Anxious Aging: Millennials’ habits can affect older people’s brains

Neurologists explain the possible consequences of an anxious, stressed and unhealthy lifestyle for the brains of the next elderly

Like the rest of the body, the brain also ages. And the changes are not only structural, but also functional.

In older brains, for example, there is a loss of attunement between the regions of the organ. In some cases, the brain shrinks and neurodegenerative diseases begin to show signs that something is not right.

experts listened to by Land recommend that the best way to take care of reducing the effects of aging is to adopt healthy lifestyle habits and avoid stress and anxiety. But how is that possible, if millennials and Gen Z are considered a “depressed generation”?

For Marcelo Valadares, neurosurgeon at the University of Campinas (Unicamp) and Albert Einstein Hospital, the high incidence of diagnoses of anxiety, stress, depression and other conditions related to production pressure, for example, is not a big problem for the future. On the contrary: it could mean that people take better care of themselves.

“Even though it’s a more diagnosed generation, it means people take better care of themselves and care more,” he says. “Perhaps the new generation of the elderly is better than the older generation, because today there is more awareness and concern for the age in good health“.

Diseases are recognized

THE Burnout syndrome it would be an example of what Valadares defends. For the neurosurgeon no new diseases emerge, but already existing diseases are recognized.

“Burnout is a state of physical and emotional stress that I believe has always been present, but we have failed to recognize it as a disease in itself,” he adds.

On the other hand, neurologist Letícia Rebello, of the Sírio-Libanês Hospital in Brasilia (DF), notes that the volume of responsibilities and workload facilitate the lack of health care. And that’s what worries us when it comes to the next generation of elders.

“This intense routine with high demands, workload and competitiveness increases the load on young people, in this generation of very high production, which ends up putting health in second place,” he evaluates.

The pressure they are subjected to and the incidence of disorders affecting the brain can have consequences for young people within a few years. Although it is not possible to predict how the bodies will respond to this lifestyle in the future, Rebello highlights the increased risks of developing cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, cognitive loss and dementia syndromes.

“If your health has been compromised since your youth, he will surely find the impact of all this on senility“, he concludes.

population that lives longer

Despite differing views on the impact of mental disorders on the brain, neurologists agree on the fact we are living longer. In large part, thanks to advances in medicine and science, with adequate treatments for diseases, vaccines and preventive measures.

However, the impact of this longevity on our brains is still being evaluated by scientists around the world. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to the physical, mental and emotional care of the brain.

Excessive consumption of alcohol, sugars, and processed foods can cause, for example, changes in cognitive abilities and increased inflammatory activity in senility. Alcohol, in particular, generates profound changes in neurotransmitters, “chemical messengers” that carry, stimulate and balance signals between neurons – and, as a result, interfere with emotions and cognition.

“Healthy lifestyle habits associated with regular sleep, avoiding stress and anxiety, are essential cures for the brain,” recommends neurosurgeon Marcelo Valadares.

* With editing by Estela Marques.

Source: Terra

Benjamin

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