Brain Longevity (Part 3 of 5): Exercise And Sleep For Dementia Prevention

The brain is not a muscle that can be ‘pumped up’ through exercise, but physical and mental activities absolutely impact brain health: a sedentary lifestyle more than doubles the risk of developing Alzheimer’s Disease. Learn what happens in the brain during physical activity, the three components of impactful mental exercise, and why sleep is not nearly as passive as it seems. Physical and mental exercise forms one of The Alzheimer’s Research & Prevention Foundation’s “4 Pillars of Prevention”.

Transcript

Welcome to part 3 of this series about brain longevity for dementia prevention.

In part 1,

I talked about 12 risk factors for dementia that are known to be modifiable,

Which implies that many potential cases of dementia are preventable.

Part 2 addressed the importance of nutrition and oral hygiene,

And in this session I will talk about the essential role of exercise for the brain and body.

We will look at how exercise impacts the brain,

What is meant by brain aerobics,

And what happens during sleep that makes our nighttime rest so crucial.

With the terms brain and mind sometimes being conflated,

It bears acknowledging that the brain is not an abstract information processor,

But a fragile part of the body that includes blood vessels and nerves,

And which depends on proper nutrition and a healthy amount of exercise.

Fortunately,

What is known to be good for the heart is good for the brain too,

So we don't necessarily need two different kinds of exercise for the brain and the rest of the body.

That's because a healthy heart enables more oxygen and glucose to feed the brain.

Of course,

Good blood flow doesn't only depend on the heart.

Our blood vessels are vulnerable to buildup that causes narrowing of the arteries,

Which can cause blood flow to be restricted or blocked completely in the case of heart attacks and stroke.

The term vascular relates to vessels,

And vascular dementia is a type of cognitive impairment caused when damaged vessels deliver an insufficient supply of oxygen to the brain.

Blockages can cause mini-strokes,

Or vessel damage within the brain can cause bleeding,

But vascular dementia is not always obvious without brain scans.

Although some symptoms are the same,

Vascular dementia is different from Alzheimer's disease,

Which is characterized by a toxic buildup of proteins and fibers that interfere with nerve cell communication and can cause the brain to shrink.

Alzheimer's disease first affects areas involved in the formation of memories,

Including the hippocampus located deep within the brain.

The progression of the disease eventually impairs speech and communication,

Reasoning and judgment,

And other skills that allow adults to function independently.

This highlights why dementia is so much more complex than memory impairment.

The pathologies that cause dementia affect different parts of the brain,

And they can have very different outward symptoms.

And now for some good news.

An abundance of research has reported that exercise can reduce our chances of developing Alzheimer's disease by about 50%.

Of course,

It requires action,

Literally,

And many people think there's not enough time in the day for work,

Family,

Friendships,

And exercise.

Exercise is something to do if there is time left in the day after those other priorities.

Once upon a time,

People naturally moved their bodies when physical exertion was required for putting food on the table,

Moving from place to place,

And interacting with others.

Today,

There are apps for that.

But even before the widespread use of cell phones and the internet,

We enjoyed the convenience of finding everything we need at one-stop supermarkets and shopping malls.

Cars,

Buses,

And trains allow us to travel without walking very much.

Phones and computers connect us with family,

Friends,

And coworkers.

People are busy,

And we think we need free time in order to exercise,

Instead of exercise being the very thing that will allow us to be effective in our busyness.

How does physical exercise help?

The brain is vulnerable to shrinkage,

Just as muscles are.

In the hippocampus,

Which is the brain region critical for memory formation,

It is common to lose around 1% per year,

Starting around age 50.

For people who neglect exercise throughout adulthood,

The damage begins even earlier.

Unfortunately,

We can't pump up the volume of the brain the way weightlifting builds biceps and other muscles.

Physical exercise has a positive effect on the brain because the blood pumped by a healthy heart through healthy vessels boosts the amount of oxygen and glucose it receives.

Specific to Alzheimer's disease,

Physical exercise may also limit the buildup of those harmful plaques and tangles that are implicated in memory loss.

Low intensity physical activity also suppresses the production of the stress hormone cortisol.

High levels of cortisol in the blood tax the body and contribute to the atrophy of the hippocampus,

Causing memory deficits.

