By Sanumriaz 
Alzheimer’s is a brain disorder in which a person losses memory, his thinking ability and basic skills to carry out simple daily tasks. He can’t recognise people around him and complete simpler tasks like eating or drinking.
Although it is to be believed that there is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease but it is possible to prevent Alzheimer’s from developing early by making some lifestyle changes.
It is common cause of dementia that affects millions of people in the world. This disorder is mostly occurs in older people who are above 65 years.
It doesn’t attack suddenly but it slowly develops and becomes devastating for patient as well as family members. It becomes tougher day by day for the caregivers of the patients to even feed them.
Symptoms of Alzheimer’s
First step to prevent Alzheimer’s is to understand and identify the sign and symptoms of this disorder. Once it is diagnosed timely only then you can delays its effects by better management.
Common signs of Alzheimer’s are as follows:
- Memory loss that disrupts daily life
- Forgetting recent conversations or events
- Difficulty finding the right words
- Misplacing items in unusual places
- Confusion about time or place
- Difficulty in planning or
- Difficulty in problem solving
- Trouble in completing familiar tasks
- Confusion with time or place
- Misplacing items and being unable to retrace steps
- Changes in mood and personality
- Social withdrawal
- Problems with speech, writing, or understanding language
If your family member or loved ones shows any of these symptoms then consult a healthcare provider. Only early diagnosis helps to prevent Alzheimer’s to get worse quickly.
How to Prevent Alzheimer’s
There is no guaranteed method to prevent Alzheimer’s 100%. But it is shown by the researches that healthy lifestyle habits can help to prevent Alzheimer’s or you can say to delay its onset.
Here is a guide to prevent Alzheimer’s early onset.
Keep Your Brain Active
You need to keep your mind active to prevent Alzheimer’s disease. You need to keep challenging your mind to build a cognitive reserve. You need to engage your brain in brain storming and engaging activities to delay it.
These activities which are helpful in keeping brain active are as follows.
- Learning a new language
- Playing strategy games like chess or sudoku
- Solving puzzles and crosswords
- Reading books
- listening to educational podcasts
Stay Physically Active
Another simple yet effective technique to delay or prevent Alzheimer’s disease is to engage yourself in physically active lifestyle. Exercises are helpful in improving blood flow which is effective to reduce risk factors like high blood pressure and obesity. These are linked to Alzheimer’s disease.
You can follow the following guide to stay physically active to prevent Alzheimer’s.
- 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise per week
- Strength training at least twice a week
- Exercises for balance and flexibility like yoga or tai
Eat Healthy Diet
The most simple and effective way to prevent Alzheimer’s disease is to eat nutrient rich diet. A healthy and balanced diet helps to boost your brain powers and keep the pace slow of Alzheimer’s.
- You can more leafy greens, berries, nuts, whole grains, beans, fish, olive oil to keep your brain healthy.
- Try to avoid eating processed and fried foods.
- Limit the use of red meat and butter
- Stay hydrated throughout the day
- Drink fresh fruits juices to stay hydrated
Quality Sleep
There are certain proteins that intervene between neurons and cut off the communication between neurons. Poor sleep helps these harmful brain proteins to build up around neurons, and increase the risk of Alzheimer’s.
To prevent Alzheimer’s you can try to follow instructions for quality sleep.
- Take 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night
- Make a consistent sleep schedule
- Sleep in dim light
- Avoid screen at least 1 hour before sleep
Managing Stress
It is important to discuss the managing of chronic stress in the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease because chronic stress speeds up brain aging and weakens memory.
In this regard following techniques can be adopted to reduce stress levels.
- Mindfulness meditation
- Breathing exercises
- Spending time in nature
- Journaling or creative hobbies
Maintain Social Connections
When you stay alone then it can cause faster cognitive decline as there is more thinking associated with loneliness. It is advised to maintain social connections to prevent Alzheimer’s.
To keep your social life active you can follow the following recommendations.
- Join clubs
- Join volunteer programs
- Attend group classes or events
- Schedule regular time with friends and family
Protect Your Heart Health
Heart and brain health are interconnected. To prevent Alzheimer’s you need to manage conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol.
To do this follow these heart healthy habits.
- Eat a heart-friendly diet
- Exercise regularly
- Get routine medical check-ups
- Avoid smoking
Avoid Head Injuries
There is higher chance of traumatic brain injury which can cause Alzheimer’s. You can take precautionary measures to prevent head injuries.
- Wear helmets when biking or playing sports
- Use seat belts
Keep Learning
Learning is powerful tool to prevent Alzheimer’s as continuous learning makes the brain adaptable and resilient. In this regard you can do following
- New hobbies like painting or gardening
- Online courses or workshops
- Challenging yourself with new projects
Quit Smoking and Reduce Alcohol Use
Smoking is injurious to health in many ways. It damages the brain cells so quiting it also prevents Alzheimer’s symptoms to show.
Research shows that if you take more than 12 standard drinks in a week your rate of getting Alzheimer’s increase by 20%. So avoid drinking Alcohol and go for alcohol free drinks.
Conclusion
It is not possible to fully prevent Alzheimer’s but adopting these healthy habits help you to delay its progression. It is best to make choices which are healthy for your brain and health and protect you against Alzheimer’s in future.