If You're Young & Healthy, Are You At Risk for Memory Loss & Dementia?

Written by Lori Jo Vest

Fact checked by The Brain Blog Team

Now is the time to get up and get moving! Find ways to make regular exercise a priority. Walk outside on your lunch break in good weather or pull some weeds after it rains. If you need to start gently, take a yoga class online or in person. You could start an accountability group with friends for added motivation. 

 Just as crucial as getting physical exercise to prevent memory loss is getting quality sleep. Your brain needs both to be healthy! Make your bedroom comfortable and relaxing for rest. If your workspace is near your bed, move it to another area. Create a relaxation ritual to wind down in the evening and prepare your body and mind for a restful night of sleep.

Eat the best foods for your MIND.

The best diet for brain health is in the top 10 diets ranked worldwide by US News & World Report. Called the MIND diet, it is one of the best nutritional approaches for preventing memory loss. This diet combines the Mediterranean diet with an anti-hypertension diet. Bonus: It is one of the easiest diets to follow, too! Vegetables are the focus (especially leafy greens), along with whole grains, beans, nuts, and berries. If you use the MIND diet as a guide to eating fewer unhealthy foods (like red meat), you will invest in your health while expanding your palate of foods and flavors.

Play!

Engage in positive activities for the sole purpose of relaxation. Picture yourself as a child, losing yourself in play. What did you enjoy doing without judging yourself? Take a break from deadlines to fight memory loss and have fun! Make simple shapes with play dough, listen to an entire album with headphones, borrow non-fiction books from the library, or make cookies from scratch. Grab a camera and take pictures of trees, buildings, or whatever catches your eye.

Continue to learn

Try a new skill that challenges your brain to keep learning. What might you want to explore? Community education classes can introduce you to musical instruments, woodworking, improvisation, tai chi, dance, or art. Research container garden design for your patio or join a book club. 

Get ahead by being prepared.

Taking these steps while you're young and healthy is the ultimate way to push back and lower your risk of memory loss and dementia. Investing in your brain health with a few lifestyle changes and everyday practices will strengthen your mind and body. Life is full of the unexpected, and being in good health will put you in the best place to handle whatever comes your way as you get older. 

Consider supplementation. 

Another way to support your brain health and thereby help protect your memory is to supplement your diet with a nutritional supplement that has been proven in clinical studies, to preserve brain health and help prevent dementia. Specifically, the Memory Health brain health supplement has been created and patented to prevent and treat dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Learn more: The Memory Health Story