Latest Study Finds Link Between Sedentary Lifestyle and Dementia

Now, we all know what you’re considering: 10 hours is an extended time to be sitting—but when you really give it some thought, bearing in mind the time you spend in a chair within the office, on the couch, within the automobile, or out to eat, it’s really not that far of a stretch in modern times. (Actually, it’s because of individuals’s proclivity for prolonged periods of sitting that Apple has gone up to now as to supply standing alerts on the Apple Watch.) And that’s when you’re able-bodied—a few of us haven’t any alternative apart from to take a seat all day every single day.

This begs the query: What are you able to do while sitting to curb these cognitive health effects? To search out out, we chatted with neuroscience researcher and neurodegenerative disease expert, Dale Bredesen, MD.

The risks of a sedentary lifestyle on brain health

Once upon a time, children and adults were up and moving upwards of 10 hours a day. The explanation? Work, leisure, creating community, and easily having fun. Nowadays, because of technology, it’s possible to make a living and be sufficiently entertained without a lot as leaving your couch, much less home. As wonderful as technology is, it’s a little bit of a double-edged sword. In any case, when you remain stationary for hours on end—whether it’s in pursuit of tackling a deadline, catching up in your favorite shows, or hitting a brand new high rating—you may inadvertently harm your health down the road.

In accordance with Dr. Bredesen, a stationary lifestyle can result in adversarial health effects like suboptimal metabolism, and, as recently shown, dementia. While all quite different, these downsides actually go hand in hand, as all of them boil right down to energetics and inflammation, Dr. Bredesen says.

“Probably the most common type of dementia is Alzheimer’s, and research has shown that this is essentially driven by two aspects,” he explains. Those are energetics (oxygenation, blood flow, mitochondrial function, and ketone level) and inflammation (which is increased by pathogens, toxins, leaky gut, air pollution, poor dentition, etc.), in response to Dr. Bredesen. “A sedentary lifestyle reduces energetic support for the brain, and is usually related to poor nutrition, as well—sitting on the couch and eating chips, for instance—which increases inflammation,” he says.

The way to curb the results of a sedentary lifestyle on cognitive function

Simply standing and walking more often throughout your day might not be feasible for everybody, like those that are wheelchair-bound or whose job requires long hours at a desk. If that’s the case, Dr. Bredesen says that there are five key lifestyle habits you can employ to support energetics and reduce inflammation, effectively warding off cognitive decline in the method.

1. Fill your plate with nutrient-dense foods

“Eat a plant-rich food plan,” Dr. Bredesen says. Prioritizing nutrient-dense, plant-based foods might help boost metabolism and digestion, prevent inflammation, and foster higher health overall.

2. Move your body

Bredesen emphasizes the importance of each day exercise of 45 to 60 minutes, including each aerobic and strength training. “These [modalities] have different mechanisms of cognitive support,” he explains. That doesn’t mean you’ve gotten to carefully move your body, though. Bredesen says performing seated weight exercises, in addition to banded movements counts. One other idea? Get a walking pad to show your traditional desk right into a cognition-boosting workspace, if that is an option for you.

When working movement into your sedentary lifestyle, Dr. Bredesen says that resistance is every little thing. “Resistance training increases insulin sensitivity, one of the vital metabolic parameters for optimal cognition,” he points out. “It also increases PGC-1alpha, which boosts mitochondrial function, increases detox, and supports cognitive function.”

3. Prioritize sleep

As vital as movement and food plan are, quality sleep has the largest impact in your overall health. For this reason, Dr. Bredesen recommends getting at the least seven to eight hours of high-quality sleep per night. Specifically, he says to aim for at the least “one hour of deep sleep and at the least 1.5 hours of REM sleep.” A simple technique to track these numbers is with a sleep tracker.

4. Manage your stress

While movement, food plan, and sleep can provide help to to steer a less stressful life, making time for meditation and other restorative practices, like yoga, deep respiration, and sound baths, can also be worthwhile, Dr. Bredesen says. There are many free meditation apps to provide help to cultivate more mindfulness and calm.

5. Train your brain

Sudoku, crossword puzzles, and even Wordle have one thing in common: They boost brain activity. In accordance with Dr. Bredesen brain training is crucial for maintaining cognitive health. He suggests looking into Brain HQ to challenge your noggin.