Home » News & Events » 7 New Year’s Resolutions for Better Brain Health
from Being Patient
As another year begins, many people reset their priorities around health. For brain health in particular, decades of research continue to show that lifestyle habits can shape memory, thinking, and overall resilience to neurodegenerative disease.
Here are seven resolutions backed by recent findings and expert guidance from Being Patient’s coverage.
Exercise has long been linked to better memory and cognitive function. Cleveland Clinic neuropsychologist Dr. Aaron Bonner-Jackson explains that physical activity improves blood flow to the brain, lowers stress hormones, and reduces inflammation — factors essential for supporting brain health. One long term Swedish study found that women who had high physical fitness were 88 percent less likely to develop dementia.
Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco Memory and Aging Center encouraged older adults to take weekly “awe walks,” paying closer attention to surrounding details. Participants reported more joy and less daily stress.
Neurologist and neuroscientist Dr. Majid Fotuhi often compares brain training to physical workouts: Challenging activities activate networks involved in memory, attention, and processing speed.
“You can work out these different brain areas just like you can work out different muscles,” Fotuhi told Being Patient.
Adhering to the MIND diet, created by Rush University researchers as a hybrid of the Mediterranean and DASH diet, is linked to slower cognitive decline. The MIND diet focuses on vegetables (especially leafy greens), berries, whole grains, fish, beans, and healthy fats like olive oil and nuts, while cutting down on red meat, butter, cheese, sweets, and fried foods.
A growing body of research underscored how essential sleep is for memory, mood regulation, and clearing waste from the brain.
Scientists studying the glymphatic system — the brain’s “washing machine” — found that deep sleep helps clear proteins such as amyloid and tau, which are associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers have found that even a single night of poor sleep can raise levels of beta-amyloid in the brain. Both sleeping too little and too much have also been associated with a higher risk of Alzheimer’s and other dementias.
Experts recommend:
Loneliness is a significant public health issue. A study conducted by researchers at Florida State University found that people experiencing loneliness have a 40 percent higher risk of developing dementia later in life.
Stress can be managed through a balanced diet, regular physical activity, sufficient sleep, and by prioritizing mental health.
Reminiscence therapy, which helps people with dementia recall memories by using prompts like old photos, music, or familiar objects, can be profoundly therapeutic.
Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute senior investigator Dr. Erik B. Larson suggests that memory centers in the hippocampus are likely responsible for holding onto long term memories. “We should strive to treasure the miraculous ability of the brain to hold onto the past as well as it does,” he wrote for Being Patient.
