Mind & Mood Archive

Regular meditation can lower blood pressure, reduce stress, and improve concentration. Practicing a simple 10-minute mantra-based meditation and observing mindfulness during everyday moments are ideal ways begin a meditation practice.

A 2022 review of dozens of randomized controlled trials and observational studies found that people who used hearing aids or cochlear implants had a 19% lower risk of cognitive decline, compared with people who didn't use the devices.

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a brain disorder caused by damage to nerves in certain parts of the brain. It typically affects people in middle age, and is characterized by marked changes in behavior or problems with language.

Dementia occurs more often among older people with higher levels of hearing loss than among those with normal hearing. A new study found that wearing hearing aids reduced the risk for dementia in people who had significant hearing loss.

A 2022 study found that taking a mindfulness-based stress reduction course and meditating daily was about as effective as taking medication for reducing symptoms of anxiety. Both strategies seemed to reduce anxiety by about 30% after eight weeks.

Some degree of anxiety is normal, but people who regularly struggle with anxiety may have an anxiety disorder. Symptoms can be linked with life changes, a medical condition, and specific situations, like a fear of heights, crowds, and social situations. Recognizing the symptoms can help people seek medical care to find the source of their anxiety and adopt appropriate treatment. Treatment might include medications, psychotherapy, or both.

Older adults can still lower their risk for dementia by taking medication to decrease their high blood pressure, according to a recent study.

One in 10 Americans ages 65 and older has dementia. The condition is likely to progress slowly, offering couples the opportunity to adopt coping strategies that can smooth their path. Early on, you can consider treatment that may temporarily improve memory and thinking problems. People whose partners have been diagnosed should get informed about dementia, attend doctor's visits, take over certain tasks, keep routines, update legal documents, and join a support group.

Keeping the brain as healthy as possible might help slow the fuzzy thinking that develops with age-related brain changes. The best way to stay sharp is by living a healthy lifestyle: exercising regularly (at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity exercise, like brisk walking), sleeping for seven to nine hours per night, eating a Mediterranean-style diet, managing stress, socializing, and learning new things. Doing crossword puzzles may also help sharpen cognition. So might treatment for underlying health conditions, such as depression or thyroid disease.

Pheromones, the "love chemical," are produced by many animals and insects to attract the opposite sex. It's possible that humans also may make and process pheromones through vomeronasal organs in our noses.