You can’t find your wallet, forgot dinner with friends, or missed taking your daily medication. You’re struggling to understand why this is happening. Diabetes type 1 and type 2 can cause a decline in your cognition. You need to be able to analyze information, retain it, and use it in your work or daily life.
Your cognitive abilities are brain-based. Decision-making and problem-solving skills are required for your simplest tasks but also your complex tasks, like following steps to complete a project at home or work. Here is a quick list of cognitive abilities:
- The speed at which you process and learn new information
- Verbal memory
- Short term memory
- Abstract reasoning
- Attention to multiple stimuli
- Pattern recognition
Diabetes Changes Your Cognition
Diabetes can damage the small blood vessels in your brain. The blood vessel damage will, in time, affect the brain’s white matter.
Your brain is complex and as you age, your cognition tends to decrease. A study reported by the National Institutes of Health disclosed: “Diabetes in midlife is associated with a 19 % greater cognitive decline over 20 years compared to those without diabetes.”
Action Steps to Protect Your Cognition
While there is no cure for dementia or Alzheimer’s, there are action steps you can enact right now to protect your memory. Keep your blood sugar at the correct level by taking your medications and using your medical provider’s advice on your treatment. Get plenty of exercise. Short walks go a long way to keep you sharp. Eat a healthy low sugar and low carb diet. Stimulate your mind with chess, reading, crossword puzzles, and games that involve concentrating.
Losing your wallet isn’t the end of the world, but if you miss your medications, your life could be at risk. Protect your cognition by monitoring your blood sugar.
