Why Heart Disease Increases Your Risk for Dementia

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Arden Courts of Sarasota

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Posted on

Aug 08, 2024

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Florida - Sarasota, Bradenton & Charlotte Counties

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Your heart plays a fundamental role in brain health, supplying it with oxygen-rich blood. When the brain doesn’t get the blood it needs, it increases your risk for health conditions, both now and in the future. If you have or are at risk for heart disease, take action to protect your heart health and lower your risk for dementia.

How Your Heart Affects Brain Health

The heart affects every single part of the body. It pumps blood throughout the entire body to deliver oxygen to tissues and organs. When the heart is healthy, it can support the lungs for breathing and limbs for movement. It also supports the brain, the vital organ that manages thought, emotion, movement, breathing and other essential functions.

When the brain doesn’t get enough blood and oxygen, even for a short time, it doesn’t work well. We get confused, we make poor decisions and we can even pass out. When blood flow to the brain is reduced for a long time, it can damage brain tissue and contribute to or worsen dementia.

Heart Disease-Related Dementias

Some types of dementia are directly caused by heart issues and poor blood flow to the brain.

Vascular dementia is the second most common dementia in people over age 65. It is caused by lack of blood flow to the brain. For that reason, it can occur after a severe stroke, multiple small strokes or other conditions that affect the brain’s blood vessels.

There’s also new research about cardiogenic dementia, which results from direct changes in the brain from heart disease.

There are different types of heart disease. For instance, atherosclerosis relates to the hardening of arteries. Heart failure is the loss of effective heart pumping over time. Yet all heart disease issues generally lead back to how much oxygen gets into our tissues, including the brain.

The Increase of Dementia Symptoms

While some dementias are directly caused by poor blood flow to the brain, other types of dementia can be worsened by restricted blood flow.

For instance, if a person has Lewy Body dementia or Alzheimer’s, poor heart health can compound confusion and behavior. It can also lead to other vascular issues where our body’s arteries and veins don’t work well, which can cause difficulty with walking, discomfort and increased falls. This makes dementia more difficult to live with and manage.

Reducing Your Risk for Heart Disease

One of the best ways to care for your brain is to care for your heart. If you don’t have heart disease, you can work to prevent it. Much of heart disease can actually be prevented with education and action. Below are some heart-healthy guidelines to follow.

Know your risk factors.

Some of the risk factors for heart disease are the same risk factors for dementia. This includes obesity, smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Reduce your risk factors as much as possible to protect your heart and brain.

Have a healthy diet.

Food is much more related to our overall health than we realize. The MIND diet uses principles from the DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) and Mediterranean diet to support brain health. The diet is rich in green leafy vegetables, berries, fish, olive oil, nuts, beans and whole grains.

Move more.

Physical activity keeps the brain and heart healthy. Your movement doesn’t have to be strenuous. Walking and swimming provide great health benefits. Start small and increase your movement to the recommended 150 minutes per week of heart-quickening activity.

Get enough quality sleep.

Getting quality sleep doesn’t just recharge us for the next day; it contributes to our long-term health. During sleep, blood pressure and heart rate decrease, giving the body a much needed reset. If you have trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep through the night, talk with your primary care provider.

Stay mentally active.

Keep your brain active with things you enjoy and stimulate your mind, such as puzzles, word games, math games and trivia. Learning new skills or hobbies can also keep your brain active.

Work with your health care provider.

Talking to your health care provider regularly is important for maintaining health. We shouldn’t see our primary care provider just when we’re sick; we need to see them when we are healthy so we can stay healthy. Be honest with yourself and your physician when it comes to health. Never be embarrassed to be honest about what you are feeling and communicate to your practitioner clearly and openly.

Managing Existing Heart Disease

If you already have heart disease, it’s not too late to make changes to influence your health. All the prevention guidelines above are also a great way to manage heart disease.

If medication is used to help you manage your disease, remember that medication alone is often not a long-term solution. Without changing your diet, movement or lifestyle, medication can become less effective in helping your body compensate for heart disease.

Often in midlife, individuals are diagnosed with conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol or diabetes. As the body gets older, it’s harder to maintain homeostasis – the internal balance that’s needed for our bodies to survive. For instance, a younger body will often find it easier to compensate for a poor diet, while an older body will struggle.

That’s why a holistic approach is needed to manage heart disease. By working on the many factors that contribute to heart health, the body won’t be as dependent on medication to achieve homeostasis.

Your Health is in Your Hands

Unfortunately, heart disease and dementia are both on the rise, and research continues to show that they are intimately intertwined. Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States and 20% of all deaths in the U.S. are heart disease related.

The positive news is that 90% of heart disease can be prevented. The more we know, the more we can act on to protect our brain and heart health.

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