The more you train your brain, the better protection you will get against memory loss and dementia. By building up your cognitive reserve, you are simply delaying your brain's ageing process. Here's how to do it!
THIS IS THE COGNITIVE RESERVE
The concept of cognitive reserve was launched in the 1990s. At that time, researchers who performed autopsies on deceased individuals with dementia discovered that not all of them had shown symptoms of the disease. Those individuals who had had a cognitively demanding job and an intellectually stimulating life could tolerate greater brain damage before developing dementia symptoms. The researchers' conclusion is that those who are highly educated and use their brains more are more resilient to dementia.
It is known that mental health is a risk factor for dementia in the elderly. Now we know
that chronic stress, loneliness and depression also increase the risk in younger people.
Have you heard of cognitive reserve? Simply put, you could say that the more you use and activate your brain, the greater its reserve capacity becomes. The reserve you build up will then protect you against cognitive decline (cognition refers to the brain's functions related to thinking, planning, and remembering things). It has been observed that people who have stimulated their brains a lot throughout their lives, suffer from
dementia later than others. It has also been observed in brain scans that individuals with clear signs of dementia in the brain do not always exhibit any symptoms of the disease, likely precisely because they have more capacity to cope before they become demented. Recently, a large, international study showed that dementia can be prevented with simple lifestyle changes.
– Our study is the first to show that everyone can do something to reduce their risk of developing dementia before the age of 65, says neurologist Stevie Hendriks, who studies YOD, Young Onset Dementia. She works at Maastricht University in the Netherlands. Stevie Hendriks and her colleagues found 15 risk factors that had a strong link to early-onset dementia. Some findings were surprising.
dem lite extra, including that mental ill-health appears to be a greater risk factor than previously
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– It is known that mental health is a risk factor for dementia in the elderly. Now we know that chronic stress, loneliness and depression also increase the risk in younger people, she says. Another, somewhat surprising finding was that moderate alcohol consumption appears to protect against early-onset dementia. In contrast, total abstinence and alcohol abuse increased the risk.
If you want to prevent early dementia, Stevie Hendriks believes you should particularly focus on certain risk factors that researchers identified:
– Social isolation is an example of a factor we can influence ourselves. Society can also step in and help arrange social activities for people who feel lonely, she says.
A lack of vitamin D is another risk factor that can be influenced, as is obtaining a hearing aid if you have hearing loss. Hearing loss has become increasingly common, even among middle-aged individuals, and in the long term, it can lead to social isolation and depression.
– Other things everyone can do to reduce the risk of dementia, regardless of age, are to be mentally active, for example, learn new things or take up a new hobby, says Stevie Hendriks. Higher education is also a protective factor. You can also train your brain by taking a course, reading books, going to the theatre, doing crosswords, memorising number sequences and solving mazes – all of this is a good way to train your memory. But don't forget to train the rest of your body too. There is a lot of scientific evidence that physical activity reduces the risk of age-related diseases such as cancer, dementia and cardiovascular disease. Today, we also know that the brain can heal and produce new cells – and that process is faster if we are physically active. You should try to be here and now; it strengthens attention and makes it easier for the brain to encode things. This can be learned by meditating or spending time in the woods: without pressure, and without mobile phones! Then we are not exposed to so many external stimuli, which strengthens concentration abilities.
STEVIE HENDRIKS: HOW TO BUILD YOUR BRAIN'S RESILIENCE
- Be curious! Learn new things, take up a hobby, engage yourself and be socially active. Visit friends and family, go to social gatherings.
- Eat healthy food and live a healthy life. Do not smoke.
- Exercise regularly. Move in any way you can, walk or work out at the gym. Find a form of exercise that suits you.
6 FURTHER TIPS FOR BRAIN HEALTH
- Engaging in intellectually challenging activities can alleviate the effects of brain damage caused by
dementia. Among other things, the brain gains more neural connections. - During sleep, the brain clears out waste products and the plaques that eventually lead to dementia.
- Search for memory training programs on your computer or mobile.
- Improve your concentration. Turn off the TV when you read, don't stress, put your phone on silent, and do
One thing at a time. This is also good for avoiding overloading the brain – it doesn't like taking in too many impressions at once. - Talk to a friend or make a phone call. Conversing is intense cognitive training and requires attention, timing, and the use of both long-term and short-term memory.
- Choose a Mediterranean diet. Plenty of fruit, greens, nuts, whole grains and fish, but less red meat, sugar and dairy has been linked in studies to a lower risk of cognitive decline and dementia.
