I'm a Neuroscientist—6 Daily Habits to Prioritise Over Supplements for Brain Function and Longevity

Hands up if you're supplemented out? Yep, us too. Between A-listers waxing lyrical about their 35 supplements-a-day habits (Kim Kardashian, we're looking at you) and the sheer number and type of pills, potions and powders on offer, we're reaching supplement fatigue - and fast.

It makes sense, then, that many of us are turning to traditional tried-and-tested ways to enhance health and wellbeing over spending a small fortune on pharma. While many supplements have sturdy scientific backing (creatine, for example, is one of the most highly researched supplements on the market), it's safe to say that you can't out-supplement a poor lifestyle - and this is where small, everyday tweaks to your routine can have a big impact.

And this is especially true when it comes to brain health. The chances are that, if you're anything like us, brain health comes in last place when considering lifestyle; after all, it's only really something we tend to think about when we're older or when things go wrong. But in fact, studies (such as this one, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association) show that daily habits in young adults have a significant impact on the health of our brains - just as they do other organs, like our hearts.

Further studies also reveal that healthy lifestyles may help reduce dementia risk, too (check out this research, from the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease). With this in mind, we asked neuroscientists to share their top daily habits for improved brain health, cognitive function and healthy brain ageing; keep scrolling for all the details.

In the meantime, treat your grey matter to a deep dive into all things brain health-related with our guides to brain-tailored nutrition, all the brain benefits of daily journalling, and the simple ways to boost your health, here.

Daily habits neuroscientists prioritise over supplements for better brain health

What do we mean by brain health and function?

As touched on above, if you've never really given much thought to your brain health and function, you're not alone. But it also likely won't surprise you to learn that it's one of the most crucial aspects of healthy ageing.

"Brain health is how well the brain is able to adapt to change, regulate mood and cognition, and recover from stress across the lifespan," explains neuroscientist, co-founder and CEO of Samphire Neuroscience, Dr Emilė Radytė. "It's not fixed across our lives, meaning that our behaviour and our environment, including stress levels measured with cortisol, massively impact our brain health. For women in particular, there are also added elements of hormonal fluctuations which affect cognitive health and function, too."

And it's not simply a case of being able to quickly divide that restaurant bill with your mates (although, props to you if you can do this in your head!), the consequences and impact of brain health can be felt across the broadest of human experiences.

"Brain health is the state of brain functioning across cognitive, sensory, social-emotional, behavioural, and motor domains, allowing a person to realise their full potential over the life course, irrespective of the presence or absence of disorders," notes neuroscientist and author of Your Optimal Health, Dr Emilie Steinbach. "It is intrinsically linked to mental health, which is a state of well-being enabling people to cope with life’s stresses, realise their abilities, and contribute to their community."

Can we influence brain health via diet and lifestyle choices?

While it's tempting to view popping a daily omega-3 as all you need to do to shore up that grey matter, in fact, the choices we make on a daily basis have a huge effect on our cognitive health and functioning - as well as on how we feel mentally, too.

"While determinants like genetics, early-life trauma, and environment play significant roles, we can profoundly influence our brain health through our daily choices," agrees Dr Steinbach. "Lifestyle optimisation improves brain and mind health and may prevent or delay conditions such as depression, anxiety, and Alzheimer’s disease. It can even serve as an adjuvant therapy in certain cases, as research has demonstrated that a Mediterranean-style diet could lead to remission in one-third of participants with major depression within three months."

Pretty impressive stuff.

What are the benefits of lifestyle practices for brain health and function?

There really are a myriad of benefits to having sharper cognitive skills, for both mental and physical health.

"Good brain health guarantees sharper focus and working memory, steadier mood, better stress tolerance, and more reliable sleep," shares Dr Radytė. "This means that while your environment can't be 100% controlled, strong brain health should lead to fewer brain-fog days and faster recovery after a bad night or a stressful week."

Furthermore, we're talking both long and short-term health benefits here.

"Improving brain and mind health and function through lifestyle triggers a cascade of benefits that transform your quality of life, both in the long term and through noticeable day-to-day changes," agrees Dr Steinbach. "Because the brain is a dynamic organ capable of neuroplasticity, optimising your lifestyle allows you to build what's known as cognitive reserve: a store of neural connections that acts as a shield against the effects of ageing."

