5 Things Every Woman Should Do for Brain Health, According to Neurologists
Elizabeth Yuko
Your 40s and 50s may seem too early to start seriously thinking about brain health, but according to neurologists, it’s exactly the right time.
“I stress the importance of brain health in midlife because this is when many women begin to experience significant changes in cognitive function due to hormonal shifts and aging,” says Dr. Sanam Hafeez, a neuropsychologist and director of Comprehend the Mind. “As we get older, especially in our 40s and beyond, the brain’s ability to adapt and make new connections naturally starts to slow down.”
Fortunately, there are steps you can take to help reduce or slow down the cognitive effects of aging. Here are five things every woman should do for their brain health.
Get a Shingles Vaccine
That’s right: a vaccine that protects you against shingles may also help protect you from dementia.
An April 2025 study published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature examined the health records of 280,000 adults born between 1925 to 1942 over a seven-year period and found that dementia diagnoses were 3.5% lower in people who received the Zostavax shingles vaccine than in those who didn’t get it. Another Nature study published in 2024 found that compared to the Zostavax vaccine (which was discontinued in the U.S. in 2020), the Shingrix shingles vaccine is associated with a significantly lower risk of dementia in the six years post-vaccination.
A number of other studies have shown a correlation between receiving the shingles vaccine and lower rates of dementia.
“Getting the shingles vaccine helps protect the brain by lowering the risk of inflammation caused by the virus,” Hafeez says. “When shingles affect the nervous system, it can increase the risk of memory problems and even dementia later in life.”
According to Hafeez, women in midlife are more vulnerable because the immune system starts to weaken with age. Preventing shingles also means avoiding long-term pain that can lead to stress and sleep problems, which affect brain health, she adds.
Address Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea often goes unnoticed in women—especially in midlife—because the symptoms are easily mistaken for stress or menopause, Hafeez says. This is particularly concerning, as women’s risk for sleep apnea increases during and after menopause.
And ignoring sleep apnea—repeatedly depriving the brain and body of oxygen throughout the night—can quietly increase the risk of heart problems, memory loss and mood disorders, she explains. At a time when hormonal shifts already put extra pressure on sleep quality and brain function, these effects of sleep apnea are especially problematic.
“When sleep is broken up over and over, the brain doesn’t get the deep rest it needs to clear out waste, reset emotions or process memory,” Hafeez explains. “Over time, that kind of sleep disruption can lead to real cognitive decline—not just feeling tired or foggy but actual damage to how the brain works.”
“Getting tested and treated, even just with a simple sleep study, can make a dramatic difference in how a woman feels, thinks and functions in the second half of her life,” she adds.
Exercise
Exercise plays a powerful role in maintaining brain health by increasing oxygen and blood flow to the brain, which supports its overall function, Hafeez says. And there’s research to back that up.
A 2025 study published in the the Journal of Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine (JAMDA) found that getting more exercise—even as little as five minutes a day—can reduce dementia risk in older adults. Another study, published in the medical journal Neurology in 2022, determined that at least 15 minutes a week of brisk exercise, like biking or power walking, may improve women’s mental processing speed.
“In midlife, women may begin to notice subtle changes in memory and focus, and regular physical activity can help slow or even prevent these shifts,” Hafeez says.
Exercising regularly also reduces the impact of stress hormones like cortisol, which, over time, can damage areas of the brain related to learning and memory, she explains. “Beyond stress relief, physical movement enhances mood and improves sleep quality—two factors closely tied to mental clarity and emotional balance,” she notes.
Stay Socially and Intellectually Active
Prioritize socializing and keeping up with friends—especially when it involves an activity or hobby.
This could be volunteering, being part of a book club or choir, dancing in a social setting, or simply staying connected to family, friends or community. According to Hafeez, regular social interactions stimulate the brain to remain attentive, while processing details and emotions through critical thinking.
“As we age, social isolation is a risk factor for cognitive decline,” says Dr. Jessica Zwerling, director of the Center for the Aging Brain at the Montefiore Health System and a professor of neurology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. “By staying active and engaged now, you’re building a network of connections, which become increasingly important as we retire and enter our 70s and 80s.”
Similarly, staying intellectually curious and making a point to learn new things also comes with brain benefits.
“Just like exercise protects specific muscles and keeps them active, using specific pathways in the brain keeps them active and strong,” says Dr. Georgina Aldridge, an assistant professor of neurology at the University of Iowa’s Carver College of Medicine. “Continuing to learn may literally keep those brain cells, synapses and brain circuits from dying.”
Get Regular Health Screenings
No matter how healthy you feel, it’s still important to get screened regularly for cardiovascular conditions, hearing loss, diabetes vision issues, and other health problems.
“Many of our best advances with reducing dementia and improving healthy aging have to do with parts of the body other than the brain,” Aldridge says. “This isn’t simply about protecting yourself from the next stroke or heart attack—catching and treating these health conditions can also improve your thinking and keep you sharper longer.”
Make health screenings a priority.
“We’re called to do so many things in [midlife]: excel in our career, parent, care for older generations—we may put ourselves on the back burner,” Zwerling says. “The seeds of our health later in life are planted in midlife, tackling and treating conditions that affect your heart will also safeguard brain health for decades to come.”
