Almost one million people in the UK are living with dementia. While scientists are making significant progress in dementia research, there is still no cure. Although our age and genes are significant risk factors for dementia, research shows that almost half of dementia cases could be prevented or delayed by addressing certain known health and lifestyle risk factors. These include smoking, drinking excess alcohol, a lack of physical activity, among others like air pollution and social isolation.
“While there is no sure-fire way to prevent dementia completely, there are steps we can all take to help protect our brains and reduce our dementia risk,” says Emma Taylor, information services manager at Alzheimer’s Research UK. “Keeping our heart health and blood pressure in check, staying sharp by challenging our brains with new activities, and keeping connected with people all help to boost our brain health.”
With this in mind, we asked experts what are some everyday habits that may increase your risk of cognitive decline.
Not keeping up-to-date with eye tests
Uncorrected vision loss is also a dementia risk factor. More than one in 10 people over the age of 50 have uncorrected visual impairment, according to Alzheimer’s Research UK. “This includes not wearing glasses for short- or long-sightedness over a very long period of time,” Taylor explains. “There’s also an increase in dementia risk among people with two specific conditions that cause vision loss – diabetic retinopathy and cataracts – if they go untreated.” More research is needed to understand exactly why these increase risk, but these eye conditions are linked to inflammation and blood vessel damage, which contribute to diseases like Alzheimer’s.
Drinking too much
“The thinking around alcohol and brain health has shifted significantly,” explains Dr Faye Begeti, a neurology specialist doctor at Oxford University Hospitals. “We used to hear about potential benefits of moderate drinking, but more recent and rigorous research shows that alcohol accelerates brain ageing, damages the small blood vessels that supply the brain, and can contribute to structural brain changes over time.”
According to Alzheimer’s Research UK, someone who regularly drinks more than 21 units of alcohol per week (roughly ten pints of average beer or ten medium glasses of wine) is more likely to develop dementia than someone who drinks less than 14 units every week (six pints of average beer, six medium glasses of wine).
“Research has shown that drinking too much alcohol over time is linked to a higher risk of heart problems and stroke, which are both risk factors for dementia,” adds Taylor. “This and the fact that long-term heavy drinking can also damage the brain and affect memory and thinking could help explain the links between excessive drinking and dementia. In fact, one study suggests that there may be no known ‘safe’ limit of alcohol consumption, although more research is needed to confirm this.”
Putting off going to the doctors
Delaying seeing a doctor about something that warrants a discussion, is a habit dementia expert and author Professor June Andrews says she sees time and time again – “particularly among older people, particularly males”. This is because developing certain health conditions can raise your risk of dementia. “Not managing your blood pressure or being careless about your blood sugar level are big risk factors,” she says.
Keeping up with routine health checks is an important way of protecting your brain. “Research shows that untreated high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol can all increase dementia risk,” says Taylor. “These issues often develop gradually and can go unnoticed, so regular check-ups – such as the free NHS health check offered to people aged 40 to 74 – gives us the chance to spot and manage them early. Managing certain long-term health conditions like high blood pressure or high cholesterol can reduce the damage to our brains over time and, in turn, reduce our risk of dementia.”
Living on ‘cognitive autopilot’
One quietly risky everyday habit – according to Benjamin Boller, associate professor of psychology at University of Québec à Trois-Rivières – is what he describes as “living on ‘cognitive autopilot’” for years at a time.
“When our days are made of the same easy routines with little new learning or mental challenge the brain builds less cognitive reserve, which is its ability to cope with age or disease-related changes before symptoms appear,” he explains. “Long periods with no demanding hobbies, no new skills, and no complex problem-solving at work or at home can gradually lower that reserve and may make the brain more vulnerable to dementia later in life.”
Sitting for too long and skipping exercise
Let this be your reminder to move more. “Exercise increases blood flow to the brain and triggers the release of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which helps protect brain cells,” explains Begeti. “It also stimulates the release of myokines which are hormone-like proteins that are released by active muscles. They cross into the brain and support neuroplasticity, reduce inflammation, and promote healthy ageing.” She adds that strong lower body strength is also linked to slower cognitive decline.
