According to the CDC, about one in ten adults over 45 report cognitive decline or worsening memory loss yearly. This trend shows the need to maintain a healthy mind as we age to ensure a good quality of life and independence.
As a senior, it’s critical to understand changes that may occur in your cognitive health to recognize which ones may be signs of normal aging and which ones are not. Awareness of these shifts can help you take proactive steps to maintain excellent cognitive health.
Continue reading to learn more about how to prevent cognitive decline.
Stay Physically Active
One of the most effective brain health tips is engaging in regular physical activities. Being active keeps your heart healthy and lowers your risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes, among other complications. It also improves brain health by providing oxygenated blood to your brain to maintain proper functioning.
Other benefits of being physically active in senior living in Salisbury, MD, include the following:
- Improving your balance
- Decreasing chances of depression, insomnia, and anxiety
- Maintaining and improving your energy
- Preventing cancers such as colon cancer and breast cancer
Walking around a senior housing in Salisbury, MD, is a good start. Ensure you indulge in safe physical activities to prevent falling, possibly leading to even more serious problems.
Stay Connected With Regular Social Engagement
Engaging with other people in an assisted living in Salisbury, MD, can stimulate your mind, preventing cognitive decline. You can participate in group activities such as volunteering and joining senior book clubs.
Further, by regularly keeping up with your family and friends, your mind stays active and connects with the world around you. You can find groups that engage online where you share your interests and get peer support.
Additionally, having a strong support system of people who care for you helps lower your stress levels. Social engagement keeps loneliness at bay, which reduces your chances of getting depression and general cognitive decline.
Find New and Challenging Activities
Keep your brain active by participating in mental stimulation activities to promote healthy aging. Some of these activities include the following:
- Picking up a new hobby
- Learning a new language
- Taking a class on a subject you’re interested in
- Doing math problems or word puzzles
- Crafting, painting, or drawing
These cognitively stimulating activities keep your mind sharp and lower the risk of dementia.
Protect Your Mental Health
Anxiety and stress can affect your cognitive health over time. Other health conditions that can affect your brain and cause cognitive decline include:
- Depression: This can lead to attention issues and confusion and may cause dementia.
- Stroke: It damages the blood vessels in your brain, which puts you at risk of vascular dementia.
- Delirium: This condition presents as a sudden state of confusion and often leads to cognitive impairment.
You need to seek treatment immediately if you experience symptoms of the above health conditions. When you manage your health problems, it goes a long way in preventing adverse cognitive issues. Engaging in therapy, meditation, and senior wellness activities in senior living in Salisbury, MD, enhances mental health and promotes long-term cognitive health.
Eat Healthy
A well-balanced diet reduces the risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. This diet consists of:
- Whole grains
- Fruits and vegetables
- Fish, lean meats, and poultry
- Low-fat or nonfat dairy products
Be keen to limit your intake of salt, sugar, and fats. Also, drink enough water and control portion sizes of your meals.
MedlinePlus says that eating a Mediterranean-style diet protects against cognitive decline and slows down the progression of dementia. This diet emphasizes eating beans, nuts and seeds, vegetables, and cooking food with olive oil.
Understand the Effect of Certain Medicines on the Brain
Some medicines can cause delusions, confusion, hallucinations, and memory loss in older adults. They may also interact with alcohol, food, and dietary supplements, among other substances, negatively affecting your brain functions.
These drugs can diminish your cognitive health:
- Antihistamines to relieve allergies
- Antipsychotics
- Sleep aids
- Medicines that relieve cramps in the bladder, intestines, and stomach
- Muscle relaxants
- Medicines that treat urinary incontinence
Consult with your doctor if you’re worried about the side effects of any drugs you may be taking. Also, ensure you finish the required dosage of your prescribed medications.
Maintain Healthy Sleeping Habits
Daily quantity and sleep quality play a significant role in your cognitive health. Plan a healthy sleep schedule if you’re experiencing issues in your focus or memory. This strategy may include shutting screens and digital devices an hour before bed and creating a quiet, dark space with blackout curtains.
It’s recommended to get seven to eight hours of uninterrupted sleep daily to improve your mental function. You can start by making minor improvements to your routine to ensure you hit this goal.
Follow these tips if you have trouble sleeping:
- Avoid evening and late afternoon naps.
- Maintain a comfortable sleeping temperature in your bedroom.
- Listen to calming music or read a book just before bed to help you relax.
Reduce Alcohol Intake and Smoking
Excessive consumption of alcohol increases your risk of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and cognitive decline, according to Cognitive Vitality. If you enjoy taking alcohol occasionally, stick to one alcoholic beverage a day. On the other hand, smoking puts you at significant risk of heart attacks and stroke, which may affect your brain health.
Consider signing up for programs that help you deal with alcohol intake, such as psychological/behavioral therapies like:
- Self-help groups
- Family counselling
- Motivational enhancement therapy
- Cognitive behavior therapy
These interventions will help you deal with excessive alcohol consumption to keep healthy memory support.
Visit an Assisted Living Salisbury, MD, and Learn How to Prevent Cognitive Decline
Maintaining a healthy brain doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Daily healthy activities can make a massive difference over time.
Now you know how to prevent cognitive decline with simple practices such as catching up with loved ones, learning a new skill, and maintaining a healthy diet.
Lakeside at Mallard Landing is a senior living community that offers full-time activities and events to keep seniors entertained and physically active. We focus on medical wellness by regularly providing complementary health screenings to our residents. Contact us to schedule a community tour.
