A confusional state can be described as the inability to think with the usual clarity or speed. It can occur suddenly or progressively. It typically makes a person feel lost, disoriented, unable to focus, remember and make decisions. It is due to numerous pathological causes, some are permanent (such as dementia), but often it is simply a temporary problem that goes away in a short time or an age-related memory slip. Learning to prevent confusion can help you stay focused and clear-headed by avoiding going to the hospital.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Maintain Good Mental Clarity
Step 1. Use your cognitive skills
If you don't use them and practice them regularly, you will eventually lose them. If possible, try to learn something new, such as speaking a language, playing an instrument, or acquiring a whole range of knowledge. Can't try new activities? Change your daily habits in an easier way to strengthen your cognitive skills, such as doing crosswords, reading sections of the newspaper you are not used to or taking a different path from the usual one.
There are other ways to use your cognitive skills, including reading, joining a reading club (plus the social interaction factor), engaging in strategy games like chess, or enrolling in a class to learn something. new one
Step 2. Stay socially active
When a person is left alone for extended periods, they become more prone to depression, stress, and anxiety. Over time, these symptoms can contribute to confusion and memory loss. Spending time with others is a great way to prevent these problems. This encourages you to remember past events and process current ones in order to carry on a conversation. It is effective for maintaining good mental clarity and enjoying the company of other people.
- Having a support network is particularly important in dealing with the confusional states that affect older people.
- Try spending time with friends, family, or even strangers (by volunteering). Don't isolate yourself. Get involved in life and society.
Step 3. Organize your life and your environment
This will help you to avoid confusion in the immediate area, but also to strengthen your memory and mental resilience. Don't worry if you aren't super organized - you can start small and see what results you get little by little. According to some studies, stopping guessing about daily commitments and events can help you focus and focus better on learning new things and remembering important events / information.
- Try jotting down appointments, errands, housework, and things to buy at the grocery store. Get used to taking these lists with you wherever you go and checking them daily. Try to have them on your smartphone.
- Assign a designated place to the essentials you need every day, such as your wallet, keys, and cell phone (if you carry it with you). This way you will never waste time looking for everything you need before leaving the house.
- Strive to keep your home tidy, especially trying to combat clutter. Examine old documents, notes and to-do lists - throw away anything you no longer need.
- Having a diary can be effective for keeping thoughts organized, keeping track of one's life and daily obligations.
Step 4. Use all your senses
When you learn or try something new, using more than one sense helps keep multiple parts of the brain active, but also fixes memories in memory and acquires skills. Some studies have shown that using only one sense to experience something decreases the predisposition to remember or to fix information / experiences in memory, while using two or more senses allows for a better result.
Test your senses every day, at least a little. When trying a new dish at a restaurant, pay attention to the smell before tasting the food and after. Challenge yourself. For example, try to identify certain ingredients or practice your cognitive skills by reading a newspaper or book while enjoying the aromas and flavors of an unfamiliar dish
Step 5. Try to have a pre-established routine which can be effective in improving your memory and cognitive skills
Whenever you follow a routine, the brain is able to make connections and recognize behavioral patterns more easily. It sounds simple, but just having a daily routine over time can help reduce the effects of confusion and memory loss.
For example, make sure you get up and go to bed at the same time every day. This can help improve sleep quality and overall health
Step 6. Use memory tricks
They are used to remember lists, orders of operations and musical scales, but you can also create them yourself to help you remember anything associated with your daily life. Try writing down the steps necessary to do something, then take the first letter of each word. Combine initials to create a related word or phrase. For example, to remember musical notes (Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, A, Si), you can use this phrase: "Dino Rest While Flavia Plays La Spinetta".
Creating and using memory tricks allows you to strengthen both your cognitive skills and your memory. Looking for ways to remember the steps of a certain process can also help free memory for the purpose of processing and fixing new information
Part 2 of 3: Making Lifestyle Changes
Step 1. Hydrate
Dehydration is a common cause of confusion, but it's easy to prevent. It occurs whenever the body loses more water than is taken in. Unfortunately, in this case the confusional state is usually symptomatic of severe dehydration and may require medical intervention.
Drinking water or sports drinks helps treat mild to moderate dehydration. In severe cases it is necessary to administer an intravenous saline solution (performed by a professional)
Step 2. Eat healthy
Improving your diet often helps fight or prevent confusion. It is important to eat fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy proteins such as fish, skinless poultry, and tofu.
- Avoid alcohol, which commonly contributes to confusion and / or memory loss. Broadly speaking, this phenomenon can occur when a person stops drinking after doing it every day.
- Make sure you are getting enough vitamin B12 and folic acid, as these are believed to help protect the nervous system.
- According to some studies, ginkgo biloba, a herbal supplement, can help improve memory and strengthen one's cognitive skills. Before taking a supplement that interests you, talk to your doctor about it.
Step 3. Get enough sleep
Sleep is very important for maintaining good cognitive skills, as it helps strengthen and solidify memory. Little sleep can cause confusion and uncertainty.
- Try to have good sleep hygiene. Implement a bedtime routine (such as taking a shower, listening to soothing music, etc.) and regular sleeping habits.
- Most adults and older people need seven to nine hours of sleep a night. Make sure you rest well to prevent confusion and disorientation.
