Alzheimer’s disease primarily affects people over the age of 65, but it’s never too early to be aware of the warning signs of this common brain disorder.
And you may be able to detect them years before things go downhill
“Alzheimer’s disease actually starts in the brain decades before you have any symptoms,” Dr. Daniel Amen, a double board-certified psychiatrist and brain imaging researcher in California, recently shared on TikTok.
An estimated 6.7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s, which slowly erodes memory, cognitive skills and the ability to perform simple tasks.
Amen is revealing four red flags that may signal your brain is in trouble — and several risk factors you should address immediately.
Poor memory
Amen said the first warning sign is that your memory is worse than it was 10 years ago.
While occasional forgetfulness is a normal part of aging, people with dementia struggle to recall recent events, conversations or major details.
The hippocampus — a brain region responsible for forming new memories — is one of the first areas affected by Alzheimer’s.
Poor judgment and impulsivity
Damage to your frontal lobes, key areas for decision-making and reasoning, can lead to difficulties in understanding risks, tackling everyday problems and managing finances.
It’s “sort of like your [brain] is going offline,” Amen explained.
Short attention span
People with Alzheimer’s can have trouble concentrating or paying attention long enough to complete tasks that were once simple.
Amen said the “distractibility — not like ADHD that you’ve had your whole life — seems to be accelerating.”
Low mood
Research has found that up to half of Alzheimer’s patients suffer depressive symptoms, which is much more than the general population.
Patients frequently experience emotional changes like irritability or severe mood swings and often have less control over their feelings because the disease is affecting brain areas responsible for emotion regulation.
They may become confused, suspicious, fearful or anxious about change or situations that take them outside of their comfort zone.
Lifestyle risks
Amen also identified several behaviors that can raise your risk of dementia.
“If you have any of these risk factors, now is the time to get serious about brain health,” Amen said.
- Obesity: “As your weight goes up, the size and function of your brain goes down,” Amen explained. “That’s why I’m trim — I do not want to purposely do anything that damages my brain.”
- Low energy: “Having low energy … often means lower blood flow to the brain,” Amen said.
- Erectile dysfunction: “Because if you have blood flow problems anywhere, it means they’re everywhere,” Amen noted.
- Chronic insomnia or sleep apnea: Sleep helps clear toxic waste from the brain.
