Disclaimer · 2018-08-18 · Disclaimer We hope you enjoy reading our report however we do suggest...
Transcript of Disclaimer · 2018-08-18 · Disclaimer We hope you enjoy reading our report however we do suggest...
Disclaimer
We hope you enjoy reading our report however we do suggest you read our
disclaimer. All the material written in this report is provided for informational
purposes only and is general in nature.
Every person is a unique individual and what has worked for some or even
many may not work for you. Any information perceived as advice by must be
considered in light of your own particular set of circumstances.
The author or person sharing this information does not assume any
responsibility for the accuracy or outcome of your use of the content.
Every attempt has been made to provide well researched and up to date
content at the time of writing. Now all the legalities have been taken care of,
please enjoy the content.
Stave Off Memory Issues as You Age
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine recently released a white
paper report about protecting your memory as you age. Research indicates
that when we reach the age of 40, our mental and cognitive powers may be
reduced.
Sometimes our health, safety, work and even relationships may be affected
by issues regarding memory and mental acuity. As we venture into our 50s
and beyond, we may notice a marked difference in our recall abilities – such
as names and dates.
More than 5.4 million Americans have Alzheimer’s Disease and are or will
become incapable of living alone. Dementia may also occur – not as
debilitating as Alzheimer’s, but just as devastating.
There are ways to protect your memory as you age. Staying in good health
helps as does exercise and a good diet plan. If you take care of yourself and
your memory, you greatly increase your chances of living a full and gracious
life.
Protecting Your Memory as You Age We all know that keeping our bodies fit can help to keep us healthy as we
age, but there are exercises that we should engage in to keep our brains
healthy too. If you’re a student, you’re going to study hard so you can pass
the test.
Likewise, you’ll want to exercise your brain to keep your mind sharp and
boost your brainpower as you age. Here are a few tips and ideas to enhance
and preserve your memory and brain performance as you grow older
Empower Your Brain with a Good Diet Plan
Just as a racecar needs fuel to perform at the highest level, so does your
brain need healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains, plus
healthy fats and protein.
Complex carbohydrates such as whole wheat bread, oatmeal and lentils can
make a difference to your memory’s health. You should avoid simple
carbohydrates such as sugar and refined grains.
Reduce Stress in Your Life
Stress is the brain’s worst enemy. It can destroy your brain cells and severely
damage the part of the brain that’s responsible for new memories and
memory retrieval.
Meditation is one of the best stress-busters life has to offer. It can eliminate
stress by reducing depression, chronic pain, high blood pressure and
anxiety.
Studies show that those who meditate on a regular basis show an increased
thickness in the cerebral cortex, which increases mental sharpness.
Exercise and Sleep to Stimulate and Rest Your Brain
Athletes make hard training and getting enough sleep part of a regimen to
stay in shape. Aging is like training for a marathon – exercise your body and
you’ll exercise your brain.
Resting your brain is also important because it can’t work to its capacity
unless it has proper rest. Notice that your critical thinking and creativity are
diminished when you don’t get enough sleep.
Laugh
Simple, but so very important to the health of your body and brain. Scientific
studies show that laughter reaches out to multiple parts of your brain –
especially those that are vital to creativity and learning.
Laugh as often as you can – at yourself, alone and with others. Observe how
little children play and laugh and strive to emulate them. Take life less
seriously and your brain and attitude toward life will benefit.
Exercise Your Brain Power
Giving your brain a workout can help preserve your brainpower. Simple
exercises like taking another route home from work, needlework, games and
reading various types of books can challenge your spatial-temporal
reasoning, coordination and creativity.
Constantly try new activities, no matter how challenging they may be. Get
out of your comfort zone and have fun with what you’re doing. The brain’s
main requirement for good health is that “you use it or you lose it.”
Develop Relationships
Healthy relationships can boost your memory level tenfold. Hanging out with
friends, enjoying a fun movie or games is enjoyable and keeps you from
feeling isolated.
Humans are naturally social and those with the most active social lives
experience much slower memory decline than those who are mostly isolated.
Volunteer, join one or more clubs – or rescue a pet for companionship.
