How Exercise, Diet, Sleep, and Hearing Affect Brain Aging

It seems that with all the advancements in medical understanding and technology today, we are coming to an increasing understanding that no one thing indicates good health and wellbeing. While aging is a fact of life, we all wish to be as mentally sharp and physically capable as we can, for as long as possible.

A neuroscientist at the University of California San Diego, Stephen M. Stahl, addressed the 2017 Neuroscience Educational Institute Congress and suggested that four major factors were at play in the health of our brains as we age. He said that these four factors were exercise, diet, sleep, and hearing ability.

Stahl said that it is normal for our brains to slow down as we age. It’s not that we become less intelligent, but our mental flexibility, processing time, motor skills, sense comprehension, and cognitive abilities can start to work more slowly.

Stahl studied the effects of exercise, diet, sleep, and hearing independently, and found that each one affected our brains’ ability to process information.

Exercise

Over 6.2 years, Stahl studied the activity levels of 1740 study participants aged 65 and older. While the exercise did not seem to affect those who engaged in physical activity less than three times per week, it had a strong effect on those who exercised three or more times per week, reducing their risk of developing dementia by 32%.

Exercise not only prevents cognitive decline but can even restore cognitive ability in those who have started to experience cognitive difficulties before the onset of dementia. Single bouts of short-term, moderate-intense activity and repeated bouts of longer-term, mild exercise resulted in improvement in episodic memory, attention, processing speed, and executive functioning.

Diet

The two diets that Stahl focused on were Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) and the Mediterranean Diet (MediDiet). Both of these diets involve a greater amount of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes compared to a lesser amount of red or processed meats.

DASH involves more low-fat dairy and tends to promote higher cognitive functioning with less decline over time. The MediDiet incorporates more olive oil and red wine and tends to promote a slower rate of cognitive decline, better cognitive functioning, and a lower risk of dementia.

Sleep

Sleep disorders are common among older adults. About 50% of those 65 and older experience insomnia, and 50% also have sleep-disordered breath such as sleep apnea. During the deepest sleep, amyloid-beta is cleared from the brain, promoting better brain health and better functioning throughout the day. When deep sleep is limited, a buildup of amyloid-beta can result, worsening cognitive functioning and potentially promoting degenerative effects.

Hearing

About two-thirds of people aged 70 and up are affected by hearing loss. Hearing loss, in turn, is associated with the atrophy of the brain’s auditory cortex, which can deepen memory issues and promote a host of other negative effects on cognition. Studied over ten years, it was found that the risk for dementia increased relative to the degree of hearing loss, suggesting a causal connection.

• Mild hearing loss – 2x risk for dementia
• Moderate hearing loss – 3x risk for dementia
• Severe hearing loss – 5x risk for dementia

Effects of Treating Hearing Loss

Both Stahl and the World Health Organization have recommended treating hearing loss as a way to help reduce the risk of dementia in older adults. Hearing aids remain the best and most common treatment for hearing loss, and they are better today than ever before.

Hearing aids today do much more than amplify sound. They can reduce background noise, allowing you to focus on the speech you want to hear. They can connect to smartphones and other devices to stream audio directly. They can even communicate with each other to help you better localize sounds and focus on exactly what you want to hear. You can control their volume and programming with your smartphone, and even take a hearing test through the app.

At Silver Audition, we carry the finest hearing aids from Phonak. We can help you find the best set of hearing aids to keep you engaged in the world of sound for years to come, and that helps your brain stay sharp. If you or someone you love may be in need of hearing aids, make an appointment for a hearing test today and find out what we can do to help you hear better!