How to prevent early onset dementia: Causes, precautions and more

Dementia can be scary. 

Just the thought of losing your precious memories, the ability to converse and not to mention the struggles to navigate through daily life might just be enough for one to start taking precautionary measures beforehand.

While dementia impacts those above 60, and factors like genetics and family history can easily be blamed, it is never too late to prevent or prolong the health of your brain as early onset dementia can be possible too. 

Starting young and changing certain habits could very well make the difference in the quality of your life in the long term.

Stay active

The key to keeping dementia at bay is to keep your body moving. A healthy body means a healthy mind.

Rather than spending countless hours scrolling on social media, it is much more beneficial to go on a run or do some yoga.

If you’re not a fan of intense movement then simple day-to-day activities that are performed intentionally and regularly like walking or even gardening can be beneficial.

Become a social butterfly

Lacking social connections can cause insufficient stimulation and result in stress and high blood pressure among other issues.

Being isolated for longer periods of time can cause the brain to not have a deeper understanding of connection and thereby not be stimulated enough to sustain a long term memory of it.

It is advised to socialise as much as possible so that the brain can get healthy amounts of stimulation. 

Get loads of sleep

Another trigger of dementia can be a poor sleep schedule, which is often seen in youngsters, who prefer to stay up late and take minimal hours of sleep.

Experts advise that individuals should avoid screen lights and not to use their phone before going to bed, leading to a more untroubled sleep cycle.

Ditch the stress 

Stress never bore good news and it comes to no surprise that this can come with detrimental effects.

The release of cortisol from stress results in negative implications for the brain, which overtime, can create issues that can impact one’s memory.

In order to combat this, it is advised that one should partake in physical activities, socialise, watch shows and essentially stay busy in activities that stimulate the brain. 

Feed your brain

What goes in your stomach affects the brain too and studies have shown that overly processed foods, that are consistent in a standard American diet, can have detrimental affects on the brain. 

Opting for a Mediterranean Diet can help feed the brain all the good foods it needs to sustain healthy functioning. 

Full of healthy fats, whole grains as well as fruits and vegetables, it has notably cut dementia by a quarter.