Mnemonic clues can help you pinpoint memories by associating the memory
with a word, phrase or visual image. For example, you might visualize the
image of a glass of cold iced tea to remember a hot summer day at the beach
with your family.
Learn all you can about how to preserve your memory as you age. The more
you know, the better able you’ll be to choose activities, diet and a lifestyle
that will keep your brain active and young for as long as possible.
How to Identify Memory Issues Have you ever picked up the phone to call someone and realize that you’ve
forgotten the number even though you’ve called it almost every day for
years? (Of course, with one-button speed dial, you can easily forget the
number.)
Or, you may start to introduce an old friend to a group of people and forget
his or her name. These are called “senior moments,” and are disconcerting
when it happens.
There are many reasons that you may be suffering from memory loss which
include blood clots, depression, blood pressure and depression. If you’re
concerned about some memory loss symptoms you should see your doctor
for tests.
Here are some ways to identify certain types of memory loss:
Mild Cognitive Impairment
Losing possessions, forgetting to attend appointments and failing to
communicate as well as others may be a sign that your memory is impaired,
but you can still take care of yourself.
Your doctor may recommend tests to be sure that your MCI isn’t a precursor
to the more serious problem of Alzheimer ’s disease.
• Vascular Dementia – This type of memory loss may cause serious
problems, much like Alzheimer’s disease. It is caused by small strokes
or variations in the brain’s blood supply. Treatment for Vascular
Dementia might include controlling high blood pressure, high
cholesterol, getting diabetes under control and stopping smoking.
• Alzheimer’s Disease – The most serious form of memory loss in
seniors, Alzheimer’s disease usually begins slowly, but becomes more
serious as brain cells die. Every day activities such as driving, thinking
clearly and taking care of themselves may become more difficult and
the person who suffers from the disease may need to be in a nursing
home to have their needs taken care of.
• Medical Conditions – Certain conditions such as depression, bad
diet, too much alcohol, smoking or reacting to medications may cause
memory problems. Thyroid, kidney and liver problems may also cause
memory impairment. The memory problems usually disappear after the
medical condition is addressed.
• Emotional Issues – Worry, sadness, loneliness and boredom can
cause forgetfulness and confusion. A counselor should be able to help
you work through these issues. Learning new skills, spending time with
loved ones and friends and joining in activities that keep your body and
mind active can and do wonders for some emotional issues.
There are online tests you can take to see where you score in regards to
memory loss – but, if you’re really worried about your memory, be sure and
see your physician for a complete health checkup.
A brain scan can show problem areas in your brain and you and your doctor
can discuss the best treatment for your memory loss issues.
Keep Depression at Bay
Depression becomes more prevalent as we age. Loss of loved ones,
spouses and friends, changes in lifestyle such as work and home can all
come into play and cause depression as we grow older.
There are so many things that can cause a person to become depressed
that it sometimes takes a professional to help us through it. There are also
many levels and degrees of depression – from situational depression over a
recent incident to chemical depression caused by changes in the brain.
There are things we can do to keep depression at bay, such as socializing,
going to the doctor for regular checkups, exercising to release natural,
depression fighting endorphins and adopting a healthy diet and lifestyle.
Chronic depression can greatly affect how we age and what maladies may
descend upon us. Many physical ailments come about or are worsened due
to a depressed emotional state.
Signs and Symptoms of Depression
It’s important for you to know the signs and symptoms of depression so that
you can do something to combat it before it affects your lifestyle and your
health. Depression may cause you to have increased difficulty concentrating
or remembering things.
Depression may also keep you from socializing, coping with life’s problems,
sleeping well and even affect your cognitive abilities. Everyone has ups and
downs, but when you feel despair constantly and it won’t go away, you may
be depressed.
Here are some major warning signs that you may be depressed rather than
experiencing a downswing in mood:
• Change in Sleep Patterns – Insomnia or oversleeping (hypersomnia)
that doesn’t seem to go away may indicate clinical depression.
• Trouble Concentrating – Inability to focus on a task at hand or being
unable to make simple decisions can be symptoms of depression.
• Irritability and Anger – Being unusually short-tempered or
experiencing out-of-character aggressiveness may also be a sign that
you’re depressed.
