Dementia is complex, and the research and recommendations surrounding dementia prevention can be confusing, too.
For example, it is often recommended that people engage in “mentally-stimulating activities” to reduce their risk of dementia. What constitutes a “mentally-stimulating activity”? Of the many activities available, which are the most effective for dementia prevention? What if I don’t find this activity to be “mentally-stimulating”?
Dementia prevention doesn’t have to be difficult or confusing. There are simple ways to reduce your dementia risk by adopting everyday habits that are healthy, easy, and supported by research.
Using a multipronged approach is widely regarded as the best way to slow dementia naturally. This means that you are advised to follow as many of these dementia strategies as possible, especially due to the multiple diseases that can contribute to dementia progression.
However, these many methods of dementia prevention can feel overwhelming and impossible to incorporate all of them into your daily life. For that reason, this article will separate these prevention strategies and provide simple yet specific ways to use them. Take it day-by-day, pick one dementia prevention strategy, and make it a habit. Then continue with the next strategy until you feel your healthiest and are reducing your dementia risk to the best of your ability.
Here are 10 everyday things you can do to reduce your risk of dementia:
- Be physically active and exercise.
To be specific, engaging in aerobic and resistance exercise is shown to have a positive impact on cognition. Aerobic exercise (otherwise known as cardio) includes walking, running, swimming, cycling, and dancing, whereas resistance exercise refers to training with weights, resistance bands, or bodyweight.
More importantly, you should focus more on being consistent with your exercise regimen, since this was shown to have a greater benefit on cognition.
In case you needed more convincing, according to research, it is thought that exercise increases the production of neurotrophins (proteins that help maintain a healthy nervous system) and promotes blood flow to the brain (ensuring your brain gets enough oxygen) to prevent dementia.
Plan for Implementation:
- Try out some of the exercises above to find one or more that you enjoy and can do consistently.
- Create an exercise plan that works with your schedule.
- To provide some options, many people choose to workout early in the morning, during their lunch break, after their workday, or in the evening.
- Aim to workout 3 to 4 times per week, for at least 30 minutes each time with a moderate or higher intensity.
- This specific schedule was shown to reduce dementia risk.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5546647/
- Follow the Mediterranean and DASH diets.
Inspired by the diets of people living on the Mediterranean Sea, the Mediterranean diet focuses on eating fruits and vegetables, whole grains (whole-wheat bread, brown rice, quinoa), and fish, while limiting dairy products (specifically full-fat milk and American cheese) and red meat (beef and pork).
The Mediterranean diet prevents the decline of multiple neurological functions, including memory and executive functions (controlling our thoughts, emotions, and actions). However, you may benefit even more by pairing the Mediterranean diet with the Dietary Approach to Systolic Hypertension (DASH) diet. The DASH diet partially overlaps with the Mediterranean diet, emphasizing fruits, vegetables, and lean protein (fish and chicken), while focusing on reducing your sodium, sugar, fat, and cholesterol intake.
Not only is the combination of the Mediterranean and DASH diets thought to slow down cognitive decline, but these diets are also thought to specifically reduce your risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
In case you need more convincing, research suggests that the foods in these diets contain beneficial antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids, and polyphenols, which prevent inflammation and oxidative stress (conditions that can cause damage to cells in the brain).
Plan for Implementation:
- Begin by substituting some of your usual food choices with options that follow these diets:
- Ex. Substitute sugary ice cream with frozen fruit and low-fat yogurt.
- Ex. Substitute red meat with fish and chicken.
- Create a weekly schedule that allows you to plan your meals according to your diet, allowing for more intentional grocery shopping.
- Eat a healthy meal before going to the grocery store to stop yourself from buying sugary, salty, and high-fat foods that do not align with the Mediterranean and DASH diets.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5546647/
- Manage your stress.
Long periods of stress have been associated with cognitive decline, such that managing this stress may help prevent dementia. Meditation and mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) are two techniques that have shown positive results in minimizing stress and boosting cognition.
