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As researchers learn more about the aging brain, one thing is clear: brain health is not just a neck-up problem.
“What’s becoming better appreciated is that the risk of developing brain diseases is linked to the health of the [other] organs,” says Constantino Iadecola, M.D., a neurologist and chair of the Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute at Weill Cornell Medicine. “The whole story is not the brain.”
Indeed, the health of your heart, gut, eyes — even your mouth — can impact your brain and may affect your risk for developing thinking and memory problems as you age.
Here are eight warning signs that you could be at higher than average risk for cognitive issues, according to the latest research.
1. You snore
If you snore a lot — or your partner tells you that you do — it might be time to get it checked out. Snoring, gasping and snorting during sleep can be warning signs of sleep apnea, a condition where people intermittently stop and restart breathing during sleep. When left untreated, sleep apnea has been linked to increased dementia risks.
Evidence is mounting. A preliminary study released March 3 by the American Academy of Neurology found that people who reported sleep apnea symptoms were about 50 percent more likely to also report having memory or thinking problems compared to people who did not have sleep apnea symptoms.
“During those [nonbreathing] phases of apnea, your brain doesn’t get enough oxygen,” Iadecola says. “Day in and day out, the brain is going to pay a toll for it.”
According to AARP’s Global Council on Brain Health, “proper treatment of sleep apnea can improve sleep at night, reduce daytime sleepiness, serve to improve cognition and slow cognitive decline.” A CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machine is the most common treatment for sleep apnea.
2. You don’t floss
Taking care of your teeth is important for a pretty smile — but that’s not all. Researchers have uncovered a link between oral health and brain health.
A study published in July 2023 in the journal Neurology found that gum disease and tooth loss were linked to brain shrinkage in the area of the brain that plays a role in memory, known as the hippocampus. And previous research led by scientists at the National Institutes on Aging and published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease found that older adults with signs of gum disease and mouth infections were more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease.
A 2022 analysis of 47 studies reached a similar conclusion: Poor periodontal health was associated with both cognitive decline and dementia.
A possible explanation for this association is chronic inflammation caused by bacteria in the mouth, which can travel through the bloodstream and into the brain. Inflammation is thought to play a role in the development and progression of dementia.
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