First thing each morning, I’m woken by an old-fashioned alarm clock – not a mobile phone as I don’t allow sleep-damaging blue light in the bedroom – and drink the glass of water I keep on my bedside table. Most of us simply don’t drink enough, but if you’re even only 1% dehydrated, you will have poorer focus and memory, while long-term dehydration reduces blood flow to the brain and increases our risk of dementia.
Once up, I’ll do three rounds of box breathing: breathing in for four, holding for four, out for four and holding for four again, then repeating the whole process twice more. This simple technique regulates the nervous system and helps calm the mind which is really important for dementia prevention as chronic stress has been shown to impair brain connectivity and reduce the volume of the hippocampus – a lobe deep within the brain which plays a critical role in memory consolidation and learning.
The first 30 minutes of your morning set the tone for your day, so I always make my bed before breakfast. Many of us spend our days multitasking – particularly women – but having 10 different jobs floating around our mind will fatigue our brains, which impacts the making and storing of memories. Something like making your bed takes very little time, but you’ve completed a task fully which anchors the rest of your day.
7.30am: A brain-healthy breakfast
I drink about 1.5 litres of liquid in the morning, including a cup of hot water with lemon, as well as infusions of herbs I’ve grown myself. Each day I’ll use a different one – rosemary, thyme, chamomile or sage – as they all have different nutrients that support the brain, whether that’s promoting focus, memory, calming or sleep quality.
For breakfast, I’ll often have eggs – they’re full of choline, which helps our body make the neurotransmitter responsible for memory and mood. On other days I might have sardines, as the omega-3 fats are excellent for brain health. I’ll also have any fruit that is seasonal; so for example in September I will have plums, or in June and July, I’ll have blueberries or raspberries. Berries and purple fruits contain anthocyanins, a type of polyphenols which have been shown to help improve memory and attention, and lower blood pressure – another risk factor for dementia.
When it comes to supplements, I only take vitamin D3 as many of us don’t get enough sunlight to produce it naturally. Major studies have shown it is strongly associated with living dementia-free for longer.
Before I start work, I’ll do three minutes of lymphatic activation: I use my fingers in gentle pulses to activate my lymph nodes just above the collar bone, under my jaw, behind my ears and then very quickly, massage my head. It encourages additional blood flow to my brain, which brings it more oxygen, vitamins and minerals.
9am-12pm: Moving the body and stimulating the mind
If I am at my desk at home, I’m mindful that I need to avoid hours of being sedentary. I try to get up once every 45 minutes to move and hydrate, or do a dozen sit-ups to boost the circulation to my brain.
A daily walk is a non-negotiable. I don’t wear headphones so I can listen to the birds, the wind, the rivers – our hearing is a form of cognitive engagement.
As I walk I like to smell the flowers and herbs – a loss of sense of smell can be one of the first indicators of dementia, but now we’re beginning to realise that olfactory training (improving your sense of smell) could actually boost brain function and cognition. Rosemary, for example, improves our memory and mental clarity – I’m studying its benefits as part of my PhD research. Scent goes straight to the brain’s limbic system which regulates emotions, and encourages the creation of new neurons in the brain. For long-term cognitive health we need to be stimulating all of our senses and smell is definitely the forgotten sense.
Midday: A gut-boosting lunch
Fried and ultra-processed foods can have a detrimental effect on our gut microbiome, and poor gut health has been linked to the neurodegeneration that can trigger Alzheimer’s. So I focus on whole foods, building my lunch around proteins, healthy fats and lots of colourful vegetables.
I eat SMASH fish three times a week – salmon, mackerel, anchovies, sardines and herring – for their omega-3 fats, as well as fermented foods like kimchi, soups with beans and pulses, olive oil and herbs, all of which boost the good bacteria in your gut.
I don’t have a sweet tooth and never snack between meals to prevent my glucose levels from spiking, which puts the brain under stress. But at lunchtime, I will have a small piece of 70% dark chocolate, as the flavonoids (a type of antioxidant) have been linked to improved cognitive function. I’ll also have a tiny espresso some time before 3pm. If that’s not available then I will have green tea or matcha tea. They all contain antioxidants which fight inflammation in the brain as well as the body.
4pm-7pm: Exercise for the body and brain
I will do some kind of physical activity – either yoga, pilates, or lifting weights – at least four times a week. Movement creates BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), a protein which helps with learning, memory, mood regulation and cognitive flexibility. It also strengthens your neurons, which relay the electrical signals in our brains.
Making sure you keep learning new skills is vital, so I recently started a new South American dance class. I think I’m the oldest person there, so at first I was embarrassed and out of my depth, but now I love it. The dancing, coordination, learning new steps are all building cognitive reserve and resilience, to fight ageing, stress and disease.
7pm-8.30pm: Family dinner
I’m not a big drinker but I do enjoy a glass of champagne on my birthday, at Christmas, or for family celebrations. I think life is about balance – I aim to nourish my brain well most of the time, but I also believe that celebration and connection are good for your health too.
Interestingly, when you compare risk factors for dementia, social isolation can raise risk by anywhere from 5 to 60% depending on the study, so I really value seeing friends and staying socially engaged to keep my brain healthy. If I can’t see anyone in person, I’ll make sure I schedule phone calls into my evening.
While they say we should eat no later than 6pm because it disrupts your gut health, I do eat late because the family all get home at different times and we like to eat together at the end of the day. My husband and I will often cook together when he gets home at 7pm.
We tend to have something light like a soup, so it isn’t a stodgy meal that will be hard to digest. I also keep my brain agile by learning how to cook new things rather than things I can make on autopilot. Recently, I’ve been experimenting with Japanese cuisine, trying different ways of pickling using rice vinegar and lots of miso – even in my scrambled eggs, which was a revelation!
8.30pm-10pm: My evening wind down
After dinner, I tend to watch a TV show with my family for about an hour, but I’m obsessed with baths, so I’ll always make sure I have time for a 30-minute soak with lots of Epsom salts. I add essential oil, usually lavender, to get myself ready to sleep and stimulate my sense of smell again.
My most important ritual in the evening is to dump my thoughts on paper. It helps slow the evening and ensure I say goodbye to all the information that’s floating around in my mind before bed – the plans and jobs, upsetting things, unnecessary worries. If I need to have serious conversations, I’ll leave them for the next day.
Before bed I take a few minutes to brush my teeth and floss carefully. There are large studies linking dementia and tooth loss or gum disease – bacteria from the mouth can enter the bloodstream and travel to the brain, causing inflammation – so good oral health is vital.
10.30pm: Lights out
I don’t want anything to disrupt my eight hours. I won’t have phones or a TV in my bedroom, and have very thick curtains to keep my room cool and dark.
Sleep is an extremely active time for the brain, so we need to take it seriously. When we sleep, your brain is able to clear out toxins (such as the proteins associated with Alzheimer’s), consolidate memories and support your nervous system. People who sleep six hours or less in their 50s and 60s have a significantly higher risk of dementia.
Agnieszka Butter, 50, is a neuroscientist at Edinburgh University. She lives in London and Scotland with her husband and their two children Julia, 19, and Henry, 16.
As told to Amy Packer
