6 Habits a Chiropractor Near Me Recommends for Your Brain

While reading Hannah Critchlow's The Science of Fate recently, a conversation she outlines with a fellow neuroscientist stood out. Together, they're two leading figures in brain function, with a particular focus on maintaining a healthier brain as we age.

Between them, they've compiled a list of things they do daily to keep the brain as healthy and resilient as possible over time.

Why This Matters So Much

The brain is, without question, the most important tissue in the body. It quite literally controls everything else, from personality and behaviour to the health of every muscle and system, and ultimately, lifespan itself.

There's a common but false belief that the brain simply deteriorates as we age. It can, but that decline isn't inevitable, it's largely dependent on whether we actively do something to support it.

6 Key Activities for a Healthier Brain

1. Be physically active. It doesn't need to be strenuous. As little as 30 minutes of walking, three times a week, can support neurogenesis (the growth of new neurons) and help keep the brain's blood vessels healthy.

2. Prioritise sleep. Sleep allows the brain to transfer memories from short-term to long-term storage, while also supporting the clearance of waste products that build up in the brain throughout the day.

3. Stay socially active. Engaging with friends, discussing ideas, and hearing different perspectives keeps the brain processing dynamically, and is genuinely linked to overall wellbeing.

4. Pay attention to your diet. Animal fats, processed food, and excess sugar are all associated with poorer cognitive function. A useful general rule is to eat for your heart and brain as one, since this approach also helps protect against small, cumulative vascular damage.

5. Keep learning. People who remain in education longer tend to have healthier brains for longer, but this benefit isn't limited to formal education. Any form of ongoing learning genuinely counts.

6. Stay positive. Believing you have a poor memory is linked to faster cognitive decline, a genuinely self-perpetuating cycle. Approaching your thoughts and actions with a more positive outlook can help interrupt that pattern.

The Real Obstacle: Time

Here's the thing. Ask clients what actually gets in the way of these habits, and the same answers come up constantly: not enough time to exercise, not enough time to get eight hours of sleep, not enough time to socialise, too busy to cook from scratch, not enough time to read or start something new.

This is exactly why time efficiency matters so much to us. Money can always be earned back. Time can't. So we aim to be as efficient and effective as possible with the time our clients do have, to maximise the genuine impact on their health within whatever limited free time is actually available to them.

If you're researching a chiropractor near me because you want support building habits like these into a genuinely busy life, that time-conscious approach matters. Choosing chiropractic near me that respects how limited your time actually is means your care fits into your life, rather than becoming one more thing competing for it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much exercise is actually needed to support brain health? Research suggests even modest amounts, around 30 minutes of walking three times a week, can support neurogenesis and healthy blood flow to the brain.

Why does sleep matter so much for cognitive function? Sleep allows the brain to consolidate memories from short-term to long-term storage and supports the clearance of waste products that accumulate during waking hours.

Can social interaction really affect brain health, not just mood? Yes. Regularly engaging with others and processing different perspectives is linked to more dynamic brain activity and better overall wellbeing over time.

Why is believing you have a bad memory potentially harmful? It can become a self-fulfilling pattern. Believing memory is already declining is associated with faster actual decline, making a more positive mindset genuinely useful.

Is cognitive decline with age truly inevitable? Not necessarily. While the brain can decline with age, this isn't guaranteed. Active habits like exercise, sleep, learning, and social engagement can meaningfully support brain health over time.