Exercise has plenty of positive effects on the mind and body. “It keeps our blood pumping around our brain and studies have shown that being regularly active can help blood vessels to grow and work better. This means that more blood can reach our brain cells, delivering oxygen and nutrients to them and helping them to carry out important functions and stay healthy,” Taylor adds. “Being more physically active also reduces cholesterol and blood pressure, and so lowers the chance of having a stroke and, in turn, lowers our risk of dementia.”
Exercise increases blood flow to the brain and triggers the release of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, which helps protect brain cells (Photo: Getty)Persistently not getting enough sleep
“This is a big one,” Begeti says. “During deep sleep, the brain’s glymphatic system clears waste products, including misfolded proteins like amyloid-beta, which are associated with Alzheimer’s disease when they accumulate. Chronically short or fragmented sleep may reduce the efficiency of this clearance process.” She adds that in the context of alcohol, although it may seem to “help” some people fall asleep faster, “it fragments the brain’s natural sleep architecture and reduces deep, restorative sleep. This is the very stage where the brain does its essential ‘housekeeping’, including clearing these waste proteins.”
Although disrupted sleep isn’t one of the 14 established risk factors for dementia, research suggests that both too little and too much sleep over a long period of time may be associated with a higher risk of dementia. “Poor sleep can also affect heart health, which impacts the brain, and conditions like sleep apnoea and chronic insomnia have been linked to faster cognitive decline,” says Taylor. “While we don’t yet know the perfect amount of sleep for everyone, aiming for regular, good-quality sleep is one of the positive steps we can take to support long-term brain health.”
Letting your social life shrink without really noticing
It can happen subtly over time, warns Boller, and you may not really notice it, but it’s important not to let your social life shrink too much. “That might look like answering messages instead of meeting people, dropping activities that involve others or mostly interacting with people who always think like we do,” he says. “Social engagement is not only emotional support, it is also a very rich form of cognitive stimulation because it constantly challenges attention, language, and perspective taking. Chronic low level social isolation is now recognised as a modifiable dementia risk factor, yet many people drift into it slowly over years.”
Not having regular hearing tests
One of the most overlooked risk factors, Begeti notes, is hearing loss. “It is strongly linked to increased dementia risk. One theory is that, when hearing deteriorates, the brain has to work much harder to decode degraded sound signals which diverts cognitive resources from other tasks,” she says. “Importantly, if hearing loss is already present, getting it checked and using corrective measures such as hearing aids is protective.” Several large studies show that hearing aids significantly reduce dementia risk – “so it’s vital that people don’t feel embarrassed about using them”.
If someone doesn’t have their hearing loss corrected and it gets worse, their dementia risk gets higher, points out Taylor. “To reduce our risk of hearing loss, we can protect our hearing throughout our lives by using ear defenders or ear plugs in noisy places. It’s also important to have our hearing checked regularly from mid-life onwards.”
Not brushing and flossing your teeth
Emerging evidence suggests a link between gum disease and increased dementia risk, says Begeti. “Chronic gum inflammation allows bacteria and inflammatory molecules to enter the bloodstream and potentially reach the brain, contributing to neuroinflammation. Some studies have even detected oral bacteria such as porphyromonas gingivalis in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease.”
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Dr Martin Wanendeya, dental implant surgeon and co-founder of Ten Dental, explains that “when gums are inflamed for years, your immune system is constantly ‘on’”, which can contribute to chronic body-wide inflammation.
“That’s why it’s really important to brush twice a day with an electric toothbrush if possible, spending a couple of minutes gently running the brush along where the teeth meet the gums,” he says. “Clean between your teeth every day with floss or little interdental brushes, because this is where gum disease usually starts and see your dentist and hygienist regularly so early gum problems and decay can be spotted and treated.”
Smoking
If you smoke, giving up is one of the most effective steps to protecting your brain health, according to Taylor. “Our brain cells need a good supply of blood to get the nutrients and oxygen they need to function,” she says. “When we smoke, our blood vessels become coated in a sticky substance that causes fatty lumps to build up and the vessels to narrow and get weaker. This reduces blood flow to every part of our body, increasing our risk of conditions like heart disease. strokes and dementia.” Yet another reason to quit.
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