The one lifestyle choice that could prevent memory loss

Dementia is on the rise, with an estimated 14 million Americans expected to be affected by the neurological condition, which affects sufferers’ memories and executive functioning, by 2060, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Today, about 5.8 people in the United States have Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, as well as related dementias, the CDC says. About 200,000 individuals under 65 are suspected to have younger-onset Alzheimer’s. With dementia figures showing no sign of decreasing amid an aging population, it’s only natural to wonder how you can keep your mind as robust and dementia-resilient as possible in your later years.

Newsweek spoke to a psychiatrist to learn what lifestyle choices can be made at a young age to prevent memory loss and memory-related problems in the years to come.

Minimize Alcohol Consumption or Abstain

Dr. Paul Linde, a board-certified general adult psychiatrist, is the medical director for psychiatry and collaborative care at Ria Health and a clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine. He told Newsweek one thing that can help prevent memory loss later in life is reducing alcohol consumption or keeping it to a minimum.

“Minimizing your alcohol consumption is an easy way to prevent memory loss. A night of heavy drinking can lead to short-term memory loss, aka blacking out, when one appears to be superficially functioning but for which one will have no recollection of your actions or behaviors the next day,” he said.

“Severe long-term consequences associated with long-term heavy drinking, chronic alcohol use and alcohol use disorder can also occur,” he continued.

“Excessive alcohol use damages multiple parts of the brain, including the cerebral cortex, where new memories are formed and then stored and retrieved,” he added.

This can result in conditions like alcohol-induced major neurocognitive disorder, also known as alcoholic dementia or alcohol-induced amnestic disorder. Officially called Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome, it is a severe memory disorder caused by thiamine deficiency due to heavy drinking.

“While abstinence is likely the best option to preserve memory and brain function, there are other smarter habits to adopt if one will continue to drink,” Linde said.

“Avoid heavy drinking periods and avoid drinking if you’re looking to specifically memorize something, as learning and memorizing is impaired by alcohol use,” he said. “Lastly, avoid drinking alcohol close to bedtime—good-quality sleep is correlated with high memory function, and alcohol is known to disrupt high-quality sleep, even if one feels sleepy after a drink or two.”

The term “sober curious” has trended online as an increasing number of young people dabble in sobriety. Clearly, the brain benefits associated with giving up or minimizing drinking deserve serious consideration.

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