Healthy brain: 40 simple tips to avoid dementia as you age

There are different simple ways to avoid problematic and incurable neurological disorders. The main one is to exercise the brain: a simple dance or stretching can move the body and ensure that the head also stays healthy over the years.

According to a survey by Alzheimer’s Research UK, a UK institution that studies the most common form of dementia, there are at least 40 simple ways to keep your brain active and prevent the onset of the disease.

Playing chess, getting off the bus one stop earlier and reading a book, for example, are ways to keep cognitive functions up to date. The search was published on the institution’s website.

Dementia is not a disease in itself, but a group of cognitive symptoms that affect, for example, the individual’s memory, thinking and behavior.

Overall, experts point out that eliminating 12 lifestyle factors, such as smoking, would prevent 40% of cases. Other risk factors are hearing impairment, high blood pressure, physical inactivity, excessive alcohol consumption, diabetes and infrequent social contact.

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Alzheimer’s is a degenerative disease caused by the death of brain cells that can appear decades before the first symptoms appear.PM Images/ Getty Images

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Because it is a disease that tends to get worse over the years, early diagnosis is essential to delay the progression. Therefore, when presenting any symptoms of the disease, it is essential to consult a specialist. Andrew Brookes/Getty Images

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Although the symptoms are more common in people over 70 years of age, it is not uncommon for them to manifest in young people around 30. In fact, when this “premature” manifestation occurs, the condition is called early Alzheimer’s.Westend61/ Getty Images

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In the initial phase, a person with Alzheimer’s tends to have changes in memory and starts to forget simple things, such as: where he kept his keys, what he had for breakfast, someone’s name or even the season of the year.urbazon/ Getty Images

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Disorientation, difficulty remembering the address where you live or the way home, difficulties in making simple decisions, such as planning what you are going to do or eat, for example, are also signs of the disease.OsakaWayne Studios/ Getty Images

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In addition, loss of desire to perform routine tasks, change in behavior (making the person more nervous or aggressive), and repetitions are some of the most common symptoms.Kobus Louw/ Getty Images

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According to research carried out by the Alzheimer’s Drugs Discovery Foundation (ADDF), the presence of damaged proteins (Amyloid and Tau), vascular diseases, neuroinflammation, failure of neural and genetic energy (APOE) may be related to the onset of the disease.Rossella De Berti/ Getty Images

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Alzheimer’s treatment is done with the use of medications to reduce the symptoms of the disease, in addition to being necessary to perform physical therapy and cognitive stimulation. The disease has no cure and care must be taken until the end of lifeTowfiqu Barbhuiya / EyeEm/ Getty Images

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The 40 study tips are:

1. Dance a little everyday;
2. Make group call with friends you can’t visit;
3. Solve puzzles;
4. Learn to cook something new;
5. Get off the bus one stop earlier;
6. Learn to play an instrument;
7. Clean with pleasure. Spare no effort to leave your environment sanitized;
8. Take up a hobby and join a club;
9. Play cards and learn chess;
10. Take the stairs instead of taking the elevator;
11. Learn a new language;
12. Download an app to stop smoking;
13. Organize breakfast;
14. Make new plans with old friends;
15. Reduce sugar intake;
16. Join a sports team;
17. Stop to chat with people;
18. Immerse yourself in the books;
19. Swap fried foods for braised ones;
20. Do routine hearing tests;
21. Meet online chat rooms;
22. Swap your cocktail for a mocktail, a non-alcoholic drink;
23. Go hiking;
24. Start drawing, even if you don’t think you’re a good designer;
25. Make small healthy food swaps;
26. Invite your neighbor to a chat;
27. Turn your daily walk into a daily run;
28. Learn to bake a cake, for example;
29. Watch a sport with your friends;
30. Walk through the park;
31. Start doing volunteer work;
32. Have lunch with someone to talk to;
33. Stretch your body;
34. Learn to knit and sew;
35. Immerse yourself in gardening;
36. Write and mail a letter;
37. Don’t be shy, say hi to people at work;
38. Update your regular walking route;
39. Organize a birthday party;
40. Practice “do it yourself”: avoid buying ready-made furniture, decorative objects and gifts. Prefer to manufacture them.

The study team claims that each lifestyle adjustment follows “three simple rules”: self-love, keep your brain sharp, and don’t fail to connect with other people.

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