Cognitive Decline: Successfully Navigating the Perplexing Problem

In recent times people across the world have begun to understand the importance of mental well-being on overall health and today mental health issues are not brushed under the carpet like it was done a few years back. The biggest challenge faced by millions of people is related to cognitive decline which affects the young & old alike.

"Mental health…..is not a destination, but a process. It’s about how you drive, not where you’re going." - Noam Shpancer.

As cognitive decline is a leading mental health issue faced by many people, here we will discuss all the aspects of cognitive decline.

What is Cognitive Decline?

Now, it doesn’t come as a surprise when people are found to be ignorant about cognitive decline. Cognitive decline is basically related to a person’s inability to think, memorize, concentrate, and carry out other brain functions in an effective manner.

Most of the time cognitive decline sets in slowly and that is why it becomes very hard to diagnose the onset of the problem if one is not aware of all the aspects of the health issue. You will often hear the term cognitive impairment & it refers to the same mental health problem.

The risk with delayed treatment of cognitive decline is that it can lead to dementia if the diagnosis and treatment are not started early.

Furthermore, early treatment of cognitive decline holds the key to check the problem in its buds before it progresses rapidly and in fact, a temporary cognitive impairment can be prevented from becoming permanent.

Factors Leading to Cognitive Decline

Substance Abuse & Injury

Often cognitive decline is caused due to indulgence in alcohol, drugs, and even prescription drugs which adversely affect the functioning of the brain. In addition to this, certain types of injuries can also lead to cognitive impairment like strokes which damage the neurons in the brain leading to health scare.

Often severe head injuries can lead to temporary or permanent cognitive decline and this is certainly scary.

Health Issues & Toxins

Most of the time it is observed that cognitive impairment is also caused due to various health ailments that have a direct or indirect bearing on the functioning of the brain. Moreover, various researches have proven the connection between Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Lewy-Body disease, and frontotemporal degeneration and cognitive decline.

Besides that, continuous long-term exposure to highly toxic metals like heavy metals, air pollutants, and other forms of contaminants in drinking water can cause cognitive impairment.

Medications

There are many types of medicines that adversely affect the efficient functioning of the brain. People who have a history of continuous consumption of sedatives, tranquilizers, and anticholinergics are prone to cognitive decline.

Anticholinergic drugs are especially known to affect the functioning of the brain because they disrupt the neurotransmitters released by the nerve cells to send signals to other cells. This takes a toll on the functioning of the muscles in your body along with affecting the learning & memorizing ability of the brain.

Lifestyle Diseases

Most people are surprised to hear that there is a link between the way you live your life and cognitive decline. There are many diseases that are caused due by our sedentary lifestyle and when these diseases remain unaddressed for a long time they lead to cognitive impairment.

Often depression, lack of workout, being overweight, and smoking are known to cause cognitive decline in the long run and people with these issues are especially prone to other forms of mental health issues as well.

Symptoms Associated With Cognitive Decline

The biggest challenge in dealing with mental health issues is quick identification of the disease as this can help in starting the treatment process which is crucial. However, identifying the symptoms associated with cognitive impairment is itself very difficult.

Most of the time people suffering from cognitive decline won’t know about the problem because mostly it sets in slowly and the symptoms during the initial phases are not so profound. Besides that, the progression of cognitive impairment differs from person to person and so do the symptoms but let us have a look at some of the common symptoms:

• Repetitive Questioning
• Personality Changes
• Odd or Inappropriate Behaviors
• Forgetfulness of Recent Events
• Changes in Hygiene
• Loss of Balance

Effective Ways to Deal with the Problem

Well, having discussed so much about the factors leading to cognitive impairment and symptoms associated with the problem. We need to have a look at the solutions firsthand so that we can address the problem before it takes a turn for the worse.

The first thing that you need to remember when you are taking steps to prevent cognitive decline or when dealing with the issue is that mental stimulation is the key to the problem. As you are already aware of the connection between a sedentary lifestyle and mental health woes, you need to quit those habits.

"Rome wasn’t built in a day" as the adage goes. The initial steps towards transforming your life is going to take time and you must start by giving up habits like smoking and starting an exercise regime where you start slowly and then build on the intensity of your workouts.

In addition to that, you must focus on maintaining a healthy diet as gut health plays a significant role in boosting your metabolism.

Often people suffering from mental health conditions including cognitive decline are asked to socialize because spending time with your friends and families goes a long way in uplifting your mood & giving your brain the mental stimulation it requires to fight cognitive decline.

Finally

Well, having delved deeper into cognitive decline and ways to deal with the problem one can assume that there are ways to deal with the mental health issue and one must act fast in addressing the problem rather than hesitating to approach someone who can help you out.