People in their 70s and 80s who adhere to four or five healthy lifestyle behaviors — regular physical activity, a high-quality diet, light-to-moderate alcohol consumption, staying intellectually engaged and not smoking — are 60% less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease over the next decade of their life than people their age with fewer healthy habits, according to a study published in the journal Neurology.
Adhering to even two or three of the behaviors lowers the risk as well — by 37 percent.
Here are 9 things you can do in order to reduce your risk of developing it. Let’s go over those now.
Eat Healthily
If you eat foods, especially that help your brain, on a regular basis, then you will end up increasing your chance of keeping a healthy brain for life. Foods that have important minerals, vitamins, and essential fatty acids are incredibly helpful such as fruits, vegetables, proteins, nuts, eggs, meats (or organic substitutes), avocado, and olive oil.
Keep Your Heart Healthy
Having good heart health is critical for staying healthy and that includes keeping your brain healthy. This means to do cardio workouts, or stay active, and to refer to the first point which is to eat healthily. Poor cardiovascular health increases the chances of Alzheimer’s.
Get Excellent Quality Of Sleep
Lack of proper sleep adds up and with sleep deprivation accumulating, then that will do a lot of damage to your body and brain. Constant sleep deprivation will increase the chances of developing Alzheimer’s. This is why it is highly important to do what you can to get 7 to 8 hours of quality sleep a night. If you lose out on it, take a short nap during the day to catch up. Your brain and body need it.
Keep Up With The Education
Education is the best exercise for the brain. This means if you can take courses at the local college or even online, that is anything of your choice then that keeps the brain active and stimulated. Education is a good brain workout and keeps it in shape.
Quit Smoking
Smoking can cause a lot of damage to the body and that includes the brain. Studies have shown that smoking does increase the chances of you developing dementia and Alzheimer’s. Smokers have a higher chance of developing the condition than non-smokers and remember, it is not ever too late to quit.
Stay Connected Socially
Reading helps keep your mind stimulated the same way as education does. And if you read for a half-hour a day, that will help keep your mind stimulated and busy, and active. Read books that you find engaging and stimulating and that are not boring to you.
Play Challenging Games
Challenging yourself is another way to keep your brain active, stimulated, and strong. That means to do puzzles that are advanced, as well as playing card games, or even playing a game of chess if you are confident that is. If not, that is okay, as you can find other games to keep your mind challenged.
Treat Depression
If you are prone to depression, you, unfortunately, have a higher chance of developing Alzheimer’s. The best thing to do is to get depression under control while you also practice doing the other eight tips and develop them as habits above.
By practicing these habits, you have a higher chance of not developing Alzheimer’s as the objective is to live the best quality life as you possibly can. You deserve to be healthy.
