Recently, a lot of chatter has been going on about Alzheimer’s with global icons Chris Hemsworth and Bruce Willis coming out with their struggles with the disease. With so much limelight on the condition, doctors and medical professionals have started spreading more and more awareness about it, including the earliest symptoms and ways to lower the risk of getting it.
Expert Opinions on the Matter
Taking to social media, Dr. Gabrielle Lyon pointed out the most common early symptoms of the disease. In fact, these symptoms may show up several decades before someone is formally diagnosed, and paying attention to these lifestyle factors can be a game-changer.
While genetics play a huge role like with most diseases, there are around 25 risk factors for Alzheimer’s, and three in particular are things that just about everyone can work on improving: exercise, sleep, and nutrition.
Exercise and Sleep
It’s easy in your 20s and 30s to ignore exercise, counting on your young body to be there for you. However, it turns out that the behaviors you develop when it comes to fitness can have a lasting impact when you’re older. Studies have shown that exercising regularly can reduce your risk of developing Alzheimer’s by as much as 30%!
Then there’s sleep, which should be easy to control, but it isn’t. However, Dr. Lyon believes that good sleep, especially in the two stages of deep sleep, is one of the most underrated tools we have in our toolbox. As we get older, sleeping well gets harder, but even more essential.
The Importance of Nutrition
When it comes to nutrition, eating your fruits and veggies can help protect the brain from damage caused by conditions like Alzheimer’s, which is as good of a reason as any to reach for those carrots and bananas. People who don’t eat enough produce are likely lacking a lot of needed vitamins and proteins.
The idea of diseases like Alzheimer’s may be scary, but one can make minor lifestyle changes now that have a lasting impact on their minds in the future. If that’s not a good reason to look after ourselves, we don’t know what is!