I don't want to put pressure on you, but did you know that if you develop high blood pressure in middle age and it's uncontrolled, you're at an increased risk for dementia?

That's because high blood pressure damages blood vessels and can reduce blood flow to the brain. As a result, your blood isn't effectively clearing harmful waste products, and different parts of your brain become less capable of communicating with each other.

To reduce your risk of dementia related to high blood pressure, you want to achieve a healthy weight with optimal nutrition and physical activity (and maybe a new weight-loss med).

Managing chronic stress and depression is also essential.

In one study, around 38% of people with chronic stress developed dementia. Other studies indicate there's a feedback loop between depression and elevated blood pressure — perhaps from depression-related stress, sedentary behavior, overeating, smoking or drinking too much, and their impact on blood pressure, which in turn affects the brain and mood.

You also want to take blood pressure medications at the right time of day.

A new study indicates that the best time is right before going to bed because it helps you sleep, provides optimal control of nocturnal blood pressure, and doesn't have a negative impact on your overall pressure readings.

You may also want to get rid of mis-signaling proteins in your blood. For information on doing that, check out the summary of the AMBAR study at LifespanEdge.com.