Can your job impact your risk of cognitive decline?

A new study suggests that the type of work on does over the course of their life could impact their risk of cognitive decline and dementia.

The study, published in Neurology, tracked and analyzed the health and occupational data for 7,000 Norwegians over a roughly 30-year period. The individual’s occupation was categorized by researchers based upon its cognitive demand: for example, a factory worker’s repetitive tasks vs a doctor’s more complex duties. Teacher was the most common occupation in the higher cognitive demand category.

The study found that those with routine jobs were linked to a 66% higher risk of mild cognitive impairment and a 37% greater risk of dementia compared to those with jobs that were more cognitively demanding. As has been found in other studies, higher education offers a cognitive health protective benefit, offsetting some of the negative impact from repetitive jobs.

My father worked as a freight checker most of his life, a physical, blue-collar job that was repetitive in nature. In his later years, he worked as a security guard, which offered little mental stimulation. While my father didn’t have a lot of formal education as an adult, he was self-taught in areas he cared deeply about by being a voracious reader. He read deeply complex topics such as war strategy.

While the study’s findings are interesting, people have lives beyond their career choice. Some people may choose a routine job to pay the bills, so they can save their energy for hobbies such as playing a musical instrument or chess. My job requires a great deal of data analysis, and I also enjoy word puzzles and jigsaw puzzles.

We know that dementia can strike anyone, regardless of occupation. It makes sense to engage in mentally stimulating activity on a routine basis, whether it’s at work or a hobby.

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