Minding your Health: 5 Factors That Increase the Risk of Developing Dementia

Dementia has an impact on so many lives and developing the condition will lead to a series of challenges and lifestyle issues that you will have to contend with as time goes on.

Ideally, you should do what you can to minimize the potential risk of developing dementia and most suggestions in this regard tend to be basic common sense if you want to look after your body and mind as you get older.

Improving and maintaining your quality of life, such as making the most of small hearing aids with the most natural sound quality, keeping as active as possible, and eating healthily, are just some of the proactive things you can do to try and minimize the risk of developing dementia.

Here is a look at some risk factors to be aware of. Below are 5 factors that increase the risk of developing dementia.

Try to stay in shape

One of the most effective ways of reducing your risk of dementia is to commit to being as physically active as possible.

Keeping in shape with regular exercise has so many positive benefits and will help look after your heart, improve circulation, keep your weight down to a good level, and boost your mental health.

Even a modest amount of moderate activity, about three hours a week, and a couple of hours of more vigorous exercise, such as jogging or riding a bike fast, could make a big difference to your health profile.

Watch your diet

There are many good reasons for aiming to enjoy a healthy and balanced diet and reducing your risk of developing dementia is one of them.

Eating a good selection of fruit and vegetables in your diet and keeping your intake of sugary and starchy substances to a minimum is a great way of lowering your risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer, as well as dementia.

Keep your alcohol intake low

Enjoying a few drinks while socializing is not considered to be too damaging in many medical circles but your aim should be to keep your weekly intake to a figure that is below 14 units of alcohol per week.

The bottom line is that drinking too much alcohol will increase your risk profile when it comes to developing dementia. Try to keep track of what you are drinking and switch to no-alcohol products where you can.

Smoking is never a good idea

Awareness of the dangers associating with smoking has risen greatly in recent years and you are no doubt aware of the general health risks attached to regular smoking.

If you want extra motivation to quit smoking just remember that you are putting yourself in a much higher risk category of developing dementia with every cigarette you smoke, not to mention the increased risk of lung and other cancers.

Give your mind a regular workout

If you try to keep your mind as active as possible throughout your life it is likely that it could help to reduce the prospect of developing dementia.

It is understood that setting yourself regular mental challenges seems to have the positive impact of increasing your brain’s resistance and ability to cope with the disease.

Exercise your mind and it could improve your chances of resisting the onset of dementia.

If you can take some positive lifestyle steps to counteract the threat of dementia it could help reduce your risk profile.