Dementia Experts Reveal 7 Rules You Should Follow To Keep Your Mind Sharp

More than 55 million people across the globe have dementia , which describes a cluster of symptoms ― such as memory loss, overall cognitive impairment and psychological changes ― as well as specific conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, according to the World Health Organization. Cases continue to grow at alarming rates, with about 10 million people developing dementia each year .

This underscores the importance of brain health, an umbrella term that emphasizes the wellness of all cognitive skills and abilities. Dr. Zaldy Tan, director of the Maxine & Bernard Platzer Lynn Family Memory & Healthy Aging Program at Cedars-Sinai, explained that “brain health is the state that allows a person to adequately perform important day-to-day functions such as purposeful movements, communication, thinking and learning.”

“As a society, we should pay attention to brain health from the start of one’s life,” Dr. Dylan Wint, director of the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health , told HuffPost, adding that brain health is impacted by “choices made over a lifetime.”

It’s important to note that genetics, chronic illness and other individual risk factors can play a role in the development of dementia. However, physicians agree there are universal ways to dramatically boost your cognitive functioning. According to dementia experts, these are seven brain health rules to adopt that will keep your mind sharp as you age .

1. Regularly incorporate exercise into your weekly routine

Research has shown that regular physical activity is beneficial to one’s cognitive functioning , working to decrease stress, counteract the hormones that worsen anxiety and sharpen memory.

As Tan further explained, “physical exercise is important to