Step 4. Stay active
Exercise helps increase blood flow to the brain, allowing you to keep your cognitive abilities intact. If you are physically able, try to get at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise per week, or 75 minutes of intense aerobic exercise. You must also include two to three days of strength training per week for a total of at least 40 minutes.
Moderate aerobic exercise can include brisk walking, while intense aerobic exercise can include running and pedaling
Step 5. Lower your blood pressure.
If it is high and left untreated, it can cause significant problems with memory and problem solving. If you have been prescribed medicines, take them following the instructions given by the specialist. If you are not currently taking any, talk to your doctor about what methods to take to lower blood pressure, such as losing weight or making dietary changes.
Part 3 of 3: Caring for a Confused Person
Step 1. Introduce yourself
As much as you have known this person for years (whether you are friends, family or just acquaintances), you should always identify yourself or introduce yourself. Many people who suffer from confusion become frightened. Consequently, if an individual they perceive as a stranger were to suddenly approach without warning, this can cause unpredictable or even violent behavior.
Say your name and remind him how you met. Speak slowly and approach the subject with caution
Step 2. Offer him various reminders
Sometimes small reminders are enough to help a confused person remember who they are and where they are. Other times the confusion is associated with the time, day or year. If someone you know is confused, try to help them in the following ways:
- Remind him where he is at that moment.
- Put a calendar or clock next to him so he can check the date and time whenever he needs it.
- Tell him about current or recent events and plans for the day.
Step 3. Create a relaxed environment
Some people in a confused state also face resulting emotional states such as fear or anxiety. A method to fight them? The environment in the immediate vicinity of the person concerned should be peaceful, calm and relaxing.
- If possible, remove all potentially traumatizing or upsetting things from the immediate area. You don't necessarily have to get rid of them, but hiding them until the individual feels better can help speed up recovery times.
- Be especially wary of sundowning, or "setting sun" syndrome. At the end of the day, individuals with dementia may witness a worsening of confusion and depression. If you think a person is suffering from it, talk to their doctor, who may suggest medications or effective therapy.
- Try keeping the windows open during the day to make the patient more alert, awake and less confused.
Step 4. Make a snack to raise your glucose
In some circumstances, confusion is due to hypoglycaemia (diabetes medicines are a fairly common cause). In these cases, try offering a snack or a sweet drink to the person concerned. Balancing glucose values can help your mood and allow you to think better without getting angry.
- Fruit juice is great for confusion caused by hypoglycemia. It can also be effective to make small snacks, for example by eating some biscuits or savory dishes.
- For subjects suffering from hypoglycemia it may be necessary to take special tablets. If possible, find out in advance about this person's preferred treatment to help them recover from confusion.
Step 5. See a doctor
If confusion occurs out of the blue, then the symptom has never appeared previously, or should start affecting the affected person's daily life, call a doctor right away. He will perform a general examination and order blood and urine tests, neuropsychological tests, electroencephalogram (EEG) and / or brain CT scan. In some cases it may be necessary to go to the emergency room. If you or someone you know have symptoms associated with confusion or any of the following red flags, call an ambulance:
- Cold or clammy skin
- Dizziness or feeling faint
- Rapid heartbeat;
- Fever;
- Headache;
- Irregular breathing (slow or rapid)
- Uncontrollable shaking;
- Complications associated with diabetes;
- Head trauma;
- Loss of consciousness.
Step 6. Understand the causes of confusion
It can be due to multiple medical complications. Treatment depends on the underlying cause or causes. Here are some of the more common complications:
- Intoxication (drugs or alcohol - temporary complication);
- Brain tumor (may be treatable if the tumor can be treated / removed);
- Trauma or head injury, including concussion (usually temporary, but requires medical evaluation and immediate treatment);
- Fever (temporary);
- Fluid / electrolyte imbalance (often caused by dehydration - temporary complication, as long as fluids are given as soon as possible)
- Pathologies such as dementia (permanent complication that requires careful medical attention);
- Lack of sleep (temporary, as long as the habits associated with rest are corrected);
- Hypoglycemia (temporary complication, as long as you have a snack or drink juice)
- Hypoxemia. The causes can be various, including chronic lung disorders (complications can be temporary or permanent - they require immediate medical attention);
- Side effects caused by medicines (the complication may be temporary or require changes to be made to the drugs, dosage or timing of administration);
- Nutritional deficiencies, common when not getting enough niacin, thiamin or vitamin B12
- Convulsions (they can be temporary or permanent, depending on the pathology or circumstances that cause them);
- Stroke;
- Parkinson's disease;
- Old age;
- Sensory impairment;
- Sudden changes in body temperature, such as heatstroke or hypothermia (temporary complication if you get immediate help). If immediate medical attention is not offered, sudden changes in body temperature could be fatal.
Advice
- If you or someone you know gets confused, you need to drink water at first to treat possible dehydration. Then you need to see a doctor immediately.
- There is a common condition called "multi-infarct dementia". It often occurs in older adults who have small strokes or transient ischemic attacks. These strokes build up over time, resulting in a progressive decline in brain function. There is no cure for multi-infarct dementia and it is diagnosed through a series of head CT scans.
