Generally, what’s good for your heart is also good for your brain.
Risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as heart attacks and stroke, are also risk factors for dementia. Living a healthy lifestyle helps lower your risk of cardiovascular diseases and is likely to lower your risk of dementia too.
Healthy lifestyle choices for a healthy brain
1. Quit smoking, or don't start
Smoking increases your risk of dementia.
2. Limit your alcohol
Heavy drinking (about 3 or more standard drinks a day) increases your risk of dementia, and so does blacking out from alcohol. There are other good reasons to drink less than that too. Read more about harmful drinking.
3. Be physically active most days
Exercise at any age directly reduces risk of dementia in the future. It also indirectly helps by improving blood pressure and reducing the changes of diabetes and stroke.
4. Manage your blood pressure
Research shows that high blood pressure in mid-life is a key factor that can increase your risk of developing dementia in later life. Find out more about preventing high blood pressure.
5. Manage your cholesterol
Long term statin medication for people with high LDL cholesterol in mid-life is recommended.
6. Weight
Research shows a connection between higher body fat and dementia. It’s not clear how this connection works. The best thing to do is to be physically active most days. If it’s possible for you, keep your body fat to just what your body needs.
7. Take care of your head:
A head injury with loss of consciousness (traumatic brain injury or concussion) is associated with a higher risk of developing dementia. Wear a bike helmet, wear sporting head protection and follow the advice for taking a break from sport after a concussion. Learn more about head injuries.
8. Look after your hearing
Research from The University of Auckland has shown that people with midlife hearing loss are at a 9% higher risk of developing dementia. Always protect your ears from loud noise – that means earmuffs when you’re mowing the lawn.
If you're straining to hear, get your hearing tested and wear hearing aids if you need them. The good news is that if you get a hearing aid the risk of dementia goes back down. A lot of people put this off and let conversations go on around them. The problem is that you start to get left out, and your brain doesn’t get the workout it needs. Also, get any ear conditions treated when they occur. Read about hearing loss in adults and ear care and conditions.
9. Your eyes are important
If you aren’t seeing well, it can make dementia more likely. Visit your optometrist or medical centre, getting this treated if possible can lower your risk.
10. Stretch your mind
Keep learning, and look for a job that challenges your brain. How much you learn (attainment) is what matters, not how many years you spend in school. A job that keeps your brain moving increases your ‘cognitive reserve’ and works better than hobbies and activities later in life.
But if you’re reading this after retirement, you can still lower your risk by challenging your brain with new activities. Try one of the following to give your mind a workout:
- Doing crosswords, Sudoku and other puzzles.
- Playing bridge, mahjong or chess.
- Learning te reo Māori or another new language.
- Learning how to play a musical instrument such as the ukelele.
- Taking a course in something you’ve always been interested in.
11. Spend time with whānau and friends
Spending time with other people stimulates your brain and reduces your risk of developing dementia. How much and what kind of social contact you need depends on how you feel – enough that you don’t feel lonely.
12. Manage depression
Depression is also associated with a higher risk of developing dementia, and doing something about it lowers that risk . Depression has physical effects on your brain. Learn more about managing depression.
Other possible risk factors
- Diet: There's a lot of research which shows eating fruit and vegetables, and avoiding ultra-processed foods are good for your blood pressure, preventing diabetes and too much body fat. Healthy eating is good for your general health, but it’s not clear whether it has a direct effect on dementia risk. Supplements don’t prevent dementia.
- Sleep: Dementia can cause trouble with natural sleep cycles. Research is not clear about whether not enough sleep could cause dementia. Getting enough sleep is important for other health reasons.
Apps reviewed by Healthify
You may find it useful to look at some Blood pressure apps, Dementia apps, Depression apps, Exercise apps for older adults, Hearing test apps and Quit smoking apps.
