Everyday habits that can help women protect their brain health
Women often spend years putting everyone else first, caring for children, managing careers, supporting aging parents, nurturing relationships and running households, while their own health falls to the bottom of the priority list.
That can come at a significant cost. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, nearly two-thirds of Americans living with Alzheimer’s are women. Women also make up the majority of Alzheimer’s and dementia caregivers. This dual burden places women at unique emotional, physical and cognitive risk, often long before symptoms of memory loss appear.
During National Women’s Health Week, Joyce Mahoney, the regional vice president of Memory Care at Belmont Village Senior Living, says women should start thinking about brain health much earlier than they might expect.
“Women’s brain health is shaped over a lifetime, not just in later years,” she said. “Changes can start in your 30s and 40s.”
Research from the National Institute on Aging shows brain changes associated with Alzheimer’s disease can begin years — or even decades — before symptoms appear. That is why experts increasingly stress prevention and long-term cognitive resilience rather than waiting until memory problems become severe.
“Prevention is more effective than intervention,” Mahoney explained. “Small changes today can shape cognitive outcomes decades later.”
What puts women at higher risk?
Experts say the reasons women are disproportionately affected are complex.
Women tend to live longer, which increases Alzheimer’s risk overall, according to Harvard Health Publishing. But researchers also believe hormonal changes, stress patterns and caregiving burdens may contribute.
“Women in our culture have the tendency to put a lot of pressure on themselves,” Mahoney said. “We often normalize chronic stress, exhaustion and mental overload.”
She pointed to several factors linked to long-term cognitive strain:
- Chronic stress and burnout
- Sleep deprivation
- Hormonal shifts tied to pregnancy, perimenopause and menopause
- Social isolation
- Poor nutrition
- Lack of physical activity
- Constant multitasking and emotional overload
Caregiving itself also can become a major health risk. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that caregivers face higher risks of stress, depression and chronic illness, especially when caregiving becomes prolonged or intensive.
“Caregiver burnout can happen quite easily,” Mahoney said. “It can affect emotional, physical and psychological well-being.”
Good brain health habits
Experts say one of the biggest misconceptions about cognitive wellness is that protecting the brain requires major lifestyle overhauls. Instead, small, consistent habits matter most.
“Movement is non-negotiable,” Mahoney shared. “Physical activity improves blood flow to the brain and supports memory and executive function.”
That doesn’t mean you need to commit to intense gym workouts.
“Sometimes a light walk in a quiet area is exactly what we need. Whatever you’re able to do in that moment is better than doing nothing.”
The CDC has similarly linked regular physical activity to improved cognitive health and reduced cognitive decline.
“We need to exercise our brains just like we exercise our physical body,” she said.
Lifestyle habits to support brain health
- Stay active: Regular physical exercise increases blood flow to the brain. Activities like walking, swimming, strength training, and even gardening can be beneficial.
- Prevent or manage diabetes: Maintain healthy blood sugar levels through diet, exercise, medication and regular checkups.
- Manage your blood pressure: Uncontrolled high blood pressure can damage blood vessels and limit blood flow to the brain.
- Prevent hearing loss: Researchers believe hearing loss may make the brain work harder, and can lead people to be less socially engaged.
- Limit or avoid alcohol and smoking: Over time, both can lead to high blood pressure or brain injuries, which can increase the risk of dementia.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Warning signs women shouldn’t ignore
Many women dismiss early signs of cognitive strain as stress, hormonal changes, or simply having too much on their plates. But when symptoms feel unusual, they deserve attention.
“If you are feeling stressed, if you are feeling slower, if you’re feeling confused, it needs to be checked out,” Mahoney said.
Other warning signs can include mood changes or irritability, withdrawal from social interaction, trouble managing familiar tasks and ongoing memory concerns that disrupt daily life.
While those symptoms should not be ignored, Mahoney says the most important step women can take is to make their own well-being a priority. When asked what women should focus on first, she didn’t hesitate.
“Self-care,” she said. “Take care of yourself. You can’t take care of anyone else unless you take care of yourself first.”
Mahoney hopes more women stop viewing brain health as something to worry about later in life. Instead, she encourages women to think of cognitive wellness as an essential part of overall health at every age.
“Living longer is not enough if we’re not healthy,” she said. “We want to live longer, but we also want to live well.”
