About 40% to 45% of dementia risk stems from lifestyle habits and environmental factors you can control, according to research.
Kristine Yaffe and Modifiable Risks in Brain Health
These controllable elements include lifestyle habits, medical conditions, and environmental factors. Clinical trial evidence highlights cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension, high cholesterol, smoking, obesity, and physical inactivity as especially critical, because what happens to the heart directly impacts the brain’s blood supply and cognitive health.
Additional preventive measures include vaccines, which are increasingly recognized as reducing the risk of cognitive decline because they do more than just prevent infection. Research from 2025 indicated that the shingles vaccine lowered dementia cases by 20% over a seven-year window, primarily by suppressing the zoster virus that, as a precursor to shingles, has remained dormant in nerve cells since childhood chickenpox.
Dr. Faye Begeti on Sleep, Stress, and Daily Habits
Daily routines heavily dictate how the brain ages and functions. In the January 13, 2025 episode of the Vision of Health podcast hosted by Dr. Frankie Jackson-Spence, practicing neurologist and neuroscientist Dr. Faye Begeti discussed everyday factors that can shape brain health over time.
Chronic stress can impact the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and amygdala, which in turn affects concentration, memory, and emotional responses. Prolonged strain creates severe burdens for cognitive performance.
“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. Faye Begeti, neurologist and neuroscientist
Sleep operates as the brain’s essential maintenance window. To perform critical maintenance tasks that are impossible while awake, such as the flushing out of toxic proteins, the brain utilizes sleep. While eight hours is often considered the average and ideal amount of sleep, individual needs vary. Some people may need six or seven hours, while others may require 10 or 11. Dr. Begeti recommends maintaining a consistent wake-up time to regulate the body’s internal clock, advising people to anchor their mornings by getting outside for 10 or 15 minutes, especially if their morning commute is in the dark.
Dr. Randy D’Amico on Seven Everyday Habits Damaging Cognitive Function
At Northwell Lenox Hill Hospital, Dr. Randy D’Amico, director of the Brain and Spine Metastasis Program of Neurosurgery, emphasizes that modern routines often inflict silent damage on long-term neurological wellness in statements to the press.
Constant stimulation can interfere with sleep while crowding out activities that challenge and strengthen the mind, taking a toll on our ability to focus and think clearly. Unlike your DNA, many of the factors that shape your cognitive health are within your control, and the habits you build now serve as an investment in who you will be in the future.
“The habits you build now are an investment in who you’re going to be in the future.”
Dr. Randy D’Amico, director of the Brain and Spine Metastasis Program of Neurosurgery at Northwell Lenox Hill Hospital
Avoid Daily Alcohol to Protect Cognitive Health
Substances frequently serve as emotional crutches, but the goal should be to develop ways of regulating those states that do not require a substance. Begeti warns against making alcohol a daily habit, observing that in her clinic she encounters individuals who have not necessarily consumed what most would call too much — merely one or two drinks with dinner every day for 10, 20, or 30 years — yet have experienced brain effects. Her advice is to keep alcohol occasional and never insert it into your daily routine.
| Lifestyle Factor | Identified Brain Impact | Expert Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| Sedentary Lifestyle | Damages vascular networks and blood supply to cerebral tissue | Meet the American Heart Association target of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous activity weekly |
| Fragmented Sleep | Accelerates cognitive decline and increases vulnerability to scoring below normal | Maintain consistent morning wake times and anchor mornings with natural daylight |
| Chronic Stress | Affects memory centers in the amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex | Develop non-chemical regulatory habits and avoid making health an excessive stressor |
| Regular Alcohol Use | Carries accumulated brain effects over decades of consistent consumption | Keep consumption strictly occasional rather than part of a daily routine |
To protect cognitive health against brain ageing, Dr. Begeti says keeping the brain mentally active can help build cognitive reserve, which may offer protection. Keeping yourself mentally challenged is important. A 2024 study indicated that individuals with fragmented sleep, averaging 40 years of age, were up to 3 times as likely to score below those with normal sleep when undergoing cognitive testing years later, while a separate study involving midlife adults connected poor sleep to Alzheimer’s proteins in the blood and faster brain atrophy. For any specific concerns, always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.