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Doctors have revealed the six daily habits that could be prematurely aging your brain.
Although the brain gradually declines after age 60, doctors say it is possible to slow this degeneration, which could help prevent Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.
An estimated 7 million Americans live with some form of dementia, including more than 6 million who suffer from Alzheimer’s, the most common type. Some estimates suggest this number could reach 13 million by 2050.
Dr. Zaldy Tan, director of the Memory and Healthy Aging program at Cedars-Sinai, and Dr. Glen Finney, a member of the American Academy of Neurology, revealed their top tips for keeping your brain healthy in old age.
“Don’t think everything has to happen that way because you’re getting older,” Dr. Finney said. HuffPost.
“Take care of your brain, take care of your body, and if you do, you will be able to age successfully and not undergo as many changes as you might think.”
Some of the activities of brain aging are related to daily habits, such as repetitive routines, lack of social contact, high stress and poor quality of sleep.
But others are lifestyle related, such as eating a lot of prepared or take-out foods and not exercising frequently.
Here are six habits that could be prematurely aging your brain:
The graphic above shows the six habits that two scientists say are likely to accelerate the aging of a person’s brain.
Very little socialization
Over time, someone’s social network may shrink and it may become more difficult to make new friends who live nearby.
This can lead to a lack of social interaction and social isolation.
Doctors say this accelerates brain degeneration by depriving it of stimulation and the chance to build new neural connections.
Meeting and talking to other people engages areas of the brain related to language processing and understanding, and also triggers the release of neurotransmitters that stimulate the creation of new brain cells. Without social interaction, this is not activated.
Previous studies have suggested that those who are socially isolated have lower gray matter volume in areas of the brain related to learning and thinking, and have a 26 percent higher risk of dementia.
Scientists have also suggested that being socially isolated increases the risk of complications such as heart disease, depression, inflammation and premature death.
Doctors say that regularly socializing in person is best to counteract this, although socializing with other people online can also help.
Studies also suggest that having a pet can help reduce a person’s social isolation, through companionship, interaction with other owners and the ability to leave the house.
Doing the same thing daily increases risk of cognitive decline, experts say
Repetitive behaviors
Human beings are creatures of habit and it is not difficult to adopt the routine of doing the same thing day after day.
But doctors warn that this could prematurely age the brain.
Dr. Finney said, “Not only do you want to engage your brain by preserving the skills it already has, but you also want to take it out of its comfort zone.”
“If you say, ‘I’m not a child anymore. “I’m not going to worry about learning anything”…that can actually sabotage your brain health and cause premature brain aging.”
He recommended people take up activities such as learning a musical instrument or a foreign language to counteract this.
Doctors say learning a new skill triggers the growth of new brain cells and improves areas of the brain related to reasoning, problem solving, and short- and long-term memory.
TO previous study It was found that speaking two or more languages, even if the second language was learned in adulthood, could slow age-related decline.
Other who followed adults aged 60 to 90 for three months found that those learning a “complex skill” (such as photography or quilting) had improvements in overall memory compared to those who were simply learning crossword puzzles.
Long-term stress can also increase the risk.
Ignore stress
Chronic or prolonged stress is part of everyday life and can be triggered in old age by worries about finances, friends or family.
Many try to ignore it, but doctors warn against it, saying that prolonged stress increases inflammation levels in the body that could damage brain cells.
Stressed people also have higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which has been linked to memory problems.
This damage to the brain can cause premature aging, they warn, and according to some studies — increase the risk of developing dementia.
To reduce stress, doctors recommended creating “brief states of acute stress” in the body, such as through a sauna or a cold shower, which can boost recovery.
They also recommended breathing exercises and meditation, which they said could help “reset neurons” and reduce stress.
Doctors also suggested that surviving on takeout food may increase the risk of mental decline.
too much takeaway
Takeout and prepared meals can be a convenient option for a quick meal without spending too much time in the kitchen.
But doctors warn that relying on these options could age the brain due to their high salt content and risks of weight gain.
Dr Tan said: ‘When we are… busy with our professional and social lives, it is a natural tendency to choose something that is quick (that) you can pop in the microwave or go to a drive-thru.
“(But) in the long term, this may not be the best for our brains.”
Prepared meals are ultra-processed foods that several studies have suggested increasing the risk of cognitive decline.
They also have a high salt content, with some studies suggesting that high levels of salt in the body may affect cognitive function in older adults, possibly because they may alter blood flow to the brain.
Meals can also increase the risk of weight gain, which has been associated with an increased risk of poor cognitive health and dementia.
Experts recommend consuming prepared foods less frequently or eating them along with vegetables cooked at home to reduce the risk.
In addition to the lack of good quality sleep.
Poor quality sleep
The CDC says everyone should aim to sleep between seven and nine hours each night and get high-quality sleep, with up to 25 percent being deep sleep.
High-quality sleep is uninterrupted, refreshing sleep that helps someone feel well-rested and energized the next day, while deep sleep is a restorative phase of sleep that tends to occur early in the night.
But about 40 percent of older adults don’t get a good night’s sleep every night.
Dr Tan said: “During sleep, the day’s memories are sorted and put in the right place so we can access them in the future.
“Beta-amyloid, the sticky protein that wreaks havoc on the brains of people with Alzheimer’s, is (also) removed during sleep.
“(But) when sleep is too short or of poor quality, these processes are disrupted.”
Poor quality sleep can cause problems concentrating or remembering information the next day and, over time, can accelerate brain aging.
About 40 percent of adults aged 75 and older do not engage in any physical activity, estimates suggest, increasing their risk of cognitive decline and falls.
lack of exercise
It is recommended that everyone do 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity each week, such as walking, swimming, or dancing.
But older adults struggle to reach this mark, and surveys showing 40 percent of adults age 75 and older are completely inactive.
Dr Finney said: “Physical exercise, especially cardiovascular, but also muscle-building exercises, are important for keeping the brain… young.”
“It can actually increase growth hormones in the brain, like neural factors that promote brain health and well-being.”
Exercise increases blood flow to the brain, stimulates the growth of new brain cells, and reduces inflammation, which helps prevent mental decline.
It can also strengthen muscles, reduce the risk of falls (a common cause of death among the elderly), and allow someone to get up easily after falling.
Falls are the leading cause of death and injury among adults aged 65 and older, and about 39,000 people die from them each year.