As we start our day, we get into our usual routine, all without a second thought. But what if our everyday habits have a silent impact on our brain health? Most of us focus on diet and exercise for physical health, yet ignore how small everyday habits impact brain function, emotional regulation, memory, and cognitive clarity.
Six Everyday Habits That May Harm Our Brain Health
Let us uncover six little-known facts about how daily habits affect brain health. These are not the typical ‘eat healthy’ tips, but rather facts about brain health.
1. Drinking Too Little Water: Mild dehydration is also known to temporarily shrink the brain tissues. It impairs short-term memory, focus, and processing speed. Your brain is made of about 75% water, and when dehydrated, the neurons struggle to transmit signals efficiently. This leads to mental fatigue, slower reflexes, and increased irritability. Some studies suggest that brain scans of dehydrated individuals show increased effort in completing simple tasks. The prefrontal cortex, which governs critical thinking and concentration, is the most sensitive to dehydration. So, if your brain feels foggy, sluggish, or just “off,” try sipping water.
2. Natural Sunlight: You may think that spending all day indoors may help you keep your skin safe, but if could dull your brain health. Sunlight exposure is extremely important, as it influences the production of serotonin and dopamine. These are neurotransmitters that affect mood, motivation, and focus. Lack of natural light can confuse your brain’s internal clock, disrupt sleep cycle, and lower mental alertness. It is also linked with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and higher risk of anxiety and depression. Even spending 15-20 minutes under the morning sun can elevate your mood, improve memory recall, and stimulate the production of BDNF or Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor. It is a key protein that is involved in learning and neuroplasticity.
3. Skipping Breakfast: People usually think that skipping breakfast only affects your energy levels; however, it is not true. Skipping your morning meal can actually reduce the size and function of your hippocampus, the part of your brain that’s responsible for learning and memory. Studies have shown that people who regularly skip breakfast may experience slower cognitive responses, decreased focus, and even long-term memory loss. But why does it happen? When you wake up, your brain needs glucose to function after a night of fasting. Without it, your brain shifts into energy-conservation mode, which affects concentration and neurotransmitter function. Apart from this, prolonged breakfast skipping can raise cortisol levels which leads to inflammation that affects brain cells. So the next time you’re tempted to rush out the door empty-stomached. Remember that a simple meal may be your brain’s best investment.
4. Oversleeping: Not getting enough sleep is definitely known to be a brain health hazard, but oversleeping is equally harmful. Regularly sleeping more than 9–10 hours a night has been linked with brain fog, lower attention span, and increased risk of neurodegeneration. Oversleeping disrupts your body’s circadian rhythm and reduces REM sleep, the phase that’s vital for emotional regulation, memory consolidation, and brain detoxification. It leads to decreased blood flow to the brain, which may increase the risk of stroke and cognitive impairment. It’s important to understand that “more sleep” doesn’t mean “better rest.” In fact, oversleeping may signal poor sleep quality, depression, or underlying neurological changes.
5. Too Much Multitasking: Proud of your multitasking skills? You might want to rethink. Constant multitasking has been linked to reduced gray matter density in the anterior cingulate cortex. This is the region that is involved in empathy, decision-making, and emotional control. The more you switch tasks, the less efficient your brain becomes over time. Instead of boosting productivity, multitasking creates mental clutter, hinders deep thinking, and increases stress levels. Over time, this habit not only drains your mental energy but may also affect emotional regulation and long-term memory formation.
6. Phone Usage: Our brain is not designed to respond to thousands of notifications a day. Studies have shown that constant digital interruptions, such as pings and buzzes, put the brain into a hyper-vigilant mode. This increases the levels of dopamine and cortisol, creating a cycle of addiction and stress. With time, this hyperarousal wears down the prefrontal cortex of the brain, which is responsible for control, decision-making, and impulse regulation. Associated with creativity and self-reflection, the DMN, or the brain’s default mode network, also gets disrupted due to this. So, if you feel mentally drained even without doing much, blame those harmless-seeming notifications.
Common lifestyle patterns, from the way we sleep to how often we check notifications, our daily sunlight exposure can rewire the brain over the time.
Disclaimer: This article is meant for informational purposes only and must not be considered a substitute for professional advice.
