The worst habits that damage brain health

Many everyday habits contribute to poor brain health, but research has shown that the following four habits can have the biggest impact, or the worst consequences.

Excessive sitting

An average adult sits for six and a half hours a day, and all this has a negative impact on brain health. A 2018 study, the results of which were published in the journal PLOS One, found that excessive sitting leads to significant changes in the part of the brain that is crucial for memory.

Researchers used MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scans to track the medial temporal lobe (MTL), the region of the brain that creates new memories, in people aged 45 to 75. They then compared the records to the average number of hours per day that people sit. Those who sat longer had thinner MTL regions. According to researchers, the MTL condition may be a precursor to cognitive decline and dementia.

Loneliness is linked to depression and a higher risk of Alzheimer's disease and can accelerate cognitive decline. A July 2021 study found that less socially active people lose more of the brain's gray matter, the outer layer responsible for processing information.

According to the CDC, one-third of adults don't get the recommended seven to eight hours of sleep. Research in the December 2018 issue of the journal Sleep found that cognitive skills such as memory, reasoning and problem solving decline when people get less than seven hours of sleep a night.

Chronic stress can literally destroy brain cells and shrink the prefrontal cortex, the area responsible for memory and learning. A major cause of stress in the elderly is approaching everything as if things must be exactly as the person imagines them or it is not good.