For specific ways to reduce your risk of dementia, meditation can involve breathing techniques and/or guided meditations (both of which can be searched up online for simple meditation exercises). On the other hand, MBSR is an 8-week long program that has specifically been designed and proven to relieve stress, and can be accessed as an online or in-person course.
In case you need more convincing of the efficacy of meditation and MBSR on dementia prevention, stress management is thought to reduce the buildup of specific proteins (amyloid-beta plaques) in the brain. These amyloid-beta plaques are believed to contribute to Alzheimer’s. Thus, the reduction of these plaques with mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) may help prevent Alzheimer’s.
Plan for Implementation:
- Implement 1 or 2 simple meditation techniques (breathing exercises, guided meditation, etc) everyday for 1 week and assess the changes in your stress levels from the beginning to the end of that week.
- Continue practicing the meditation techniques that work with your schedule and work to reduce your stress.
- Once you feel ready for a bigger challenge, find an MBSR program accessible to you and use the next 8 weeks to reduce your stress and reduce your dementia risk.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5546647/
- Go to school and learn.
Your level of education has been shown to correlate with how early or late dementia symptoms begin to appear. Specifically, people who went to school for longer periods of time developed dementia later than those with less education, such that being in school and learning may be able to slow down dementia naturally.
In case you need more convincing, attaining higher levels of education leads to a greater cognitive reserve, which refers to the brain’s ability to cope with aging and disease. As such, you may be able to prevent dementia by ‘protecting’ your brain through being a lifelong learner.
Plan for Implementation:
- Start small. Read a book on a topic that interests you, take lessons on a new hobby you have been wanting to try, and listen to informative podcasts regarding a subject you want to become an expert on.
- Book recommendations: “Anatomy & Physiology for Dummies”, “The Second World War” by Winston S. Churchill
- Hobby ideas: Knitting, Learning a New Language, Woodworking
- Podcast suggestions: “Stuff You Should Know”, “Hardcore History”
- If you have the ability and desire, go back to school. Learn a skilled trade, participate in research that interests you, or get certified in an area that can advance your career.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5546647/
https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12916-015-0377-5
- Limit your alcohol consumption.
Interestingly, light-to-moderate drinking habits have been associated with a reduced risk of dementia, whereas heavy drinking increases dementia risk in adults. Furthermore, losing consciousness (otherwise known as “passing out”) because of alcohol consumption can double your dementia risk.
However, if you have been drinking alcohol heavily throughout your life and are now on your path to sobriety, please know that there is good news. People who have quit drinking have the same dementia risk as people who have never consumed alcohol, so stay on your path!
In case you need more convincing, research shows that heavy alcohol consumption can lead to brain shrinkage and vitamin B1 deficiency, both of which affect memory and may contribute to an increased dementia risk.
Plan for Implementation:
- If you find yourself going for drinks with friends and family to be social, suggest alternate activities that limit your alcohol consumption.
- Here are some ideas: Hiking, book club, potluck dinners, and paint night!
- If you find yourself drinking on your own, please know that there is no judgement, and we have listed some resources that can help you reduce your alcohol intake.
- Here are some resources:
- Ask your doctor for advice
- Refer to Canada’s Guidance on Alcohol and Health (https://www.ccsa.ca/en/guidance-tools-resources/substance-use-and-addiction/alcohol/canadas-guidance-alcohol-and-health)
- Ask a trusted family member, friend, or individual to help you seek professional assistance
- Try to quit smoking.
Research has concluded that people who smoke have an increased likelihood of Alzheimer’s disease and are also likely to increase their risk of other types of dementia, including vascular dementia and unspecified dementia.
In case you need more convincing, the toxins found in cigarettes and the action of smoking both contribute to inflammation and reactive oxygen species (conditions that can cause cellular damage) in the brain.
Plan for Implementation:
- Ask your doctor or pharmacist for suggestions on how to quit smoking.
- Substitute cigarettes for other nicotine-containing products (ex. nicotine patches, nicotine gum).
- Distract yourself by writing down the benefits of quitting smoking when cravings arise (such as the reduced risk of dementia!)
