Preventing Memory Loss as You Age
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It is an unfortunate yet highly predictable consequence of aging that the mind's memory begins to deteriorate; almost everyone has experienced this phenomenon with elderly people who they spend time with. The inevitability of memory loss is what is particularly startling about the phenomenon. While some will keep their memory intact much better than others, nobody is immune to the gradual deterioration of the brain.
A healthy adult can expect to lose on average about one percent of all their nerve cells every single year from the time they are twenty onwards. This means your average seventy-five year old individual may only have half of the brain cells they enjoyed when they were twenty. This is important to know, but we shouldn't dwell too much on the inevitable tragedies that await us, rather we should do as much as we can now to help prevent and mitigate the problem and that is precisely the aim of this article.
Fortunately the problem of memory loss isn't entirely out of our control; we can be proactive and help slow the loss of our brain cells. One important thing to begin with is cutting back on alcohol consumption
, a proven killer of brain cells. Cigarettes are also a known accelerator of memory loss, so by removing these two hazardous habits from our lives we can take a big step in the right direction towards a healthy mind.
Alcohol and cigarettes are therefore key things to cut back on, but there are also things that you need more of if you want to slow down the brain's deterioration. This includes eating foods that are high in protein, fiber, and perhaps most important of all is consuming foods which are rich in antioxidants.
Fatty acids are also extremely important for a healthy mind, so make sure to eat plenty of fatty fish that are rich in Omega-3s. Avoid foods that are extremely processed or anything that contains harmful chemicals like various preservatives and MSG.
Besides diet adjustments there are also behavioral adjustments you should make, such as avoiding stress as much as possible. Unfortunately stress is an all too common aspect of our modern lives because it is also beginning to be a deadly aspect of our lives, with a wide array of serious health problems having now been linked directly to levels of stress.
In regards to memory loss, stress will only accelerate the aging process and the deterioration of the brain. Practicing activities which stimulate the brain is good however so try learning a new instrument or playing chess or scrabble or anything you think keeps your mind chugging along.
By following a healthy lifestyle and staying active and engaged you can prevent the worst aspects of memory loss and live a full and mentally acute life into your older years. While we can't prevent deterioration entirely, we can make sure that we lessen the effects of aging as best we can.
Article Source: Articlelogy.com
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