3 Daily Habits That May Help Lower Your Risk of Dementia

In the search for ways to protect the brain from age-related cognitive decline, the scientific narrative is shifting away from the hunt for a “silver bullet.” Recent discourse has rightly pointed out that lifestyle interventions like exercise, when viewed in isolation, are not a panacea.

While a single habit might not move the needle for older adults already managing complex risk factors, a new systematic review and meta-analysis published in PLOS One (Oye-Somefun et al., 2026) suggests that habitual neuroprotection is most effective when it is multi-pronged. This is especially true when lifestyle changes and intentional habit formation happen in midlife or sooner.

For this study, lead author Akinkunle Oye-Somefun and colleagues analyzed the relationship between three modifiable behaviors and dementia based on data from dozens of prospective cohort studies. Involving a total of about 4.5 million participants over age 35, the findings point to a “brain-health triad” consisting of physical activity, sedentary time, and sleep hygiene.