Health, Longevity, Dementia

We Desire Longevity, but Living with Dementia Might Hurt.

There is still hope as we are younger. I reveal it.

As we age, our brain cells and connections degenerate. These cells and cell connections die; we lose our memory, attention, and task-switching functions. Memory loss and confusion are the main symptoms.

“If you ask what the single most important key to longevity is, I would have to say it is avoiding worry, stress and tension. And if you didn’t ask me, I’d still have to say it.” — George Burns

I start this article with a quote from the legendary George Burns because he lived 100 years. In this piece, I want to touch on a few culprits for dementia, introduce the concepts of cognitive reserves, and how I take preventative measures considering the previously elevated cortisol as an obvious symptom of my chronic stress.

During my cognitive science studies, I learned about the contributing factors to dementia. The most commonly mentioned points were neurological decline, other health conditions, environmental impact, particularly toxins, and genetics.

Many scientists are studying these factors. There is no cure for dementia, but there are many theories about its development. Even though genetics is mentioned, scientists are still yet to find the gene codes causing dementia.

As Burn’s quote mentioned, stress, tension, and worry are the culprits triggering many health conditions. This is not just a belief anymore. Science literature is full of facts about the effects of stress on mental health and brain health.

There are many studies on the topic, but to give you an idea, I want to highlight three remarkable studies related to the impact of chronic stress on dementia or Alzheimer’s onset.

The first one published by Neurobiology in 2017 titled “Long-term cortisol measures predict Alzheimer disease risk” concludes that “Cortisol dysregulation as manifested by high UFC/Cr level and high UFC/Cr variability may modulate the downstream clinical expression of AD pathology or be a preclinical marker of Alzheimer’s Disease”.

The second one, published by Umeå University in 2013, titled “How chronic stress accelerates Alzheimer’s disease” points out that “Stress steroids can inhibit the general brain activity. Mid-life psychological stress, psychosocial stress and post-traumatic stress disorder cause cognitive dysfunction and lead to increased risk for dementia”.

The third one is from Oxford’s BRAIN titled “Midlife psychological stress and risk of dementia: a 35-year longitudinal population study”. This 2010 study provided a conclusive remark highlighting the effects of chronic stress causing dementia.

The body of knowledge indicates that chronic stress is one of the root causes of overall dementia, particularly Alzheimer’s Disease.

Coming from a family background with neurological issues, the elevated cortisol levels in my bloodstream concerned me and my healthcare professionals a lot.

When I started investigating the root causes of my elevated cortisol with my doctors’ help, I discovered that lack of quality sleep was significant. Understanding the root cause was an excellent start for creating the solution.

Stress was inevitable in my life. I always operate under pressure and experience it. I believe that stress itself is not good or bad. My stress response was my concern. I learned to manage stress by taking personal responsibility.

Awareness of stress-creating situations and eliminating them from my life was a vital step to staying healthy. As studies conclude, like many other aspects of our lives, our neurobiological and mental health are also strongly affected by stress. Thus, effective stress management approaches were essential to increase and maintain my physical and mental energy levels.

The problem was that chronic stress blocked energy in my brain. I knew acute stress was essential for my growth, but I needed to address my chronic stress and anxiety. I found many ways to address and deal with it as mentioned in this story, “ Why Are We So Tired And What Can We Do?.

In addition to managing my stress, the other critical focus area was my brain health. I have no direct control of my brain as it is an autonomous process. I have an indirect effect: providing necessary nutrition, quality sleep, exercise, and other requirements for a healthy life.

However, during my studies, I learned that cognitive reserves could prevent neurological and mental issues, especially growing older. I have been focusing on building my cognitive reserves for decades. I have reaped many benefits. For example, I shared my experience of beating brain fog in this story: I Fixed My Brain Fog With 7 Simple Hacks.

Cognitive reserve refers to the resistance of our mind to brain damage.

We can prevent brain damage from neurological, environmental, and possibly genetic factors by using our minds in simplified terms. I believe that the more resilient our minds are, the lower the risk of brain decline as we age.

To increase my cognitive reserves, I take many actions. I shared my experience in this article titled “ How To Turn Everyday Activities to Brain Boosters”. Rather than formal and work-related activities, introducing joyful habits to my life helped me keep my mind active and my brain healthy.

My friends ask me why I write every day. Is it just for money? Frankly, earning money from writing books and articles is negligible but gaining mental health is substantial. Writing is a profound practice to boost cognitive reserves.

When I am writing a book or article, my mind engages in many cognitive activities such as planning, coordinating, attention, memory, and task switching. Doing these activities with joy creates more dopamine and produces optimal hormonal and neurotransmitter balance. Writing creates a lot of positive emotions, and it has always been therapeutic for me.

Like everyone else, I am aging, but with concerted effort, my mental abilities are sharpening. I firmly believe that cognitive reserves are essential ways to prevent mental conditions such as dementia. Investing in cognitive reserves has helped me so far.

I observed several friends and family members with Alzheimer’s disease. It was not good for them and not for their beloved ones. Like anything in life, taking personal responsibility for our mental health is critical.

Of course, there are many things beyond our control, but there are things within our control, such as building and enhancing our cognitive reserves.

Thank you for reading my perspectives. I wish you a happy, healthy, and productive life.

Lower Dementia Risks with Three Lifestyle Habits

Reference: Simple & Powerful Life-Transforming Bio-Hacks

Please note that this story is not health advice. I shared my research, experience and perspectives for information purposes only, If you have associated conditions, please consult your healthcare professionals.

Sample Health Improvement Articles for New Readers

Besides aiming to increase the hormonal intelligence of my readers and writing about neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, GABA, and acetylcholine, one of my goals as a writer is to raise awareness about the causes and risk factors of prevalent diseases that can lead to suffering and death for a large portion of the population.

I aim to educate, create awareness, and empower my readers to take control of their health and well-being.

To raise awareness about health issues, I have written several articles that present my holistic health findings from research, personal observations, and unique experiences. Below are links to these articles for easy access.

Metabolic Syndrome, Type II Diabetes, Fatty Liver Disease, Heart Disease, Strokes, Obesity, Liver Cancer, Autoimmune Disorders, Homocysteine, Lungs Health, Pancreas Health, Kidneys Health, NCDs, Infectious Diseases, Brain Health, Dementia, Depression, Brain Atrophy, Neonatal Disorders, Skin Health, Dental Health, Bone Health, Leaky Gut, Leaky Brain, Brain Fog, Chronic Inflammation, Insulin Resistance, Elevated Cortisol, Leptin Resistance, Anabolic Resistance, Cholesterol, High Triglycerides, Metabolic Disorders, Gastrointestinal Disorders, and Major Diseases.

I also wrote about valuable nutrients. Here are the links for easy access:

Boron, Urolithin, taurine, citrulline malate, biotin, lithium orotate, alpha-lipoic acid, n-acetyl-cysteine, acetyl-l-carnitine, CoQ10, PQQ, NADH, TMG, creatine, choline, digestive enzymes, magnesium, zinc, hydrolyzed collagen, nootropics, pure nicotine, activated charcoal, Vitamin B12, Vitamin B1, Vitamin D, Vitamin K2, Omega-3 Fatty Acids, N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine, and other nutrients to improve metabolism and mental health.

Disclaimer: Please note that my posts do not include professional or health advice. I document my reviews, observations, experience, and perspectives only to provide information and create awareness.

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