Alzheimer’s disease is a disease that mostly happens among the elderly that is characterized by forgetfulness, behavior and personality changes, and the decline of overall function. If Alzheimer’s is in the genes meaning if a parent, aunt, or uncle had it, then there is a good chance that you may get it as well. Therefore, it may not be possible to prevent the condition from developing. However, it is possible to delay it and to keep the progression as slow as possible. However, there are five things that you may be doing that could increase your chances of not only getting Alzheimer’s but causing it to come quickly and to progress quickly. Let’s go over those now.
Not Keeping Your Brain Active
People get very busy with life and work and all they want to do after coming home is to rest and watch mindless television. It is important to unwind, but it is just as important to keep your brain active. That means reading stimulating content that can teach you something, doing puzzles and word searches, and playing stimulating games for a half-hour daily can help ward off dementia or delay it as much as you can. If your brain is active, then that helps. That is also important to do if you have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or dementia to delay the progression.
Having High Blood Pressure When You Reach Mid-Age
If you have a healthy heart, then that means you have a healthy brain as the link has been discovered. However, if you have hypertension by mid-age, then that increases your chances drastically of developing Alzheimer’s disease. If you are in your 40s or 50s and you have hypertension, you will want to ensure that you lower your blood pressure. You can do that by eating foods lower in salt, and reducing your intake of foods with simple carbs, and exercising. You may have to go on treatment for blood pressure if necessary.
Obesity
You want to keep your BMI from 18.5 to 25, or no more than 30 as being extremely overweight or obese can increase your chances of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Calorie reduction in a healthy manner as well as making time to do physical activity will help keep you at an optimal weight. Therefore, if you are at an optimal weight, you are less likely to develop Alzheimer’s or you are more likely to delay the progression if it is in the genes. On the flip side, if you are underweight during middle age, that can also increase your chances of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
Diabetes
Unfortunately, if you are diabetic, that increases the odds of developing Alzheimer’s. That is because your body is unable to properly keep insulin regulated. That has an impact on brain function as well. The best thing you can do is if you have diabetes is to keep it controlled. That way, you are less likely to develop the complication. That also goes hand in hand with keeping your weight at an optimal level.
Uncontrolled Stress
You cannot avoid stress in your life and some deal with more chaotic lives than others. However, too much uncontrolled and unmanaged stress will have a negative effect on your immune cells which can also increase the chances of dementia. No, you cannot keep stress away. However, you need to manage it better by delegating what you don’t need to do, as well as taking time to yourself so you can unwind, and do activities that you enjoy doing. Seeing a therapist help you work with any extremely stressful situations is also recommended.
Even if you are staying healthy, once again, you may end up getting Alzheimer’s if it is in the genes. However, again, you can delay the onset of it as well as the progression. There is a chance you may not get it at all even if it is genetic. Lifestyle plays a huge role.
