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As we age, maintaining cognitive health becomes increasingly important. Cognitive health refers to the ability to clearly think, learn, and remember—an essential component of brain health. Healthy aging isn’t just about staying physically fit; it’s also about keeping your minds sharp and vibrant.
Understanding Cognitive Decline
A person's cognitive abilities tend to reach their peak around the age of 30, with a subtle decline as they grow older. The most common age-related declines involve slower thinking, challenges in maintaining attention, multitasking, memory retention, and word retrieval. It’s essential to differentiate between normal aging and more serious conditions like dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.
Factors contributing to cognitive decline include:
- Genetics: Family history plays a role in cognitive health.
- Lifestyle: Diet, physical activity, and social engagement significantly impact brain health.
- Chronic Conditions: Conditions like diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and depression can influence cognitive decline.
- Environmental Factors: Long-term exposure to pollutants/toxins or a lack of mental stimulation can affect cognitive functions.
Tips for Promoting Cognitive Health
While some factors influencing cognitive decline are beyond your control, there are several proactive steps you can take to promote cognitive health as you get older:
- Avoid smoking
- Engage in moderate to high levels of physical activity
- Prioritize routine medical check-ups
- Maintain good cardiovascular health
- Establish social support systems to manage stress
- Continue engaging in challenging and enjoyable activities
- Maintain a balanced diet focusing on vegetables and natural foods
How We Help
USFHP's TRICARE Prime plan provides a wide range of benefits to promote healthy living management. This includes routine and specialty care, hospitalization, urgent care, preventive services, behavioral health services, and prescription coverage.
Keeping our services simple, enhanced, and innovative is a priority because, at USFHP, we’re family! Visit usfhp.net or call 1-800-241-4848 for more information or assistance scheduling a one-on-one appointment.