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How to detect cognitive decline

Did you know that according to the latest studies, around 18.5% of those over 65 years of age suffer from cognitive impairment ? The data begins to be worrying and for that reason, getting to know how to detect it and, above all, how to prevent or treat it, is important.

Fortunately, there are several ways to prevent its symptoms, including applications (such as ‘ Stimulus ‘) that help slow it down or boost our mind.

You want to know more? We tell you everything you need to know about cognitive impairment in this post.

What is cognitive impairment?

Cognitive impairment is an alteration of the intellectual functioning of our brain or, as the name itself says, of cognitive functioning. What includes? Well, aspects as important as spatial orientation, language and, of course, memory. In addition, it also affects the fact of being able to know or interact with the people and objects that surround us.

The first thing you should know is that there is no specific cause that can develop this deterioration. Even so, there are several consequences that can lead to its development, including these:

  • Changes associated with Alzheimer ‘s disease .
  • Some medications
  • Depressions
  • Sleep disorders.
  • Hypothyroidism

You must be clear that cognitive impairment does not lead to the person developing dementia or Alzheimer’s in the future . It has nothing to do with it. There are cases in which it does evolve to dementia, others in which it will remain as it is and, in other cases, it may even improve if the necessary guidelines are carried out.

What are the symptoms of cognitive decline?

Among the main symptoms are these:

  • You tend to forget things frequently.
  • You lose the following of the conversation or the thread of the movie or the book that you are watching or reading.
  • You tend to forget important appointments.
  • It is difficult for you to make decisions or to know how to plan various actions.
  • You start to feel more clueless and lose your bearings easily.
  • You are more impulsive.

Some people may also feel irritable, anxious, listless, or depressed .

Are there risk factors?

As we told you before, there is no specific cause for cognitive impairment, even so, there are factors that can make it more possible to have it. Among them, some related to medical conditions or simply lifestyle changes. They can be the following:

  • To smoke.
  • High cholesterol
  • High blood pressure.
  • The diabetes .
  • The Depression.
  • Do not play sports or have no physical activity.
  • Lack of mental stimulation.
  • The aging.

Why is it so important to detect it early?

Well, for the simple reason that it can be reversible. Although there is no established treatment for cognitive impairment, the truth is that with a change in lifestyle and with exercises that help empower our mind, it is possible that it can get better.

Both physical and mental training are important. That is why doing exercises that work our mind is so important.

How is cognitive impairment detected?

The first thing is to know how to detect the symptoms both by yourself or with the attention of those around you. Once something ‘strange’ is seen in the behavior, the second step is to go to the family doctor. He will take care of making the appropriate decisions.

In the first place, a fairly simple questionnaire with basic questions known as the MMSE test (or mini mental test) is usually carried out . In it, they ask basic things like the year, the city where they are or memorize some basic words.

Another test is the Mini-Cog in which memory plays a fundamental role. Once this is done, and if it is seen that there is reason, the doctor will be in charge of sending the patient to the specialist or going on to carry out other general tests (blood tests, for example) to detect other possible causes.

How to prevent cognitive decline?

Leading a healthy lifestyle is essential. Above all, keeping the body active and, above all, the mind. For this, it is important to maintain an active lifestyle or perform exercises that can empower our mind.

For this, there are countless exercises that you can perform, even now, as we mentioned at the beginning, there are applications for mobile phones and tablets used by both professionals and patients to improve the activity of the mind.

The most important? Pay attention to the symptoms of cognitive impairment to know how to detect it. Whether you think you are the one who suffers it or someone around you, early detection is essential.

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Hello Readers, I am Nikki Bella a Psychology student. I have always been concerned about human behavior and the mental processes that lead us to act and think the way we do. My collaboration as an editor in the psychology area of ​​Well Being Pole has allowed me to investigate further and expand my knowledge in the field of mental health; I have also acquired great knowledge about physical health and well-being, two fundamental bases that are directly related and are part of all mental health.

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