleep pattern – regular sleep deprivation should not be allowed. In addition, scientists have found evidence that the risk of developing dementia is also affected by the transfer of intestinal infections, so throughout life it is better to carefully monitor what food is on the table. Finally, no matter how hard it is, you need to think about good things more often, because repeated negative thoughts also provoke dementia in old age.
