There is growing scientific evidence that healthy behaviors are linked to preventing cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, as well as lowering the risk of cognitive decline, and possibly even preventing dementia.
Maintain Good Health
Prevent and manage high blood pressure and cholesterol to maintain good heart health. Focus on dietary changes that will make the most difference, like managing your blood sugar, reducing sodium (salt) intake, and consuming less alcohol. Make sure to get high quality sleep regularly.
Maintain a Healthy Weight
Healthy weight isn’t about short-term dietary changes. Instead, it’s about a lifestyle that includes healthy eating and regular physical activity.
Protect Your Head
Closed head injury is the leading cause of cognitive impairment in young adults. Wear a helmet when riding your bike, buckle your seat belt, and remove objects that could lead to a fall in or around your home.
Understand the Risks
Understanding the risks for cognitive impairment is essential for brain health. Besides age, other risk factors include family history, education level, history of head injury, exposure to pesticides or toxins, physical inactivity, and chronic health conditions such as heart disease and stroke, diabetes, and high blood pressure.
Quit Smoking
Quitting smoking now improves your health and reduces your risk of heart disease, cancer, lung disease, and other smoking-related illnesses. Free Quitline: 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669).
Stay Engaged
Keep your mind active with puzzles and learning new tasks and skills. It’s also important to spend time in conversation with others.
Brain Health Education is Available
Many public health initiatives are working to advance awareness about the connection between brain health and physical health. For example, a recent study showed a significant reduction in mild cognitive impairment through aggressive lowering of systolic blood pressure, and high blood pressure and diabetes are risk factors for dementia. This has led educators to target specific areas such as:
- Tobacco prevention and control
- Blood pressure control
- Cardiovascular health management
- Diabetes prevention and management
- Obesity prevention and control
The Bottom Line:
Early diagnosis is key to managing cognitive impairment, especially for people with chronic health conditions. Getting checked by your healthcare provider can help determine if the symptoms you are experiencing are related to dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, or a more treatable condition such as a vitamin deficiency or medication side effects.
In the meantime, you can promote your brain health by focusing on building healthy habits, like making healthy diet choices, being physical active, maintaining a healthy weight and engaging your brain by doing puzzles, enjoying social interactions, and learning new skills, regularly.
