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COGNITIVE WELLNESS COGNITIVE WELLNESS COGNITIVE WELLNESS COGNITIVE WELLNESS COGNITIVE WELLNESS COGNITIVE WELLNESS COG
COGNITIVE WELLNESS
Our elders, having lived long lives and accumulated a wealth of wisdom, are oftentimes sources of guidance and comfort in our families. They are grandparents, parents and inevitably you. Unfortunately, the memories someone gathers can be pulled from underneath them, at an increasing probability with age, as a result of dementia. This disease has the potential to bring about significant heartbreak, and the causes are unfortunately still scarcely understood, but what is clear is that physical activity has been seen to be protective against dementia.
What is Cognitive Impairment?
Cognitive Impairment is when an individual has a hard time remembering, learning new information, staying focused, or deciding on matters which influence their daily activities. Some examples include: dementia, alzheimer's, traumatic brain injury , or any other cognitive disorders.
DEMENTIA
a broad phrase referring to a deterioration in cognitive ability that is significant enough to cause disruption with an individual's normal daily activities.
Symptoms: Memory loss, confusion, communication problems, personality struggles, difficulty with everyday tasks
ALZHEIMERS
A neurological disorder that negatively impacts the brain, causing decline in memory and affecting cognition and behavioral abnormalities. Alzheimer's disease is the biggest prevalent cause of dementia.
Symptoms: Forgetfulness, decision-making difficulties, repetitive everyday activity struggles, changes in mood
TBI
Traumatic Brain Injury is defined as injuries to the brain produced by another force. This can happen for a variety of reasons, including an impact or thrust to the head, falling, or injuries caused by sports, etc.
Symptoms: Confusion, loss of consciousness, sensory changes: vision, changes in mood, balance issues, fatigue
How can Cognitive Impairment effect an individuals daily life?
A person's coordination and mobility may be affected by cognitive impairment. Because of the problem with motor skills and balance, it is difficult for them to do daily activities or be physically active.
Another factor that could have an impact on their daily lives is a decrease in processing and motivation. Without motivation, it can be tough to get out of bed and do anything at all. It also will be difficult for them to adapt to any change, whether it be environment, surroundings, circumstances, or movement.
Plus cognitive impairment could also affect sleeping. This could lead an individual subjected to but not limited to insomnia, sleep-wake disturbances, and sleep apnea. With all of these different factors, this also could cause depressive mood swings. So, it is important that weekly check-ups, proper , or mentally stimulating activites, are within that individuals daily routine.
The power of physical activity on cognitive ability
In a 2018 study, Dan Sung and Doris Yu aimed to find and evaluate effects related to moderate aerobic exercise on mild cognitive impairment found within elderly Chinese. This study also seeks information on depressive moods and sleep quality after implementing a moderate aerobic exercise program. The 120 Chinese people conducted from this survey were 60+ and all had some sort of mild cognitive impairment. The study split the group into two where the first group would receive a workout program of moderate aerobic exercise while the other was in a placebo group where they would be put into health education courses. This study was a single blinded randomized control trial. The exercise program consisted of 16 weeks of an aerobic stepping program 3, 60 minute, group sessions a week. Findings/ Conclusion: From this study came a positive 16 week scenario. It was found that almost all that completed the 16 week course had improved cognition, better sleep, and less depression compared to the placebo group who received hardly any gain. It has been found that mild to moderate aerobic exercise may improve cognition or health related quality of life such as sleep, depression, or cognition.
In a 2014 study titled ,“How does mental and resistance training play a role in the prevalence and/or incidence of dementia?”, the question was asked – “How does resistance training play a role in the prevalence and/or incidence of dementia?”. This study was conducted over 18 months on 100 adults aged 55 and up, all with some diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment. Measurements of cognitive ability were taken at the start of the study and at 6 and 18 months. Participants had supervised training 2 days a week in 75-minute sessions, using pneumatic resistance training. There was also a control group that was not subjected to the same form of physical activity in order to see any difference made in the exercising group. After the study concluded the results stated were – “Resistance training significantly improved executive function… Resistance training attenuated the decline in visual/constructional memory… 6 months of high intensity PRT improved the primary outcome of global cognition, as well as executive function and verbal/constructional memory in older adults with MCI, with some maintenance of global and executive function benefit 12 months after cessation of training. (Singh et al., 2014)” This study also found that “simply using cognitive training does not make any notable difference in the progressive decline of cognitive ability. (Singh et al., 2014)”
Conclusions
Physical activity has many benefits, but for the elderly those benefits are far more significant. An elderly individual suffering from cognitive decline can reduce that progression by adding resistance training into their daily activities. One doesn’t need to be actively experiencing cognitive decline to enjoy the protective benefits resistance training can provide.
150 minutes of resistance training a week is correlated with significant improvements in cognitive function in those experiencing mild cognitive decline. This training can include lifting weights, using resistance bands, or even moving your own body weight against gravity, like in yoga.