The Alzheimer's Research and Prevention Foundation's recommendation for physical exercise aligns with that of the U.

S.

Centers for Disease Control,

Two and a half hours of moderate exercise per week,

Including aerobic and strength building activities.

That's 150 minutes,

Or 75 minutes of more rigorous exercise.

However,

For those who are just beginning to incorporate more activity into their lives,

It will be important to choose activities that are safe and enjoyable because exercise should become a healthy habit and not a source of suffering.

Fortunately,

Many forms of exercise are fun,

Thanks to the release of endorphins and serotonin.

Engaging in fitness classes has the added benefit of socialization,

Which contributes to dementia prevention.

As for how to exercise for brain health,

You probably already know the answer.

The exercise you enjoy doing is the exercise you're most likely to actually do,

And therefore that's the best type of exercise for your brain.

For me,

It's dancing and yoga,

But for you it might be swimming,

Tennis,

Taekwondo,

Walking your dog,

Or working in the garden.

There are also mental exercises that influence brain health,

Sometimes called brain aerobics.

You've probably heard that doing Sudoku or crossword puzzles can protect you from cognitive impairment.

But the benefit of doing those puzzles really comes from engaged attention,

Not by doing things that can be completed easily without much mental effort.

That might mean challenging yourself to try the notoriously difficult New York Times crossword or the hard level Sudoku.

Just 20 minutes a day,

Three times a week of challenging mental activity has been shown to lower the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease by 70%.

The caveat is that mental exercises are most effective when they meet three criteria.

They fully engage your attention,

They break a routine action by performing a task in an unexpected way,

And they involve more than one of the five senses.

An example would be taking a mindful walk in nature,

Where you consciously take in the sounds,

Smells,

Textures in your environment.

Can you see how that type of physical exercise engages the mind and senses more than running on a treadmill?

Where I live in Northern California,

I've been privileged to attend several day-long retreats at Spirit Rock Meditation Center,

Where I first learned about walking meditation.

In between seated meditations and teachings throughout the day,

Participants were invited to stand up,

Spread out,

And walk along imaginary lines in silence,

Back and forth,

Very slowly,

Aware of each individual step,

Lifting one foot while the other bears the weight,

Staying balanced as the airborne foot meets the ground so that the other foot can be lifted.

This kind of walking is not going to get your heart rate up,

But it does exercise the brain because of the novelty of the activity and the attention required.

At first,

I almost stumbled.

I haven't had to think much about walking since mastering the skill in childhood.

In fact,

It was emotional to realize how much I took for granted this act that has carried me all over the world.

Novelty can come from a change in perspective,

Too.

At the daycare center,

I used to place objects into a box or bag and have clients reach in to select one without looking at it.

The challenge was to identify the item without seeing it.

Try it.

It's not as easy as it sounds to recognize common objects with your hands instead of your eyes.

Another good mental exercise is reading a piece of text held upside down.

You might be surprised by your ability to do so.

It always makes me marvel at the brain's capacity to make sense of something that we assume relies on a linear,

Predictable presentation.

Reading the upside-down text aloud becomes a visual,

Verbal,

And perceptual workout and meets those three criteria for maximum benefit.

Engaging attention,

Breaking routine,

And uses multiple senses.

Mental exercises need not be done alone.

One of the most important things I learned as a graduate student was that having strong social connections is more protective of brain health than working those crossword puzzles.

Don't stop doing them if they truly challenge you,

But introduce novelty to your routines.

Engage your physical senses and stay involved with other people,

Perhaps through book clubs,

Prayer groups,

And community gatherings.

In case you haven't noticed,

People are like unpredictable puzzles.

They keep us guessing.

I will share more about the physical and spiritual benefits of socializing in part four of this series.

This talk has been about activity,

But I think it is worthwhile to also address the way sleep impacts brain health.

Insufficient sleep is associated with multiple health problems.

High blood pressure,

Weight gain,

Diabetes,

And memory loss.

More and more studies show connections between poor sleep and Alzheimer's disease.

To understand the connection between sleep and brain health,

It helps to look at what happens in the brain while we sleep.

