Meditation and dementia
Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are both classified by a loss of cognitive ability. We often think of this in terms of memory, but it can also impact our language abilities, attention, and orientation.
With a loss in these abilities, it can impact our ability to remain independent and participating in daily activities of our lives. Prevention is a key area of focus, as we have very few treatment options (medication) that work in these concerns.
Recently, there has been some large studies in Europe, investigating the ability of meditation to support the prevention of cognitive decline in the elderly with great results.
Meditation is the defined as a group of techniques focused on maintaining attention and awareness. These techniques are self-regulatory, meaning we are in control of ourselves. The goal is to achieve a greater rate of well-being, serenity, and concentration.
Within meditation, there are a variety of different techniques, but some of the most researched are mindfulness practices. These techniques involve focusing on our breath, our physical awareness, and ultimately training our ability to focus on the present moment without judgement or impulsivity.
The result is the ability to notice our thoughts and emotions, without being carried off by them. Practicing mindfulness meditation also activates our parasympathetic nervous system, the branch that is the “off” switch to our sympathetic nervous system - which is responsible for our fight, flight or freeze response.
Our sympathetic nervous system, when chronically activated in the face of threats that don’t make sense (an email notification, versus a bus coming towards us) can lead to elevated cortisol (stress hormone), elevated blood pressure, sleep issues, and dampened immune responses. Working to activate the “brake” of our parasympathetic nervous system helps offset this, supporting digestion, sleep and recovery.
Believe it or not, chronic mental health issues do increase the risk of dementia. It has been found for every depressive symptom, dementia risk increases by 20 percent, stress has a negative impact our hippocampus (area of the brain associate with memory), and neuroticism and anxiety are associated with increased dementia rates.
While meditation mindfulness is not the “magic pill” for any health concern, it certainly helps quite a bit. Meditation has been found to improve physical risk factors for dementia like high blood pressure and high cholesterol. It improves depression, stress, and anxiety, which also helps improve sleep. We know cardiovascular exercise can keep our heart looking younger as we age, but meditation can keep our brains looking thicker and healthier in key functional areas. It even improves blood flow around our brain!
Meditation is free, safe, and effective. It is a work out for our brain, and just as important as the exercise we do for our bodies.
How to get started?
While the benefits of meditation are wonderful and it seems like such an easy thing to start, many people struggle with creating a meditation practice.
The key is to just start, it won’t be perfect, and it will probably feel very uncomfortable, but like any thing that is new, with practice over time it will become easier and enjoyable.
We recommend starting with an app based program (such as insight timer, calm, headspace or ten percent happier). They range from free to paid services, and provide a lot of different guided meditations that can be easier for newbies.
Alternatively, you could try youtube videos, or setting a timer on your phone. Sit quietly for the allotted time, focusing on your breathing: how it sounds, feels. You can even use mental noting technique to note “in” and “out” in your head while you breathe. If thoughts come up, you can note the character of the thought or the emotion. “worry”, “anxiety”, “happiness”, “sadness”. Try to keep a daily habit, remembering that this practice will become easier over time!