Hearing
Blood pressure
Blood sugar
cholesterol
sleep
Thyroid
Gums
There's mounting evidence that when it comes to our brains, what we do to protect ourselves in midlife matters. Let's go through some health conditions you might not know you have unless you check with your doctor – and how they relate to a future risk of dementia. My message: get your health checks, accept treatment for any risk factors and look after your body – you'll be investing in your brain.
1 SLEEP HABITS
Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB, including sleep apnoea) happens when your sleep is punctuated by longer-than-normal pauses in breathing. If you do a formal sleep study, these pauses are often accompanied by a significant drop in blood oxygen levels.
Does it affect the brain? Yes. The two biggest studies were both done in elderly people. One looked at women with an average age