Medically reviewed by Smita Patel, DO

• Cognitive health is a part of brain health that includes how well you think, learn, and remember.
• There are many components of cognitive health, including attention, memory, and executive functioning.
• It’s normal for cognitive health to decrease as you get older, but having difficulty performing daily tasks, frequently forgetting things, losing interest in hobbies, and struggling to communicate could be signs of a more serious cognitive problem.

Cognitive health is discussed a lot in the media, but you may be wondering what it actually means or how it fits into the bigger picture of overall brain health. With adults living longer—and the number of people living with cognitive disorders like dementia increasing—it’s more important than ever to understand what cognitive health is, why it matters, and how you can protect yours.

What Does Cognitive Health Mean?

Cognitive health is your ability to think, learn, and remember things. It's part of the umbrella term brain health, which, in addition to cognitive health, includes sensory function, motor function, and emotional health.  

Components of Cognitive Health

Although it sounds simple to say that cognitive health is about how well you think, learn, and remember, your brain is actually performing a complex series of tasks when it’s doing these things. Cognitive health can be divided into several skills, or components, including: 

• Attention: There are two types. Selective attention is the way your brain focuses on important information while filtering out unnecessary information. Divided attention is your brain’s ability to multitask. 
• Processing speed: This skill refers to how quickly your brain processes information, using what it’s just learned to make decisions and execute tasks. Driving a car requires good processing speed, for example.
• Memory: There are many types of memory, including working memory (the ability to perform tasks in the moment), procedural memory (like remembering how to play an instrument), semantic memory (related to language and recognition of people and places), and prospective memory (your ability to remember things happening in the future).
• Executive function: This is your ability to make decisions, solve problems, plan and sequence events, and perform complex tasks requiring several cognitive skills at once.
• Speech and language: This skill relates to how well you can communicate with others and how well you understand what others are communicating to you. Using a wide variety of words and being able to quickly retrieve the right word in conversation are signs of good cognitive health.
• Visuospatial: This skill includes spatial awareness, recognition of familiar items, being able to visualize shapes and objects in your mind, and correctly judging distance.

Why Cognitive Health Matters

Cognitive health is one of the most important measures of quality of life. It plays a huge part in your ability to have healthy relationships, maintain your independence, keep up with your hobbies and interests, and handle life’s daily challenges. 

Maintaining good cognitive health throughout your life—especially as you age—reduces your risk for memory loss and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.  

How Does Cognitive Health Change as You Age?

It’s normal to see gradual changes in your cognitive health as you get older. As you age, so does your brain. As your brain ages, some parts related to how you think, learn, and remember get smaller. Messaging between brain neurons often slows down, and blood flow can decrease. 

Some of these changes start as early as your 30s, though brain shrinking accelerates around age 60. At that point, it may take longer for you to remember things or learn new skills or it may be harder to focus, plan, and problem-solve. 

However, older adults with good cognitive health can still go about their daily lives as usual; they may just need a little extra time to complete the same tasks. And it’s not all bad news, either: Some research suggests that people in middle age (roughly ages 40-69) actually perform better on certain measures of cognitive health than young adults, utilizing decades of life experience to think critically, remain calm in stressful situations, and manage negative emotions.

Warning Signs Your Cognitive Health Is Declining

While slight changes in your ability to think, learn, and remember are common later in life, some changes point to more serious problems. For example, occasionally misplacing your cell phone is a sign of normal aging, but losing your phone every day (or multiple times per day) could be a sign of mild cognitive impairment.

Here are some other signs that may suggest more significant cognitive decline rather than normal brain aging:

• Forgetting to attend appointments, meetings, or other important events
• Difficulty maintaining a conversation because you can’t come up with the right words
• Getting lost in places you know well
• Difficulty paying bills or managing your finances
• Asking the same questions over and over
• Difficulty reading or writing
• Forgetting to maintain good hygiene
• Losing interest in favorite activities
• Experiencing mood changes, like increased anxiety or irritability 

Next Steps

You can’t prevent all cognitive aging, but there are ways to keep this important part of your brain health strong for as long as possible. You can:  

• Learn new skills or hobbies.
• Get regular physical activity.
• Prevent head injuries with protective gear during sports.
• Quit smoking.
• Eat a balanced diet and maintain the weight you and your healthcare provider decided is optimal for you.
• Get the recommended amount of sleep each night.
• Manage chronic illnesses like diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.
• Play games and do puzzles.
• Start or maintain social relationships.

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Kristina Dawson