Simple Strategies to Elevate Brain Health & Cognitive Function

In our fast-paced, high-pressure, wired world, it feels like brain fog, forgetfulness, and chronic stress have become an acceptable ‘norm’ for many. These symptoms are often written off as a result of aging. But what if they’re signals that modern life and our environment are placing an unsustainable load on our brains, no matter your age?

Let’s talk about how today’s lifestyles and environment affect brain health and look at some science-backed ways to protect and even enhance cognitive function.

The Impact of Modern Lifestyles on Brain Health

There are three significant ways in which life can negatively affect our brain health:

High-Stress Culture: We live in a world that celebrates hustle. Social media reinforces this pressure with curated snapshots of success, fueling feelings of inadequacy and FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). These constant comparisons and high expectations activate our stress response systems, keeping us in fight-or-flight mode far more than nature ever intended. Chronic stress increases the stress hormone cortisol, which can then disrupt memory, focus, and emotional regulation.¹

Cognitive Overload: Our brains are taking in and processing more digital input than ever — emails, texts, notifications, 24-hour news, and endless scrolling. Then add the daily grind of schedules, traffic, balancing kids’ activities, and managing a household and this constant stimulation can lead to mental fatigue and can even mimic ADD-like tendencies, making it harder to focus, prioritize, or complete tasks. Multitasking may feel productive, but it actually fragments attention and reduces overall cognitive performance.²

Sleep Disruption: Stress and constant stimulation don’t shut off when the lights go out. Blue light exposure from screens, late-night “doom scrolling,” and racing thoughts can disrupt circadian rhythms and reduce deep sleep. We wake up not feeling completely rested, lacking energy, and fighting brain fog. And, since the brain detoxifies and consolidates memories during sleep, poor quality rest may directly impair mental clarity and decision-making.³

Tried-and-True Lifestyle Habits for Brain & Cognitive Health

We can’t always slow down the demands of modern life, but we can build daily habits that protect and optimize brain health. These simple, foundational changes can make a big impact:

1. Create Boundaries With Technology: Set screen curfews, unplug at least an hour before bed, and use focus apps to limit digital distractions. Protecting your mental bandwidth helps reduce cognitive overload.
2. Prioritize Daily Stress Management: Chronic stress can put your nervous system in a constant state of fight-or-flight. Incorporating practices like breathwork, meditation, regular movement, and time in nature can help recalibrate your nervous system and improve focus and mood. Even short daily rituals make a difference.⁴
3. Optimize Sleep Quality: Quality sleep is non-negotiable for brain function. Set a consistent bedtime, limit late-day caffeine, and build a calming nighttime routine.
4. Clean Up Your Nutrition: Processed foods can cause blood sugar spikes and crashes that leave you foggy, fatigued, and moody.⁵ Prioritize whole, nutrient-dense foods that support balanced energy and mental clarity. Nutrition is one of the most powerful, often overlooked “hacks” for brain performance.

What About Supplementation?

The market is flooded with products that promise better focus and brain health — but how do you know what to choose or which ones actually work? One of the smartest ways to think about this is through a nutritional lens. The body runs on nutrients from multiple sources and vitamins and minerals fuel nearly every biochemical process, including those that regulate memory, focus, and mood.⁶

One of the most critical minerals for brain health is magnesium. Research shows that magnesium plays a key role in hundreds of biochemical reactions, including neurotransmitter function, brain plasticity, and stress regulation — all essential for staying sharp and balanced.⁷

But here’s the catch: it’s not as simple as just picking up any bottle of magnesium at your local store. Not all forms of magnesium are created equal. When it comes to brain health, there’s one form that stands out above the rest.

Magnesium L-Threonate — a Game Changer for Brain Health & Cognitive Function

Traditional forms of magnesium (like magnesium glycinate or citrate) are beneficial for things like muscle relaxation or digestion, but they don’t effectively cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Magnesium L-threonate, discovered at MIT in 2010, is uniquely formulated to penetrate the BBB and directly increase magnesium levels in the brain.⁸

What the research shows about magnesium L-threonate:

• Enhanced cognitive function: Studies on magnesium L-threonate demonstrate improvements in learning ability, working memory, and executive function.⁸
• Stress reduction: By supporting brain magnesium levels, this form of magnesium helps regulate the stress response and may improve emotional resilience.⁸
• Improved deep sleep: Research also indicates that magnesium L-threonate can enhance sleep quality by promoting deeper, more restorative sleep cycles.⁹

Ongoing clinical studies continue to reveal magnesium L-threonate’s potential for long-term brain health, cognitive longevity, and stress management.

The Bottom Line

Life today puts enormous pressure and stress on us, but with intentional lifestyle changes and targeted nutritional and supplemental support, we can protect and potentially enhance our cognitive function. Magnesium L-threonate stands out as a powerful tool, offering brain-specific support for stress resilience, focus, memory, and sleep.

Your brain works hard for you — give it what it needs to thrive.

References

1.       McEwen, B. S. (2017). Neurobiological and systemic effects of chronic stress. Chronic Stress, 1, 2470547017692328. https://doi.org/10.1177/2470547017692328

2.      Mark, G., Gudith, D., & Klocke, U. (2008). The cost of interrupted work: More speed and stress. Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 107–110. https://doi.org/10.1145/1357054.1357072

3.      Xie, L., et al. (2013). Sleep drives metabolite clearance from the adult brain. Science, 342(6156), 373–377. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1241224

4.      Fincham, G.W., Strauss, C., Montero-Marin, J. et al. Effect of breathwork on stress and mental health: A meta-analysis of randomised-controlled trials. Sci Rep 13, 432 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-27247-y

5.      Beilharz, J. E., Maniam, J., & Morris, M. J. (2015). Diet-Induced Cognitive Deficits: The Role of Fat and Sugar, Potential Mechanisms and Nutritional Interventions. Nutrients, 7(8), 6719–6738. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu7085307

6.     Tardy, A. L., Pouteau, E., Marquez, D., et al. (2020). Vitamins and Minerals for Energy, Fatigue and Cognition: A Narrative Review of the Biochemical and Clinical Evidence. Nutrients, 12(1), 228. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12010228

7.       Kirkland, A. E., Sarlo, G. L., & Holton, K. F. (2018). The Role of Magnesium in Neurological Disorders. Nutrients, 10(6), 730. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10060730

8.     Slutsky, I., et al. (2010). Enhancement of learning and memory by elevating brain magnesium. Neuron, 65(2), 165–177. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2009.12.026

9.      Zhang, C., Hu, Q., Li, S., et al. (2022). A Magtein^®, Magnesium L-Threonate, -Based Formula Improves Brain Cognitive Functions in Healthy Chinese Adults. Nutrients, 14(24), 5235. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14245235

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