Waste and toxins that build up throughout the day are cleared during sleep through a network of vessels that make up the glymphatic system.

That's glymphatic with a G.

I had to look it up too when I first heard the word.

Some of the waste is in the form of proteins that are implicated in memory impairment in Alzheimer's disease,

Amyloid beta.

People who get less than five hours of sleep have higher levels of this amyloid beta compared to those who sleep seven hours or more,

According to a Johns Hopkins study.

While you rest at night,

The brain remains active,

But it depends on the body to sleep to clear the toxins from the day.

Crucially,

This doesn't mean you should rush to take medication if you're having trouble sleeping.

Many well-known and commonly prescribed sleep aids in a class called benzodiazepines carry an increased risk of developing dementia.

The better solution for sleeping soundly is to engage in exercise,

Which will naturally tire the body,

And to practice some of the stress management techniques that will be addressed in the next talk.

This highlights the importance of respite for caregivers too.

Dementia disturbs sleep patterns and the awareness of time,

So caregiver sleep will almost certainly be impacted by the vigilance required during full-time care duties.

Having designated periods of time for enjoyable exercise and adequate rest allows caregivers to protect their own health as they care for others.

To summarize,

Exercise and sleep are essential for brain health and longevity.

What is good for your heart will be good for your brain,

Because the brain relies on the effective delivery of oxygen and glucose.

We can all expect some loss of brain mass as we age,

But it begins earlier in people who don't exercise,

And a sedentary lifestyle more than doubles the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.

The type of exercise you do is less important than doing something you enjoy,

And that you can practice safely.

Mental exercises,

Sometimes called brain aerobics,

Are beneficial when they meet three criteria.

They engage attention,

They break routine,

And they engage multiple senses.

Mental interactions during physical and mental activities also boost the benefits of exercise.

And at the end of the day,

Sleep is also essential for brain health.

Sleep is not passive.

A lot happens while your body is at rest.

Fortunately,

Sleep comes easier being active during the day.

For caregivers who are challenged by having no time to themselves for exercise or sound sleep,

It is important to try to connect with community support services that offer periods of respite.

Whether you are currently living with cognitive impairment or are more concerned about preventing it,

I share these teachings with love and as a witness to the renewed vitality that comes from compassionate connection.

Many future cases of dementia may be preventable.

Meanwhile,

There are millions of families who live with dementia today.

Let us not forget those individuals who are isolated from their relatives who also deserve to be seen,

Heard,

And supported.

Thank you for your willingness to not look away.

Reviews

Thank you for a reminder of these essential things we need to do to help preserve our brain & overall health. They are a must to implement! 🙏🏽💖

Thank you! I appreciate your presentation of ways to slow or prevent dementia, but wonder whether progress of dementia is reversible or not. I’m 70, had a 45-year career in the sciences and writing, and always have maintained daily exercise routines, slept reasonably well and avoided over-use of alcohol, but I still find I’m losing continuity in what I’m doing at times, and have increasingly unreliable memory. I went for an evaluation with a neurologist who assured me I am functioning above average “for my age”! I’m terrified of declining and dying with dementia as my mother did, and wonder if there is any way to reverse the process.
Thanks for sharing your experience and expertise.
Donna

❤️

Kelly, I’m really enjoying your recordings, thank you so much! The serie is informative (I appreciate the biological explanations intertwining with awareness/presence) and light. 🙏🏻 (hopefully) soon I’ll start a job at a psychogeriapatric center and I’m happy to take this knowledge with me!

I do have a small remark in case you consider to record more (which I encourage you to do); when I listen to your recordings, somehow some sounds (high notes and ‘S’ sounds) are very sharp. Ideally I’d like to turn up the volume, but it becomes uncomfortable to listen to when I do that. Since it’s only with these recordings and a few other ones on Insight Times that I notice this, I figured it’s possibly on the microphone’s end. Perhaps I’m the only one experiencing this, but I wanted to let you know nevertheless in case its useful for you :) once again thank you and have a wonderful day!

This is so helpful, thank you 🙏🏽

I will certainly look our for the previous and future parts of this series also 🙏🏽

Thank you for sharing your knowledge!

Thank you, once again. Your series on dementia continues to be most beneficial to me.