7 Medicine Free Ways To Slow Down Dementia In Elderly Women
Dementia has been known to affect the elderly in particular because your mental health usually starts declining as you age. This is accompanied with a severe loss of memory, thinking and other cognitive skills.
The question whether dementia is hereditary or acquired is debatable, however, regardless of that, one should always exercise caution and care when it comes to mental health.
Among the most common treatments for dementia is medication; but there are innumerable other ways one can deal with this condition and prevent its symptoms from worsening.
Here are 7 medicine-free ways to slow down dementia in elderly women:
Adopt Healthy Eating Habits
Eating healthy and maintaining a nutritious diet is a given, regardless of whether or not you have dementia. Our brain requires a steady supply of nutrients to remain healthy and function properly.
The fact that what we eat affects our mental health and the way our brain works has been highly recognized in recent times.
Be it fruits and vegetables or beans and legumes, one way to slow down dementia is to incorporate a mixture of these nourishing and beneficial foods that are packed with essential minerals and vitamins in your everyday diet.
Vitamin K, for instance, which is often called ‘the forgotten vitamin’, plays a very important role in the anti-aging process and also contains dementia-fighting properties.
Green leafy vegetables, blueberries, and pine nuts are some examples of foods that are loaded with Vitamin K.
Exercise Regularly
Just like eating healthy is beneficial for your entire body, exercising on a regular basis also leads to a healthier brain and body.
Research has proven over time that exercising can greatly help both elderly men and women with age-related memory issues and may even slow down dementia progression.
Numerous studies have been conducted on the subject which showed that exercise prevents cognitive impairment in old age.
Moreover, regular exercise also preserves the hippocampal area of the brain which is usually the first part of the brain to be attacked by dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
Some good choices of exercise include swimming, running, brisk walk, cycling, etc. that one can include in their daily routine.
Women with dementia can also do different exercises on alternate days to keep their exercise regimen from becoming monotonous and boring.
Sleep Well
A good night’s sleep has always been the answer to several health-related issues and problems. A healthy sleep schedule is imperative for your body and mind to function properly.
Lack of sleep is often also linked to countless mental health problems, one of which is age-related cognitive dysfunction.
Improper sleep also increases your stress levels and cortisol levels in the body, both of which are associated with dementia and Alzheimer’s.
Hence, to slow down mental decline, you need to incorporate proper sleeping hours in your daily routine, especially during the night and follow the ‘eight-hour sleep rule’. If you cannot sleep for 8 continuous hours straight, spread it out and sleep in chunks.
Limit Sugar Intake
A high sugar intake is typically linked with the risk of diabetes; having too much caffeine may help you to be more productive but instead taking natural herb tea can be more effective than organic one.
However, recent studies and research have also established a link between sugar intake and dementia in the elderly. Researchers are even calling Alzheimer’s a ‘third type of diabetes’.
These fluctuations in the sugar levels that occur particularly in diabetes have been increasingly associated with a significant decrease in cognitive function. This is because high blood sugar levels severely affect the blood vessels in the brain.
Therefore, it is best to manage your sugar intake and blood sugar levels to ensure a healthy brain and to slow down cognitive decline.
Laugh More and Be Active
While on the apparent, the link between laughter and dementia may seem confusing, researchers have actually established that laughing and playing around promotes mental health and well-being.
Studies have also found that engaging in lively and playful activities helps engage the brain, stimulates the growth of new brain cells and ultimately prevents dementia and Alzheimer’s from progressing.
A light environment coupled with a sense of humor also relaxes the mind, eases tensions and guarantees good mental health.
So, all you need to do is laugh, smile and stay happy to alleviate some symptoms of dementia and improve the quality of your life.
Remove Stress From Your Life
It might be easier said than done, however, being stressed out about things will do you more harm than good.
Numerous studies have linked anxiety and stress with the development of dementia and Alzheimer’s. And if you are already going through an age-related decline in mental health, stress is likely to worsen your symptoms.
Researchers from Canada published a study which showed that people with mild cognitive impairment and high stress levels experience a significant decline in memory and similar cognitions.
For this reason, try to engage in healthy and happy activities that stimulate positive emotions and eliminate stress from your life.
Daily Meditation
Providing your mind some peace and quiet may be more important than you realize, especially if you have dementia. Because dementia leads to issues involving memory and thinking, it is extremely important for you to give your mind all the peace you possibly can.
Studies show that people who perform yoga and meditate have less brain atrophy than those who don’t. Also, meditation increases protective tissues in the brain, which can make elderly women with dementia less stressed.
It also reduces the production of the hormone cortisol in the body, which, as mentioned earlier, is linked with high levels of dementia and Alzheimer’s.
Therefore, you should always take time out to engage in meditation every day or on alternate days to preserve your mind and prevent age-related dementia from progressing.
While you seek your doctor’s help to prescribe you medication for dementia or go for cognitive screening, you should try to adopt more natural and healthy ways to deal with the condition.
These medicine-free ways and methods are heavily backed by science and proven true through continuous research.
This suggests that while there may not be a permanent treatment for mental health conditions like dementia, one can always resort to more easily accessible and convenient ways to improve the situation.
Alma Causey
Alma is a mother, wife and a professional blogger. She writes frequently on health, technology and management. Her time is divided between writing and creating exotic cuisines in the kitchen. She loves to discover new places and you’ll often find her globe-trotting with her twins.
Find her on Twitter: @Almacausey
