Women’s Brain Health Initiative and the 6 pillars of brain health

September 28, 2024

I founded CoolYourSweats after my own experience with night sweats left me sleep-deprived for almost 2 years. In fact, the only thing between me and a good night’s sleep were those darned night sweats. When I finally realized they weren’t going away on their own, I went on a mission to recover my sleep. I was motivated not just by the short-term need for sleep, but also, knowing that there is a link between chronic insomnia and dementia.

I had seen my brilliant mother in-law descend into dementia despite having done “everything right,” according to the experts. She was bilingual, participated in many social events, played bridge, volunteered at the National Gallery, listened to music, ate healthy food and exercised on a regular basis. The only blemish on her perfect lifestyle was insomnia that started in her early 60s. And she never got over it.

We will never know whether this one issue was linked to her eventual mental decline, but it scared me enough to want to take my own sleep-deprivation seriously. Hence, my search for a solution to night sweats and the birth of CoolYourSweats.

On September 22 2024, I attended “From Her Lips to Our Ears” – an event hosted by The Women’s Brain Health Initiative – a non-profit organization that focuses on research into women’s brain health. The main event was a discussion between moderator, Hon. Lisa Raitt, and Patricia Arquette.

Llistening to stories about how dementia has affected both Lisa Raitt and Patricia Arquette was fascinating.

At the beginning of the evening, Lynn Posluns, president and founder of WBHI, presented us with some sobering statistics about dementia:

Women are twice as likely to be diagnosed with dementia as men. We don’t know why that is, and that’s one of the puzzles that research is trying to uncover.
only 6% of all brain research funding is dedicated specifically to women despite our being twice as likely to end up with dementia as men.
Women also tend to be the primary caregivers of family members with dementia. Meanwhile, an alarming 40% of caregivers die before the patient. That statistic rises to 60% if the care becomes their full-time (24/7) job.
A woman in her 60s is twice as likely to get Alzheimer’s as she is breast cancer, and yet we have breast cancer screenings once every two years, but rarely see a doctor about our cognitive abilities until it’s too late to do much about it.

This all sounded pretty depressing, however, there is reason to hope. New research is revealing that lifestyle choices can reduce your chances of dementia by as much as 40% -- even if you carry the gene linked to dementia.

On that front, the Women’s Brain Health Initiative created a free app for iPhones and Androids to help you keep track of activities within the 6 pillars of a healthy brain. It is a completely free and private app – no email address or personal information necessary.

So, what are the 6 pillars of brain health?

Exercise – from a daily walk to short intense exercise sessions, exercise contributes to a healthy brain.
Nutrition – for maximum brain health, research is showing that the mediterranean diet is the way to go.
Stress Management – a little stress is okay, but a lot of stress will work against you – so practice deep breathing exercises, meditation and yoga are some great relaxing techniques.
SLEEP! – 7-9 hours per night at a minimum with the three phases of sleep for a good amount of time. Deep sleep is particularly important as the risk of dementia increases with a decrease in deep sleep.
Social Activity – volunteer, participate in group activities such as book clubs, choirs, theatre groups, play sports, go for walks with friends. Socializing reduces stress and stimulates the brain.
Mental Stimulation – read a variety of material, and reduce time spent on social media, do puzzles, games, learn a new activity, language, instrument.