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- Maintaining cognitive health is an important part of healthy aging and preserving your quality of life.
- Simple everyday habits may help support brain health and reduce the risk of cognitive decline as you age.
- Getting enough sleep, exercising regularly, and staying socially connected are all strategies experts recommend for keeping your brain healthy.
These days, many people are thinking not just about longevity, but also “healthspan,” or the number of years spent in good health. And an important part of healthy aging is maintaining brain function as you get older. While there’s no silver bullet for protecting long-term brain health, neurologists say there are everyday habits that can help reduce the risk of cognitive decline. Here are five of them.
1. Get Enough Sleep
One of the most important habits for brain health is getting an adequate amount of sleep. That means aiming for a minimum of seven hours a night and addressing any issues, such as sleep apnea, that could interfere with quality rest, said Brian S. Appleby, MD, an associate professor of neurology, psychiatry, and pathology at Case Western Reserve University.
During sleep, the brain clears metabolic waste and toxins like beta-amyloid and tau. Consistently getting poor sleep can lead to a buildup of these substances in the brain, which may affect cognitive abilities, behavior, and judgment.
Changes may even occur in as little as two weeks, one 2024 study suggests. In that study, participants who slept at least seven hours a night for six weeks showed improvements in working memory and attention compared with when they slept for five and a half hours for the same period.
2. Follow a Mediterranean-Style Diet
For a healthy brain as you age, Jennifer Dearborn-Tomazos, MD, a neurologist at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital—Milton, recommends following a Mediterranean-style dietary pattern. This eating plan limits added sugars, highly processed foods, refined carbohydrates, sodium, and saturated fats, while emphasizing:
- Fruits and vegetables
- Nuts and seeds
- Olive oil
- Beans
- Potatoes
- Whole grains
- Eggs
- Dairy
- Fish
- Poultry
Studies have linked the Mediterranean diet with slower cognitive decline and a lower risk of dementia. The diet is also associated with improved vascular risk factors that contribute to brain disease, such as obesity, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol, according to Dearborn-Tomazos.
“One reason I like the Mediterranean diet is that it’s not a fad—it’s a way of eating that is sustainable long-term,” Dearborn-Tomazos said.
3. Exercise Regularly
Another strategy for long-term brain health is regular exercise, said Emerlee Timmerman, MD, a neurologist at UC Health in Cincinnati.
“We know exercise—particularly cardiovascular exercise—for at least 30 minutes a day is one of the most important things you can do to keep your brain healthy throughout your lifetime,” she said.
Research suggests aerobic activity increases blood flow to the brain, reduces inflammation, and promotes neuroplasticity—your brain's ability to adapt, learn, and manage new challenges.
Meanwhile, resistance training, such as lifting weights, may help combat brain atrophy associated with Alzheimer’s disease and slow the progression of dementia in older adults.
Still, Timmerman emphasized that there’s no “one perfect exercise” for maintaining brain health. What matters most, she said, is choosing physical activities you enjoy and are more likely to stick with long-term, whether that’s walking, cycling, hiking, weight lifting, tennis, or Pilates.
4. Stay Social
Enjoying time with family and friends does more than boost your mood in the moment. Social interaction may also benefit the brain by promoting neuroplasticity and improving cognitive reserve, which is the brain’s ability to maintain function despite age-related changes and neurodegeneration.
On the flip side, chronic social isolation is associated with a 50% increased risk of dementia, according to a 2023 review. Research suggests that going too long without meaningful social connection may cause brain shrinkage, reduced cognitive reserve, and increased inflammation.
“Seeing patients and families navigate stroke, dementia, and other neurological illnesses has reinforced how important our relationships are,” Dearborn-Tomazos said, noting that the experience has made her more intentional about spending time with family and friends.
5. Play Brain Games
Keeping your brain active as you age is key to keeping it healthy over time. One way to do that is by playing games, according to Appleby.
Crossword puzzles, in particular, do a good job of activating language networks, long-term memory, and pattern recognition. In fact, a 2022 study found that crosswords outperformed some computerized brain-training games in improving memory and protecting cognitive function over time.
Jigsaw puzzles may also offer benefits. A 2018 study found that they can help improve memory, reasoning, cognitive flexibility (the ability to adapt to changes), and visuospatial processing (the ability to perceive and interact with one’s environment). That’s because they require the brain to engage in multiple complex processes at once, like scanning the puzzle board, recognizing patterns, and determining where each piece belongs.
Experts have said games are most likely to benefit brain health when they are challenging—but not overly frustrating—played consistently, and done for at least 30 minutes at a time.
