Life gets busy; opportunities to slow down and consider how our daily habits might be affecting the way we think, feel and function can be rare. But for the sake of our brain health, it’s worth pausing to consider how our relationships with technology, food, exercise and sleep might be impacting us.
A 2024 study outlined 15 risk factors of cognitive decline, concluding that diabetes, traffic-related air pollution and alcohol consumption were the most harmful in relation to ageing in the brain. Each risk factor cited was modifiable, meaning that it can be mitigated over time with the right approach.
Here, lifestyle physician and former GP, Dr Aileen Alexander shares five common habits that can impact brain health and what to do instead.
1. Excessive screen time
In 2024, the Oxford University Press made “brainrot” its word of the year: a reflection of just how much time we now spend scrolling. “The challenge is that, nowadays, social media isn’t social,” Alexander says. “The quick dopamine hits that we get from social media affect our reward pathways, which makes it even more difficult for us to concentrate on slower, more meaningful tasks.”
The brain is constantly under pressure when we are “switched on” all the time. Multitasking without meaningful breaks fragments our attention spans and increases cognitive fatigue. This, according to Alexander, tires out our brains at a faster rate, due to overstimulation.
Setting personal boundaries around phone use is essential. “Personally, I turn my phone off during periods of downtime and put it away in a drawer,” Alexander shares. “I feel so much better when I implement this, compared to when I do not.”
2. An outsized workload
An intense work environment can impact our brain health, but on the flip side, not being challenged enough can also affect how well our brain works. There is, according to Alexander, a balance to strike, where the challenges we’re placed under professionally don’t become an outsized source of stress or leak into other areas of our lives.
Physiologically, chronic stress from demanding work environments can increase our levels of cortisol. “This can impair our memory, reduce our ability to manage emotions effectively and even reduce resilience,” she says. “Cortisol puts pressure on the body and high cortisol levels can also lead to overeating, weight gain, increased blood pressure and in extreme cases, heart attacks and strokes.”
Studies have shown that, in fact, we’re much more productive when we allow our bodies to rest. Alexander likes to use the analogy of Formula One race cars. “When the cars are racing around the tracks, they need to be refuelled, the human body isn’t any different.”
For optimal brain health, we need clear boundaries and breaks at work with opportunities to restore and replenish. “This can be as simple as pausing to do breathing exercises or going for a walk at lunchtime.”
3. Poor diet
Processed foods are foods that have been altered from their original state, meaning that they are often of a lower nutritional value than their initial whole food form. Ultra-processed foods offer even fewer health benefits.