How to Slow or Reverse Brain Aging
ESTIMATED READ TIME: 10 MINUTESIf you want to live long and live well, you can’t ignore your brain. After all, longevity is pretty meaningless if your memory, focus, and joy fade along the way.
The Bible says, “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7), reminding us that the health of our thoughts, and the organ behind them, shapes the course of our lives.
Despite what you might believe and fear, brain aging isn’t inevitable. Modern neuroscience, Biblical wisdom, and natural health all point to practical tools and habits that can help you protect, sharpen, and even rejuvenate your brain into your later years.
And even if you're still young and not yet concerned about issues such as neurodegeneration, the same strategies we'll cover below can not only help to protect your brain but also improve your focus, productivity, energy, and mood.
7 Practical Tools to Keep Your Brain Sharp for Life
1. Prayer, Meditation, and the Word of God
Our ancestors knew the power of stillness and connection with God, and that prayer and meditation on Scripture serve as brain protectors.
Daily rhythms of devotion act like “spiritual exercise,” training your brain to find peace, hope, and resilience in a chaotic world. Studies show that regular prayer and meditation reduce stress hormones like cortisol, improve blood flow to the brain, and strengthen areas linked to memory and emotional regulation.
How to do it:
Begin or end your day with prayer, Scripture reading, and quiet reflection. Even 10–15 minutes can help center your mind, help you cope more easily with stress, and nourish your brain.
2. The Power of Purpose: Don’t Retire, Re-fire
Many people think retirement is the goal, but stepping away from meaningful work too early can accelerate brain decline. Purpose is like fuel for the mind.
I have friends in their 80s and 90s who are still vibrant, strong, and clear-minded. Their secret? They keep serving, volunteering, mentoring, and working in ways that motivate them to get out of bed every morning and bring meaning to their lives.
Research shows that a strong sense of purpose is linked to a lower risk of neurodegenerative disease such as dementia, reduced depression, and a longer life. For instance, a recent UC Davis Health study found that people with a greater sense of purpose had about a 28% lower risk of developing cognitive impairment.
Having people or pets depend on you also stimulates parts of the brain tied to responsibility, motivation, and emotional balance. In short, never stop being needed, as it can greatly boost your sense of meaning and happiness.
Purpose, including well into older age, is one of the most important secrets of the Blue Zones, the regions of the world with the highest number of centenarians (those over 100 years old). In Okinawa, Japan, for example, people call this sense of purpose ikigai, and in Nicoya, Costa Rica, it’s called plan de vida.
Both phrases describe the importance of having daily rituals that contribute something to the world that's greater than yourself. Scientists studying these communities have found that purpose-driven living is strongly linked to not only longer lifespans but also better overall quality of life.
How to do it:
Keep a rhythm of productive activity, whether that’s volunteering, mentoring, gardening, taking care of family members (young or old), or serving at church. Choose roles that bring you joy and give you a reason to show up as your best self each day.
3. Keep Learning and Engaging Your Mind
Your brain is like a muscle: if you don’t use it, you lose it. Challenging yourself with puzzles, reading, learning new hobbies, or even picking up a musical instrument or a new language activates neural plasticity, the brain’s ability to grow new connections.
Dr. Daniel Amen, one of today’s leading brain experts, has shown through imaging studies that the more you engage your brain with new and meaningful activities, the more you slow down age-related decline.
In Dr. Amen's words, "When you stop learning, your brain starts dying…Advancing age is the single most important risk for memory loss and Alzheimer’s disease, and a lack of new learning, social isolation, and loneliness increase the risk of age-related cognitive decline and memory problems."
How to do it:
Read daily, and consider choosing books, articles, or Scripture that challenge your thinking and spark reflection.
Learn something new on a regular basis, such as by picking up a hobby like gardening, painting, or cooking new recipes. Or go further and try learning something pretty challenging, for example, with help from YouTube or by taking an online course.
Engage your brain socially: join a Bible study, discussion group, or club where conversation stimulates new ideas and perspectives.
Exercise mental flexibility. Mix in brain games, puzzles, crosswords, or memory challenges. Even small, regular challenges build resilience in your brain networks.
Teach or mentor. If you've overcome an obstacle, such as addiction, help others to do the same. Explaining something you know to others forces you to think more deeply and strengthens neural pathways.
The key here is variety. Just like your muscles grow when you change up your workouts, your brain thrives on novelty and consistent challenges.
4. Sunlight, Vitamin D, and Daily Movement
Our biblical ancestors spent much of their lives outdoors—walking to tend animals, fishing, farming, and gathering food. As a result, their bodies were constantly exposed to natural sunlight, which helped keep vitamin D levels optimal.
Today, we know vitamin D goes beyond bone strength; it also protects brain health, sharpens memory, and reduces the risk of depression and neurodegenerative disease.
A large meta-analysis in the Journal of Aging Research found that low vitamin D levels are associated with cognitive decline and an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease. In fact, researchers call vitamin D deficiency a “global health problem” with direct ties to brain aging.