On a daily basis, Dr Steinbach shares you're likely to notice benefits such as:

• Better morning vitality and energy: instead of waking up groggy and relying on caffeine to feel human, you will experience higher energy levels and wake up feeling energised and alert.
• Sharpened intellect: improved focus, memory, and concentration. Brain-boosting habits can lead to faster information processing and a lower error rate in daily tasks.
• Enhanced emotional resilience and mood: better brain health leads to a naturally lifted mood, increased self-confidence, and a higher capacity for optimism. By training the brain to move away from 'negativity highways', you become better at managing stress and facing daily challenges with a positive mindset.
• Restorative sleep: Improving brain health leads to sleep that is truly restorative, helping you fall asleep faster and wake up refreshed.
• Appetite regulation: A healthy brain is better able to listen to appetite-suppressing messengers like leptin, making it easier to sustain healthier eating habits.

As for longer-term pros, we're talking:

• Strengthened social connections: Better brain health improves social cognition, making you more empathetic, better at reading non-verbal cues, and more capable of building strong, healthy relationships.
• Life extension: Adopting a healthy lifestyle in your 30s and 40s could add an extra 10 healthy years to your lifespan.
• Slower brain ageing: Optimal lifestyle practices can slow the deterioration of your mental faculties by up to seven and a half years.
• Chronic disease prevention: Improving the interconnected ecosystem of the brain and body reduces the risk of Western lifestyle diseases, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, depression, and anxiety, as well as a reduced risk of developing brain diseases such as Alzheimer's.

6 daily habits to prioritise over supplements for enhanced brain function, according to neuroscientists

1. Prioritise protein at breakfast

Rather than reaching for a sugary snack at 11 am, the experts recommend consuming around 25 to 30 grams of protein as part of a healthy, balanced breakfast.

"A high-protein start to the day supports the production of dopamine and noradrenaline, which are neurotransmitters essential for alertness, focus, and learning," shares Dr Steinbach. "It also reduces the hunger hormone, ghrelin, by approximately 20%, preventing energy crashes and brain fog later in the day."

2. Don't skip strength day

Interestingly, muscle mass is a major predictor of brain health, so picking up those weights regularly can help keep you mentally sharp as well as physically fit and active.

"Physical exercise, particularly resistance training, stimulates the production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein essential for the survival and growth of neurons and the enhancement of neuroplasticity," notes Dr Steinbach.

In other words, you'll grow your brain along with your muscles. Win, win.

3. Get outside early

You've probably heard this before: exposure to morning light works wonders for both body and mind. The experts advise spending around 20 minutes in bright, natural light upon waking - and yes, we know it's grey and dreary most of the year in the UK, but it still counts!

"Light signals picked up by the eyes essentially act as a charger for your internal biological clock (known as the suprachiasmatic nucleus)," shares Dr Steinbach. "This synchronises your circadian rhythm, boosting morning alertness and mood-regulating neurotransmitters like serotonin, while ensuring better production of the sleep hormone melatonin later that night, leading to improved sleep overall."

4. Stay socially and culturally engaged

The experts unanimously touted regularly learning new, complex skills (like a language or instrument) and engaging in diverse social interactions as vital for brain health. Have a childhood hobby you've been itching to get back to? Now's the time.

"These activities create alternate neural pathways and build cognitive reserve," shares Dr Steinbach. "If some connections are damaged by ageing or disease, the brain uses this cognitive reserve to compensate and maintain normal function. Real-life social interaction is what I call a true workout for the brain because it simultaneously activates regions involved in empathy, memory, and executive function."

5. Diversify your diet

"I focus on eating foods that support brain function as frequently as possible," states neuroscientist and founder of Elcella, Dr Madusha Peiris. "These include omega-rich foods like salmon, magnesium-rich foods like chia and flaxseeds and creatine-rich foods like tuna and sardines."

In addition, the experts advise enjoying a diverse diet rich in plants, to help cultivate a healthy gut environment.

"A diverse gut microbiome is one of the most important markers of health," notes Dr Steinbach. "There's a reason the gut is called the second brain. Your gut microbes communicate with the upper brain via the gut-brain axis, producing small molecules that regulate mood and help prevent neuroinflammation, which is linked to depression and cognitive decline.

"Aim to eat 30 different plant foods every week, including vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, and herbs, for optimum gut and brain health."

6. Protect your restorative sleep

We're not simply talking about getting a decent amount of sleep here - it's as much about quality as it is quantity.

"Maintain a consistent wake-up time and keep your bedroom cool, dark, and screen-free," advises Dr Steinbach. "During sleep, the brain uses a 'cleaning' process to remove toxic waste products associated with conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease. Quality sleep also allows for memory consolidation and emotional regulation, preventing the negativity highways mentioned above that contribute to stress and anxiety."

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