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2642819/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4098701/
- Take your medications (especially for chronic diseases such as hypertension).
Hypertension (high blood pressure) is an example of a chronic disease with medications that can help prevent dementia.
Antihypertensive medications may reduce the risk of dementia, including vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, by 19-55%. Furthermore, some classes of antihypertensive drugs can slow the progression of mild cognitive impairment to dementia.
In caae you need more convincing, specific classes of antihypertensive medications have been shown to improve blood flow to the brain, prevent neurodegeneration (degeneration of the cells within the nervous system), and reduce the presence of proteins in the brain associated with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
Plan for Implementation:
- Set an alarm on your phone reminding you to take your medication.
- Store your medication in pill boxes with compartments labelled with the day of the week to help you remember if you have taken your pills yet.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5546647/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1525861020310689
- Manage your diabetes.
Patients with type 1 diabetes are believed to carry triple the risk for dementia, but there are ways to reduce this risk and prevent dementia. Specifically, by controlling your blood-glucose levels (particularly through medication and dieting), you may be able to reduce your risk of dementia.
In case you need more convincing, research suggests that diabetes can cause abnormal blood vessel formations in the brain, which may contribute to the onset of dementia. However, managing your blood-glucose levels can prevent these problems with your brain’s blood vessels.
Plan for Implementation:
- Ask your doctor for advice on managing your diabetes.
- Meet with a dietician to form a diet and exercise plan that can help you maintain healthy blood sugar levels.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5546647/
https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article/102/12/4343/4604942
- Get good sleep (depending on your age).
Your sleep duration and dementia risk are correlated, but this correlation is dependent on your age. To explain, adults under the age of 70 should be getting more than 7 hours of sleep every night, since less time sleeping (below 7 hours) is associated with a higher risk of dementia. On the contrary, adults above the age of 70 should be sleeping for less than 8 hours every might, due to the association between sleeping for 8+ hours and an increased dementia and Alzheimer’s disease risk.
Moreover, irrespective of age, sleep disturbances and the use of sleeping medications may increase your risk of dementia.
In case you need more convincing, science suggests that achieving high-quality sleep can assist with dementia prevention by encouraging the removal of waste from within the brain, such as amyloid-beta proteins (a protein correlated to Alzheimer’s disease).
Plan for Implementation:
- Speak with your doctor about any sleep disturbances you may be experiencing, including insomnia (the inability to fall and/or stay asleep) and frequent daytime naps.
- Create a schedule with consistent times to fall asleep and wake up, according to your age and your recommended hours of sleep.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4323377/
https://www.ajpmonline.org/article/S0749-3797(23)00009-0/fulltext
- Be social! Enjoy time with your family and friends!
Staying connected with your community, including your family, friends, loved ones, and peers, can reduce your risk of dementia and slow down the progression of cognitive decline. In particular, social engagement (actively participating in your relationships) and social activities (interacting with others) can improve your cognition. So make an effort to spend time with those you love!
In case you need more convincing, being social and staying connected can help build your cognitive reserve (your brain’s ability to cope with aging and disease), reduce stress, and encourage neuronal network formation – all of which can act to reduce your dementia risk.
Plan for Implementation:
- Plan weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly get-togethers with your family, friends, and loved ones.
- Have fun with this! These get-togethers can be dinner parties, picnics, movie nights, or board game nights.
- If it is difficult to be with your loved ones in-person, use technology to stay connected and be social.
- Use Messages, Phone Calls, and FaceTime to interact with those you love.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11058077/
Conclusion:
There are so many strategies and articles that you can use to begin preventing dementia, but use this as a starting point. Ease yourself into these “10 Everyday Things You Can Do To Reduce Your Dementia Risk” with the provided “Plans for Implementation”.
It is important to note that using these strategies may not entirely prevent dementia, but the research is hopeful. We have compiled the most researched and up-to-date recommendations, which also have health benefits beyond dementia risk reduction. So, take care of your mental and physical health one step at a time and let’s deter dementia together!
