{"id":13577,"date":"2018-04-09T07:00:21","date_gmt":"2018-04-09T12:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.senioradvisor.com\/blog\/?p=13577"},"modified":"2018-04-11T22:51:00","modified_gmt":"2018-04-12T03:51:00","slug":"things-you-can-do-now-to-reduce-the-risk-of-alzheimers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/d30braiqprupoq.cloudfront.net\/blog\/2018\/04\/things-you-can-do-now-to-reduce-the-risk-of-alzheimers\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Things You Can Do Now to Reduce the Risk of Alzheimer\u2019s"},"content":{"rendered":"

7 Things You Can Do Now to Reduce the Risk of Alzheimer\u2019s<\/h1>\n

With over\u00a05 million people<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0in the United States alone living with Alzheimer’s disease, it has touched most families at least once and some several times. Watching a loved one lose access to their memory and personality is heartbreaking for family members and frustrating and terrifying to the person living through it.\"7<\/em><\/p>\n

Researchers don\u2019t have all the answers on what causes\u00a0the disease or how to prevent it, but studies are being done all the time to try to get a better handle on how\u00a0it works and how to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s.<\/p>\n

Things You Can Do to Reduce Your Risk of Alzheimer’s<\/h2>\n

Here is what you can do now to try to reduce Alzheimer’s effects:<\/p>\n

1. Cut down on alcohol.<\/h3>\n

While there is some evidence that\u00a0red wine has antioxidants<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0that are good for brain health, there\u2019s\u00a0even more evidence<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0that going overboard with how much you drink will make your risk of Alzheimer\u2019s worse. Having a couple of glasses of alcohol a day is okay for most people, but making sure you don\u2019t go beyond that is another good way to keep your risk down.<\/p>\n

2. Exercise.<\/h3>\n

Physical activity is another one of those suggestions that\u2019s good for a lot of reasons besides helping you prevent Alzheimer\u2019s, but it\u2019s also been shown to\u00a0offer protection against Alzheimer\u2019s<\/a><\/strong>, even for people with a genetic risk. People who spend around an hour a day even just doing moderate levels of exercise \u2013\u00a0a long walk<\/strong><\/a>, for instance \u2013 have healthier brain activity. You don\u2019t have to start running marathons, but working some more physical activity into your life each day can really pay off.<\/p>\n

3. Get plenty of sleep.<\/h3>\n

Sleep is obviously important to our mental well being. If you don\u2019t get enough sleep, not only will you be irritable, but your brain just doesn\u2019t function as well as it does when well rested.\u00a0Research suggests<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0that if you regularly sleep less than you need, the influence on your mental health can add up. Some of the proteins responsible for the effects of Alzheimer\u2019s increase when you don\u2019t get enough sleep. If you regularly miss out on valuable hours of sleep when you\u2019re young, those proteins can build up and have serious long-term effects on your brain as you age, so challenge yourself to get to bed early each night.<\/p>\n

4. Improve your diet.<\/h3>\n

In particular, consider the\u00a0Mediterranean diet<\/strong><\/a>. The Mediterranean diet is associated with many great health effects, some of which play a role in Alzheimer\u2019s. Heart health is important for\u00a0mental\u00a0health and the diet originally got the attention of researchers because people in Mediterranean countries tend to have a lower incidence of heart disease.<\/p>\n

One study found that seniors who follow the Mediterranean diet have a 35% reduced risk of cognitive impairment than their peers. But as far as diets go, this one still gives you a lot of yummy items to work with \u2013 beans, fish, fruit, olive oil, red wine. Colorful produce is encouraged, especially as it offers antioxidants, which are also good for cognitive health.<\/p>\n

Changing your diet takes some commitment and getting used to, but it can make a big difference to your overall health and help you keep your brain stronger for longer.<\/p>\n

5. Stay social.<\/h3>\n

It can be hard in adulthood to maintain social relationships. But letting relationships fall by the wayside inevitably leads to loneliness, and\u00a0loneliness increases the risk of Alzheimer\u2019s<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0(along with a number of other health issues). If you don\u2019t have much of a community or close friends you regularly see now, make it a priority to seek out new relationships.<\/p>\n

Consider looking into volunteer opportunities that will help you meet people or find groups in your area based\u00a0on\u00a0a hobby you like such as knitting or reading. Anything that gets you out of the house and helps you meet other people can help you start making the relationships that will make your life better and improve your health as you age.<\/p>\n

6. Take recommended supplements.<\/h3>\n

First things first, before you consider taking any new supplements, you should talk to your doctor. A supplement that\u2019s valuable for one person could be harmful\u00a0to\u00a0another, a lot depends on your particular health situation. But as long as you don\u2019t skip that important first step, there are some supplements that are generally associated with cognitive health and a reduced risk of Alzheimer\u2019s.\u00a0Souvenaid and Omega-3 fatty acids<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0are two options worth asking your doctor about.<\/p>\n

None of these will work magic, but they could aid in slowing memory loss down and strengthening your cognitive functions.<\/p>\n

7.\u00a0Quit smoking<\/a>.<\/h3>\n

If you\u2019re currently a smoker, you\u2019ve heard this one before. Cutting the habit out of your life is good for you in so many ways that we all hear about regularly \u2013 it reduces your risk of lung cancer, is good for heart health, and improves respiratory issues. But another benefit that gets a bit less attention than the others is the role it seems to play in Alzheimer\u2019s. While the research on this isn\u2019t extensive,\u00a0studies have found<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>that people who smoke have a higher incidence of Alzheimer\u2019s disease. The sooner you quit, the more you reduce your risk.<\/p>\n

Something as big and scary as Alzheimer\u2019s can make us feel powerless. We obviously don\u2019t have total control over the disease at this point, but there are some ways we can take power back. Take control of your own health and institute a few good habits to reduce your risk.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

7 Things You Can Do Now to Reduce the Risk of Alzheimer\u2019s With over\u00a05 million people\u00a0in the United States alone living with Alzheimer’s disease, it has touched most families at least once and some several times. Watching a loved one lose access to their memory and personality is heartbreaking for family members and frustrating and terrifying to the person living […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2199,"featured_media":13586,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,200],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-13577","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-alzheimers-care","8":"category-families-caregivers"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n7 Things You Can Do Now to Reduce the Risk of Alzheimer\u2019s - SeniorAdvisor.com Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"We don\u2019t have all the answers as to what causes the disease, but researchers know how to\u00a0reduce the risk of Alzheimer's. 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