• Feelings of Helplessness or Hopelessness – Feeling that life is
bleak and there’s no hope for the future can be depression rearing its
ugly head.
• Negative Thoughts Consume Your Life – One sign of depression is
that no matter how hard you try, you can’t seem to get the negative
thoughts out of your mind to the point that it affects your lifestyle.
• Voracious Appetite or Loss of Appetite – Depression may affect
how you eat, including severe loss of appetite or eating so much that
you’re gaining unwanted weight.
Signs and symptoms of depression vary according to the individual, but if
you have many of the above symptoms and they seem to be interfering with
your life, you should seek help immediately.
Preventing Depression as You Age Depression isn’t a normal part of aging, but aging can bring on symptoms of
depression – even to having suicidal thoughts. As older adults face loss of
independence, severe health problems and bereavement, it’s important to
recognize depression and quickly address it before it controls you.
Treatment may come in the form of anti-depressants if nothing else seems
to work, but there are more natural ways for older adults to beat depression
and enjoy life, no matter how difficult it may be to face life’s changes and
challenges.
Social support is especially helpful for depression in older adults. Adapting
to lifestyle changes and building emotional skills are also important if a
person is to successfully face and overcome the devastating power of
depression.
Ways that you can fight depression as you age include adapting a healthy
diet and exercise regimen, but there are also other methods that will help
you keep depression at bay, including:
Check Medications
Your medications may actually be causing your depression or contributing to
its overall effect. Pain medications, hormones and cancer medications can
all be culprits contributing to depression.
Active Social Life
Visiting or receiving visits from family and friends during the week can help
lessen depression as we age. Joining a club or engaging in activities you
enjoy can also help tremendously.
Yoga, Meditation and Tai Chi
These are some of the best activities targeting the negative thoughts that
come with aging and depression. They’re also good exercises to keep the
body healthy and moving.
Hobbies
Taking up a hobby that keeps you busy and focused is an extremely healthy
way to combat depression. Mental challenges of a new hobby or activity also
help to ward off dementia.
Therapy
Sometimes we just need an empathetic ear to listen to us. You can usually
work through your feelings of depression by spending time with a therapist
who’s educated in helping with aging issues.
If you’re overwhelmed by thoughts of depression, ask for help. It may be that
your thoughts as you age are becoming negative and depressing – but this
may be based on misplaced perception rather than the reality of your
situation.
Reaching out and having a strong support system can help you realize a
speedy recovery and enjoy life in your later years. Don’t isolate yourself from
others, even if you feel like withdrawing and being alone.
Depression and Suicidal Thoughts Depression can be a breeding ground for suicidal thoughts. The
hopelessness and fear that comes with aging can sometimes be so
depressing that suicide can seem like a valid option.
If you’re thinking suicidal thoughts, know that it’s a serious symptom
of depression and seek help immediately!
Some serious warning signs of suicidal depression are:
• Thinking or speaking about harming yourself
• Hopelessness and helplessness
• Giving away possessions and a sudden preoccupation with getting
affairs in order
• Reckless behavior
If you or a loved one is experiencing any of the above feelings, reach out for
help or express concern and get help for the person involved. Most of all
don’t panic. You can fight and win the depression and thoughts of suicide
that accompany it.
Anti-depressants may help, but lifestyle changes are longer lasting and have
a more positive effect on the real causes of the depression. Building the right
emotional skills can help successfully combat much of the perceived
downside to aging.
Getting Out of “The Black Hole” Depression is often described as living in a black hole. While it’s happening
to you, you’re sad and may have feelings of impending doom. It may also
take the form of anger or aggressiveness – leading to reckless behavior.
It’s normal to feel sad and have mood swings once in a while, but if these
feelings are taking over your life and are unrelenting, it’s time to make some
changes in your lifestyle and possibly seek help.
Risk factors of chronic depression include increased pain such as back,
muscles, stomach and headaches. The pain is very real and it is difficult to
know whether its source is physical or a result of depression-related
thoughts.
If you believe that depression is causing the pain and if you’re making poor
lifestyle choices, in relationships and other areas of your life, it’s probably
time to seek professional help.
A professional therapist can help you get out of the black hole and assist you
in making the lifestyle choices you need to live a healthy and active life as
you age.