Something else to fret about in middle age: worrying can lead to mental decline

The toll that chronic stress can take on the body is well-known (see our post " Something Else to Fret About; Worrying can kill you")"and researchers at the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago have found another one--making you more vulnerable to age-related mental decline. So in addition to worrying about saving for retirement, raising our kids, dealing with elder care, etc., we need to make sure that we do so with a positive attitude less we increase our chances for cognitive impairment--persistent memory difficulties that can evolve into advanced dementia.

From the Reuters Health coverage of the story:

Of 1,256 older men and women who were free of mental impairment at the study's outset, those who were distress-prone were about 40 percent more likely to become mildly impaired over the next 12 years.

The findings suggest that chronic distress does not just "speed along" the progression of Alzheimer's disease (link to earlier story on this), but may make people more vulnerable to developing the earliest stages of cognitive impairment, said Dr. Robert S. Wilson, the study's lead author.

In short, if worry and stress don't kill us then they'll just take our mind away. Scary stuff, in fact in a cruel twist just the thought of it can cause stress. So we need to break the cycle which is not easy to do in middle age as we are pulled every different way and the tips below might be a good place to start.

Here are a few stress reduction tips:

Exercise
Eat a good breakfast
Meditation
Get your fill of Omega-3 fatty acids
Take naps
Something simple
Avoid long commutes and see your friends
Say "no"
Make a plan

Related: Top 10 Tips for Growing Old Slowly and Gracefully

stress reduction