In my previous post, I described two population studies that showed that some people who had the structural brain changes of Alzheimer’s disease showed no evidence of dementia during their lives. How did their brains become so resilient? That is the subject of this post.
Sleep
There is a drainage system in the brain that removes beta amyloid proteins that can accumulate to cause Alzheimer’s disease. This drainage system only operates in stage 4 sleep. The problem is, of course, that elderly people who are at the highest risk of Alzheimer’s disease tend to have less deep stage 4 sleep. Nonetheless, getting adequate sleep significantly decreases the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Sleep deprivation even in midlife is associated with an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease later on in life. Adequate sleep for the vast majority of people means 7-9 hours of sleep a night. There are many other health benefits of adequate sleep (and conversely many health risks with chronic sleep deprivation). If you would like to learn more about sleep there is an excellent book by Matthew Walker called Why We Sleep. He also has a podcast if you prefer to listen rather than read. His podcast is called the Matt Walker Podcast.
Purpose in Life
A sense of purpose in your life substantially reduces your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. If your job gives you a sense of purpose, then continue to work as long as your health (or your employer) permits. If you are already retired, then find something to do that gives you a sense of purpose. It could be volunteer work or a part time job, or a hobby that you find meaningful. Anything you do that helps other people is more likely to give you a sense of purpose.
Good Nutrition
The subject of nutrition keeps coming up whenever we discuss any health topic. Eating a nutritious diet including high fiber, minimally processed foods decreases your risk of developing dementia. Here is a link to my previous post on good nutrition: Good Nutrition: A Review of the Evidence
Exercise
Regular exercise reduces the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Although any regular exercise including walking reduces risk, the kind of exercise does matter somewhat. Walking out of doors especially on trails in parks stimulates your brain because you have to pay attention to where to put your feet. Even if you live in a city, you likely have access to parks with walking trails. Even walking several blocks in the city outside stimulates your brain more than walking on a treadmill at home or in a gym.
Drink less alcohol
Heavy alcohol use substantially increases the risk of developing dementia, but light to moderate alcohol use may actually be protective. 14 or less units of alcohol per week does not increase your risk of dementia and may somewhat reduce your risk. A unit of alcohol is 10 ml (about 1/3 of an oz) of pure alcohol. Here is a link to a calculator that calculates how many units are in multiple kinds of alcoholic beverages: Alcohol Change Unit Calculator.
Don’t Smoke
Smoking increases your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease by 60%. If you do smoke, quit. If you don’t smoke, don’t start.
Learn New Skills
When you learn new things, your brain forms new connections and the more new connections are formed, the more resilient is your brain. This resilience helps protect your brain function and substantially decreases your risk of developing dementia. It is important to do a variety of things that stimulate your brain. Just doing crossword puzzles or other games that purport to stimulate your brain have not been shown to decrease the risk of dementia. Start keeping a journal, write a blog, learn a new skill that requires eye-hand coordination. Take art lessons, or woodworking lessons, or lessons in any other new skill that strikes your fancy. Engaging in creative activities helps form a variety of new brain connections, and those are what protect you from dementia.
Social Contacts
Frequent face to face contact with friends and family substantially reduces your risk of developing dementia. We are social animals and our brains were designed to interact with others. Loneliness may increase the risk of developing dementia by as much as 40%. Conversely, a good social support system can reduce the risk of developing dementia by as much as 60%. Contact with others mainly through electronic social media may reduce the risk of dementia somewhat, but interactive face to face contact with others seems to be necessary for reducing dementia risk substantially.
Bottom Line
There is nothing you can do that reduces your risk of developing dementia to zero. You can, however reduce your risk quite a bit. Get 7-9 hours of sleep a night. Avoid highly processed foods. Exercise regularly, especially outside if possible. Drink 14 units or less of alcohol per week. Don’t smoke. Maintain a sense of purpose in your life. Continually learn new skills. Maintain an active social network.
If you do all of these things, you stand a good chance of remaining alert and having a productive life well into your eighties and nineties.