Do you sit for 10 or more hours a day? I usually do. According to a new study, this means I am much more likely to get dementia than people who sit around for 9.5 hours or less a day. Say what? Yup. It’s true.
That is the conclusion arrived at in a study called Sedentary Behavior and Incident Dementia Among Older Adults. It wasn’t on Facebook, but it was just published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
So be careful if you’re like me, with a job where I sit most of the day. Then maybe you drive to work, and you’re on your computer, playing games, or watching TV at home, and it all adds up to 10 hours a day or more. We are more likely to develop dementia, where we start to have memory loss.
Of course, there are some things from my past that I would rather forget. Eschia take it easy eh! But I would rather remember than develop dementia from sitting for much of the day and evening.
The scary thing about it is that the researchers found that people who worked out regularly but sat around for 10 or more hours a day were still more prone to dementia than people who sat for less than 10 hours. Even if this second set of people didn’t exercise much at all. Not cool at all.
Of course, other research shows that people who are not very active are more likely to become obese and have heart disease, diabetes and other sicknesses. They are also more likely to die prematurely than people who are more active.
Now it seems too much sitting around even cancels out exercise as far as dementia is concerned! If that isn’t an incentive to get up and be more active, I don’t know what is. Whew.
Naturally, exercising and getting up periodically to walk around is better for your health, but the overall number of ten hours a day of sitting is what increases the risk of dementia. The longer you sit, the greater risk.
Many people use standing desks; unfortunately, it’s not clear from the study whether standing is less of a risk to the brain than sitting.
Reducing the risk
So how do we reduce the risk of developing dementia. Seems pretty simple…sit less than ten hours a day. Yeah, right! Right. Apparently, people who sit around for 9.5 hours a day do not have that increased risk.
Ok, I think that’s pretty easy to understand, but how hard is it to do if we have a desk job and are on the computer all the time? First keep track of how much time you are sitting around. Document it from day to day.
And get up and move around. Instead of calling or emailing someone down the hall, go talk to them and stay standing while talking. Maybe jog in place. Just kidding hahahahah. But do stay standing and moving a bit.
And maybe you could have a walking meeting if it’s with one or two people. Walk up and down the stairs. Walk to your next meeting or to the store. Walk around while talking on your cell. Play with your kids.
Signs of dementia
Ok, let’s look at some clues that you may in danger of developing Dementia.
Early signs and symptoms include forgetting things or recent events; losing or misplacing things; being confused, even in familiar places; and losing track of time.
Whoa. Some of these things have been happening to me for the last 30 years. Hahahah.
It also includes finding it hard to solve problems, make decisions, or follow conversations; trouble remembering words; and finding it hard to do familiar things when they are not sick or depressed and getting lost when walking or driving.
If a person has dementia, the symptoms will get worse over time with most people needing help with daily activities. Eventually, they may not know who friends and family members are, have trouble eating and drinking, and become angry and hard to get along with.
Self-care for dementia
Here are some things people with dementia can do to help manage symptoms. Stay physically active and eat healthily; stop drinking alcohol; do not smoke anything at all; and see your doctor regularly.
To help get things done, make a list of important things you to do including appointments. Also, keep doing your hobbies and things that you enjoy and try new things to keep your mind active. Be sure to engage in community life and to visit friends and family who you can reach out to for help. All good stuff for anybody eh?
When you go out, always bring your ID with your address and emergency contacts. If there is one in your community, join a local support group.
Identify people you trust to help you make decisions and who can help tell others about your choices. Talk to them about how they can help you. You can also write out a plan to tell people what you want for care and support.
It’s important to remember that many older people begin to have thinking problems without having dementia, especially not thinking as quickly as a twenty-year old.
Some older adults have mild cognitive impairment, or MCI, meaning they have more memory or other thinking problems than other people their age. People with MCI can usually take care of themselves.
This is more information than I intended to include but it’s stuff we need to think about as we age, so keep it and read it more than once.
And, remember to get off of your butt more often to help retain your ability to think properly.