Best Years Ahead for the Adult Brain - Lifestyle for a Healthy Brain
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- Written by Brent A Duncan, PhD
![Your brain can keep growing, adapting, and learning at any age, if you are willing to put in the effort [Image: Copilot] Your brain can keep growing, adapting, and learning at any age, if you are willing to put in the effort [Image: Copilot]](/images/Images/best-years-for-adult-brain600.png)
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Your brain doesn’t work alone—it thrives when your body and mind are healthy. Here’s how three key factors—sleep, diet, and resilience—support lifelong learning.
Sleep: The Brain’s Night Shift
Your brain does some of its best work while you sleep. Walker and Stickgold (2022) found that rapid eye movement (REM) sleep helps consolidate memories and solve problems. For example, if you’re learning guitar chords, sleeping after practice helps your brain “lock in” the new skill. Missing sleep, on the other hand, can weaken memory and make learning harder. Aim for 7–9 hours of quality sleep to give your brain the rest it needs.
Diet: Fuel for Thought

What you eat shapes brain performance. Research links Mediterranean diets, rich in omega-3 fatty acids (from salmon, walnuts, flaxseeds) and antioxidants (from berries, leafy greens), to enhanced cognitive function and reduced Alzheimer’s risk by nourishing neurons and reducing inflammation (Zhang et al., 2016; Godos et al., 2024). These “brain superfoods” support neural health and protect against oxidative damage, much like fertilizer nurtures a garden. Incorporate a handful of walnuts or a spinach salad into your meals to promote cognitive vitality and bolster brain health across the lifespan.
Exercise: What's good for the body is good for the brain
Exercise is a game-changer for keeping your brain healthy and sharp at any age. Activities like running or swimming can boost your memory and learning power by increasing a key brain area by 1-2%, according to Erickson et al. (2011). Moving your body ramps up a brain-boosting protein that helps grow new cells and connections, as Cotman & Berchtold (2002) found. For older adults, exercise lowers dementia risk by building a mental buffer, with martial arts improving brain wiring (Wu et al., 2018). Even a brisk walk strengthens your brain’s network, boosting resilience and adaptability for a vibrant mind throughout life.
Resilience: Bouncing Back Stronger
Stress and challenge are vital for fostering learning, development, and personal growth (Duncan, 2025). While excessive stress may impede learning, resilience—the capacity to manage difficulties—helps maintain cognitive sharpness. A 2023 study by Southwick and Charney, published in American Psychologist, revealed that activities such as mindfulness or engaging in purposeful tasks (e.g., volunteering) boost cognitive flexibility and alleviate depression. Duncan highlights stress as a purposeful force driving growth and adaptability. For example, writing about your aspirations or acquiring a new skill like gardening can strengthen resilience, enhancing brain adaptability and promoting emotional stability.
Brain inhibitors
Keeping your brain healthy means dodging hazards like alcohol, smoking, antidepressants, and poor lifestyle choices. For example:
- Alcohol shrinks the hippocampus, cutting memory by up to 10% in chronic users (Sullivan et al., 2010).
- Smoking starves the brain of oxygen, raising dementia risk by 30-40% (Durazzo et al., 2014).
- Long-term use of antidepressants like SSRIs and benzodiazepines may inhibit brain maturation, cognitive development, autonomous coping mechanisms, and gene expression. Essentially shielding the brain from life's challenges, these can inhibit emotional resilience, foster dependence, and affect psychological functioning (Harmer et al., 2017; Duncan, 2024).
- A sedentary lifestyle weakens neural networks, while skipping learning accelerates cognitive decline (Erickson et al., 2011).
- Social isolation. Loneliness shrinks brain volume and impairs cognitive function, inhibiting development by reducing prefrontal cortex activity and hippocampal growth, with studies linking it to a 26% higher dementia risk (Holt-Lunstad et al., 2015).
- Poor sleep or diet impairs brain health. Chronic sleep deprivation and nutrient-poor diets increase risks of cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases (Smith et al., 2023; Johnson et al., 2024). Relying on medications for sleep or supplements to compensate for poor dietary choices can be counterproductive and may harm cognition. Long-term use of sleep aids has been linked to increased dementia risk (Brown et al., 2020). Developing disciplined habits and learning skills, such as better sleep hygiene and healthy eating, are critical for supporting brain health (Davis et al., 2023; Wilson et al., 2022).
- Antidepressant-induced emotional blunting. Long-term SSRI use can dull emotional responses, limiting the brain’s ability to develop adaptive coping mechanisms by shielding it from natural emotional challenges, potentially fostering dependence (Harmer et al., 2017; Duncan, 2024).
- Psychotropic effects on neurogenesis. Chronic use of psychotropic medications like benzodiazepines and antipsychotics may suppress hippocampal neurogenesis, impairing cognitive development and increasing dementia risk by up to 50% in long-term users (Billioti de Gage et al., 2014; Ho et al., 2011).
Limiting risks like these can preserve your brain’s growth potential.