Brain health is closely linked to everyday habits, from how well we sleep and manage stress to how often we exercise and drink alcohol. several lifestyle factors can influence how the brain functions over time While people often associate brain health only with memory and ageing.
prolonged stress can affect areas involved in emotions, memory and concentration While short-term stress can improve alertness and performance. The amygdala, hippocampus and prefrontal cortex can be affected by chronic stress, influencing emotional responses, memory and concentration. Eight hours is often considered the ideal amount of sleep, but individual needs vary. She recommends maintaining a consistent wake-up time to regulate the body’s internal clock. “Anchor your mornings. Natural light helps regulate the body’s internal clock and signals the brain when to be alert and when to prepare for sleep. She recommends getting outdoors in the morning when possible. Spending more time outdoors has also been associated with lower tiredness, insomnia and depressive symptoms. Alcohol affects several parts of the brain, including the cerebellum, which is involved in balance, and the prefrontal cortex, which supports judgement and emotional regulation. “Alcohol is a drug. She cautions against making alcohol a daily habit. Her advice is to keep alcohol occasional: “Never insert it into your daily routine. Enjoy it as an occasional thing. Learning a language, taking up a hobby, painting, developing a new skill and maintaining social connections can all provide mental stimulation. Dr Begeti highlights sleep and cognitive reserve as important aspects of brain health While there is no guaranteed way to prevent dementia. “One of the things that clears these proteins is sleep. “Why are we focusing on brain health? Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition. This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.
In the January 13, 2025 episode of the Vision of Health podcast with Dr Frankie Jackson-Spence, Dr Faye Begeti, a practising neurologist and neuroscientist, discussed some of the everyday factors that can shape brain health. (Also read: Sattu vs whey protein: Which is better for increasing protein intake? Some people may need six or seven hours, while others may require 10 or 11.
Dietitian compares calories, carbs, fibre and iron ) “The biggest problem with our brain health would be sort of being overstressed, overworked and under-rested,” Dr Begeti says. “The alertness hormone cortisol , instead of being high in the morning and low at night, you get steady levels all throughout the day,” she explains. “Chronic stress has enough of an effect on these memory centres that people refer patients to memory clinic thinking that they have some sort of dementia,” Dr Begeti says. “In the news it’s always the average eight hours, but you need to bear in mind that is the average,” Dr Begeti says. Wake up the same time each day,” she says. “The best thing you can do first of all is try to wake up the same time each day, no matter when it’s light or dark,” Dr Begeti says. “If you can, especially if your morning commute is in the dark, to get outside if you can even for 10, 15 minutes,” she says. It affects our brain,” Dr Begeti says. “Even without doing that, in my clinic I see people who have not necessarily drunk what people would call too much — just one or two drinks every day with dinner over 10, 20, 30 years — and that has brain effects,” she says. Dr Begeti says keeping the brain mentally active can help build cognitive reserve, which may offer some protection against brain ageing . “Keeping yourself mentally challenged is important,” she says. “The more you build, the more you are likely to have in later life,” she adds. They clear in our sleep,” she says, referring to proteins that can misfold and accumulate in neurodegenerative diseases. “I would say two things to try and prevent is good sleep and building up cognitive reserve,” Dr Begeti says. Dr Begeti says the ultimate goal of focusing on brain health should be to live a fulfilling life, rather than constantly trying to optimise every aspect of health. Is to live a good life,” she says. “If your pursuit of health or brain health is stopping you living a good life, having those joyful moments, making those fun memories, enjoying your life, then I think that’s the point that we’re doing too much,” she adds.
