huffingtonpost - 5 hours ago

Man listening to music!function(n){if(!window.cnx){window.cnx={},window.cnx.cmd=[];var t=n.createElement( iframe );t.display= none ,t.onload=function(){var n=t.contentWindow.document,c=n.createElement( script );c.src= //cd.connatix.com/connatix.player.js ,c.setAttribute( async , 1 ),c.setAttribute( type , text/javascript ),n.body.appendChild(c)},n.head.appendChild(t)}}(document);(new Image()).src = https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=8b034f64-513c-4987-b16f-42d6008f7feb ;cnx.cmd.push(function(){cnx({ playerId : 8b034f64-513c-4987-b16f-42d6008f7feb , mediaId : acc2e7d7-67a0-47b2-b17e-cfbb99ad2528 }).render( 6900afe2e4b0ebfddfbbccfe );});Not only are hobbies great for your mental health, but researchers and neuroscientists increasingly think they might help to protect your brain as you age too. Take reading, for instance.Some research suggests that reading twice a week or more can lead to decreased cognitive impairment, while neurologist and author of How To Prevent Dementia, Dr Richard Restak, said: “Reading for pleasure is perhaps the single most effective activity you can engage in for increasing cognitive reserve”.And now, a new study published in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry has linked listening to music to a significantly decreased rate of dementia among over-70s. Why might listening to music decrease dementia risk?In this study, scientists looked at 10,893 Australian participants who were aged 70 and older. None of them had dementia when the study began.The researchers used Cox proportional hazard regression models to work out whether participants’ levels of music engagement (be it listening to music, playing an instrument, or a combination of both) seemed to be linked to their dementia risk from year three of the sudy onwards.They found that “always” listening to music was associated with a 39% lower risk of developing dementia among their participants, compared to those who “never,” “rarely,” or “sometimes” did.Playing an instrument was linked to 35% less risk, meanwhile, and those who both played an instrument and listened to music appeared to be 33% less likely to develop the condition too. Listening to, and playing, music (as well as doing both) was also linked to less cognitive impairment in this study. These findings seemed to be stronger among participants who’d had over 16 years of education. “These results highlight music as a potential promising, accessible strategy to help reduce cognitive impairment and delay the onset of dementia in later life,” the paper reads. Does this definitely mean listening to music will prevent dementia? No. It only found a link, and not a cause – we can’t say from this data that listening to music is the reason people with the hobby were less likely to develop dementia.Study senior author Professor Joanne Ryan, however, said: “With no cure currently available for dementia, the importance of identifying strategies to help prevent or delay onset of the disease is critical.“Evidence suggests that brain ageing is not just based on age and genetics but can be influenced by one’s own environmental and lifestyle choices.”She continued: “Our study suggests that lifestyle-based interventions, such as listening and/or playing music can promote cognitive health.” Related...Here s When Restless Sleep Can Be A Dementia Warning Sign Scientists Think These Brain Changes May Link Insomnia To DementiaThis Much Reading May Reduce Dementia Risk

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