Alzheimer’s Awareness Month is celebrated every year in June to increase attention to the degenerative brain disorder that affects the lives of millions of people worldwide.
From affecting memory, and reducing thinking capacity, Alzheimer’s slowly progresses in affected individuals, making it difficult for them to carry out even simple day-to-day tasks.
According to estimates, more than 6 million people over the age of 65 have Alzheimer’s in the U.S. and over 3 million new cases are diagnosed each year.
The symptoms of Alzheimer’s differ from one person to another, but memory loss is one of the early signs of the disease. Here are some symptoms to watch out for:
- Memory loss
- Poor judgment
- Losing track of dates and current location
- Difficulty to complete normal daily tasks
- Forgetting recently learned information
- Difficulty to solve problems
- Wandering and getting lost
- Misplacing things in odd places
- Mood and personality changes
- Increased anxiety
Ways to keep your brain healthy
Although cognitive decline is common with aging, there are many ways to prevent conditions such as dementia and Alzheimer’s or slow the progression. Here are some tips to keep the brain healthy and young.
1. Regular Exercise: Physical activity and regular exercise are known to provide several health benefits, and protecting the brain is one of them. Exercise increases blood flow to the brain, slows the natural reduction in brain connections that occurs with aging, and reverses some of the problems.
2. Quit smoking: Smoking increases the risk of cognitive decline. Studies have shown that quitting smoking can reverse the impact and bring the risk back to levels comparable to non-smokers.
3. Healthy Diet: Getting the right nutrition helps in boosting brain health. A well-balanced diet that consists of fruits, vegetables, fish, nuts, unsaturated oils, and plant sources of proteins helps reduce the risk of cognitive decline.
4. Mental Stimulation: Health experts say just like exercise keeps muscles strong,
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