 Movement falls under one of those categories of yes, we all know we need to move our bodies. But it also falls under big business, making money on selling you packages and ideas while knowing you will pay for no results and no participation, more often than not. Meanwhile, moving your body is free and something that you can do more of while enjoying your life.
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 We have decades of research on the importance of sleep and the association between lack of quality sleep and your higher risk of developing Alzheimer's.
It's so important that if you want to stay independent longer in life, meaning in your own home, unassisted; then you really must focus on sleep quality. It will help keep your mind sharper, but also your physical body healthier. Did you know that while many people still think of Alzheimer's as a disease of old age, science is now showing us that it is a lifestyle disease? Lack of quality sleep can affect the risk of developing Alzheimer's by more than 30%, and the good news is you can make sleep a priority and make changes now. Sleep disorders also contribute to complications, and the data tells us that as many as 70 million Americans experience some type of sleep disorder. And that can be associated with mental health disorders like anxiety disorders, major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, and ADD/ADHD. Make sure you have a bedtime, get a solid 7-9 hours of sleep each night, and keep your bedroom free of interruptions. You can read more about the science of sleep and it's connection to dementia here: https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/lack-sleep-middle-age-may-increase-dementia-risk#:~:text=Analysis%20of%20the%20data%20showed,to%20be%20diagnosed%20with%20dementia.  Not all dementia is the same, and it’s important to know that not every case is Alzheimer’s disease. Sometimes, what seems like dementia can be something else that can be treated!
For example, I often remind people to be careful about bladder or kidney infections if they are taking care of someone in a care facility or at home. Sometimes, a person might not show any signs of being sick, and you might not notice if they are drinking less fluid. But suddenly, they might have a big drop in their ability to think or do things on their own. You might wonder if this is sudden dementia. In many cases, just giving them fluids and antibiotics can help them feel better and return to how they were before. I read an interesting article that said “Up to 13% of dementia cases could be a misdiagnosis of a treatable condition.” That’s a big deal! The study found that when a person has liver failure, it can affect their thinking and memory. This happens to more than 40% of people with liver issues. This is important because if someone is having trouble thinking, remembering, learning, or making decisions, it can look like dementia. They may not understand their surroundings, have mood swings, or forget people and places they usually know. If someone has liver failure because of cirrhosis from drinking, you might think they are just drunk. But remember, not everyone with liver problems is a drinker. Other things can hurt the liver too. The good news is that changing what a person eats and how they behave can really help. Some medicines already exist to help, and better treatments are on the way! Our livers play a big role in keeping us healthy. When our livers don’t work well, it can cause problems for other parts of our body, like our kidneys, pancreas, heart, and even our brains. That’s why it’s really important to take care of our liver. This is really important because many people are getting older, and there are lots of memory problems that need care. Many families are not ready for this, and we don't have enough places for all the people who need help now or in the future. It’s very important for those who can stay healthy and avoid these worries, so they can feel better!  Here we learn about what to look for in best hygiene practices. Also what to look for as warning signs, or safety issues as well as better skills to have success. Many people immediately think about what under doing hygiene means, but over doing it can create issues too.
 This is a key component of overall wellness and ties in many parts of our health journey. It's also the one that is very often overlooked and pushed aside. And pushed aside so long that we no longer know what we would enjoy doing as a hobby. Here we get that back, including the knowledge and understanding of why it's so valuable for each of us.
 Not talking about being pretty or handsome, or beauty products! Beauty is about taking in beautiful things, regularly. Pausing to appreciate a flower, a sunset, or the smell of blooming flowers. Using your senses to notice, and enjoy, the beauty around us daily.
 Sleep is essential for our health and for our long-term brain health, too. If you aren't getting 7-9 hours of sleep at night, your brain isn't able to "clean out" and reset for the next day - and no, I don't just mean the thinking. There is a washing machine effect that happens, too. Sleep hygiene is something most people don't even know about or consider. That's the kind of information you find on this page.
 Waiting is hard. It just is. Whether you're waiting on test results or news of a loved one who's in surgery, or that someone has made it somewhere safe, or what's going to happen next on so many levels, waiting is hard.
A couple of things that help. Self-care distractions help. These are positive distractions that help you. Walking, exercising, reading a good book, making and enjoying a good meal, crafting with your hands, maybe that's knitting or crocheting or paper crafts, or watching a good movie. Notice these are ing activities, you are busy doing something. It's also important to be aware and mindful. Where in your body are you holding that tension, that constriction, that tightness? Find that place and honor it. Tighten and release. Tighten and release. And remember, to breathe deep too. We're all going to get through this. And there's going to be a lot of other things in life that we're waiting for too. Waiting is hard. But with the right skills, we can make sure that we are honoring our mind, and our body, and our wellness, and our future by taking care of ourselves now.  I want to take a moment today and remind you about the seven stages of grief. Remember, they do not go in a linear order. Those stages are: shock, denial, anger, bargaining, depression, testing, and then acceptance.
Perhaps you might go from shock to anger to depression to denial. It doesn't go in any specific order. But it doesn't also mean that you clear one step and don't necessarily come back to it, to process it fully at another time, or several times. For example, you may believe you have moved completely out of anger into acceptance. And then all of a sudden, something comes up that triggers you, and that puts you back in anger. That is normal. That is just the process of grief. I always like to think of them as steps, because where we are heading with grief isn't back to where we were. Instead, we are headed to a new normal. And sometimes on that staircase of grief, we stop and sit down on a step for a time, and catch our breath, before we can restart the journey. If you can't get off of one step, (remember there isn't a timeline) and catch your breath you might need help. Someone to show you ways to release anger for example, or give you that permission slip to yell. Or with depression, you may need something medical to help you sleep, for example, because a full night of sleep allows your brain to reset and heal at night. That doesn't mean you have to take something forever but could need a little help to get through the hardest and lowest time of that step to acceptance and the new normal. As a reminder with grief if you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, you can call 911 for an immediate emergency, or call or text 988 to talk to someone about the next steps and resources. |
Wellness Brain and BodyThe importance of Wellness Brain and Body is so important. It's all one body, and it's all wellness, and all connected. This is the tie it all together page, and you can find break out pages under this main page, with details of certain areas. That's because it will be easier for you to use as a topic comes up in your own life, or that of a friend or family member. It's the goal of wellness for all of us! Categories
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