Pairing sunlight with movement is even more powerful. Exercise improves blood flow and oxygen delivery to the brain while boosting brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), sometimes called “Miracle-Gro for your neurons,” which stimulates the growth of new brain cells.
How to do it:
Try to get 15–30 minutes of direct sunlight exposure on your skin and eyes daily (without sunglasses or sunscreen, if possible).
If you live far from the equator or in winter months, ask your doctor about testing your vitamin D levels and supplementing to stay in the optimal range (50–80 ng/mL). For many people, especially during the winter, supplementing with vitamin D3 is necessary to stay within the healthy range.
Prioritize simple, regular movement and be consistent. For example, make it a part of your daily routine to take walks, do resistance training, cycle, or even do short bouts of higher-intensity activity such as sprints. Aim for 150 minutes of moderate exercise each week, or even more if you can.
5. Breathe Through Your Nose
How you breathe has more impact on your brain than most people realize.
Nose breathing, especially during sleep, produces nitric oxide, a compound that improves circulation, boosts oxygen delivery, protects vascular health in the brain, and can increase immune defenses. By contrast, chronic mouth breathing is linked to snoring, poor sleep quality, and lower oxygen saturation.
One review in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience demonstrated that nasal breathing not only enhances oxygen efficiency but also helps regulate the nervous system, creating calmer states that are ideal for focus and recovery.
Many people, myself included, find that mouth taping at night—which gently encourages the lips to stay closed and encourages nose breathing—is a simple but powerful practice that dramatically improves sleep quality within days.
How to do it:
Practice conscious nose breathing during the day, especially when walking or exercising.
If you’re a nighttime mouth breather, try gentle mouth tape (specifically made for sleep, not regular tape!) to trick yourself into nasal breathing while you sleep. You can also keep your nasal passages clear with saline rinses, steam, or humidifiers if dryness is an issue.
6. Eat Brain-Protective Foods
God designed food as medicine, and certain foods are especially powerful for the brain. These foods are rich in antioxidants and phytonutrients, which naturally help combat inflammation, mitigate oxidative stress, and provide the essential raw materials for neurotransmitters and cell membranes.
Regularly include these foods in your diet to fight the effects of aging on your brain and elsewhere:
Berries (contains ellagic acid & anthocyanins): Rich in antioxidants, berries are shown to help protect neurons and improve memory. A study in Annals of Neurology found that women who ate two or more servings of blueberries or strawberries per week delayed brain aging by up to 2.5 years.
Wild salmon (provides astaxanthin): Astaxanthin is a rare antioxidant that crosses the blood-brain barrier and can help reduce neuroinflammation, not to mention that salmon contains omega-3, which has been shown to have anti-aging benefits for the brain, including improving memory, learning, and wellbeing.
Citrus fruits (contain hesperidin and vitamin C): Found in oranges, lemons, tomatoes, and cherries, hesperidin is an antioxidant and neuroprotective compound that improves blood flow to the brain and supports learning and memory.
Egg yolks (high in choline & phospholipids): Choline is essential for acetylcholine, the neurotransmitter involved in memory and learning.
How to do it:
Add a daily serving or two of colorful berries to your meals, such as blueberries, blackberries, camu camu powder, or mulberries.
Eat wild-caught salmon or other fatty fish 2–3 times per week. And on the topic of nutrient-rich animal foods, don’t skip the egg yolks, since this is where nearly all of the nutrients are found. Opt for pasture-raised eggs for the highest density and enjoy them poached, scrambled, or boiled.
Include citrus fruits like oranges or lemons in your meals and beverages. You can also boost your overall antioxidant intake by "eating the rainbow" throughout the week and enjoying these foods and drinks:
Green tea & matcha – high in catechins, linked to lower oxidative stress
Good quality coffee and Cacao – rich in polyphenols (in moderation)
Red, purple, or tart juices (like pomegranate or tart cherry juice) – packed with anthocyanins and ellagic acid
Grapes (especially red/purple) – provide resveratrol, quercetin
Pomegranates – contain ellagitannins, punicalagins
Apples & pears (with the skin) – high in quercetin, catechins
Leafy greens (spinach, kale, Swiss chard, collards) – loaded with lutein, zeaxanthin, and vitamin C for eye and brain health.
Cruciferous veggies (broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower) – provide sulforaphane, indoles, and vitamin C.
Onions & garlic – great sources of quercetin, allicin, sulfur compounds that support detoxification.
Tomatoes, carrots, beets, and sweet potatoes – rich in lycopene, especially when cooked, beta-carotene, and other carotenoids.
Parsley, cilantro, rosemary, oregano, thyme, and other herbs – high in quercetin, vitamin C, and detoxifying phytochemicals, including eugenol and flavonoids with antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects.
Turmeric, cinnamon, and ginger – provide curcumin, cinnamaldehyde, and gingerols, which have powerful anti-inflammatory effects
Cayenne & chili peppers – high in capsaicin for circulation and anti-inflammatory support.
7. Herbal & Supplement Support
Sometimes, even with good nutrition and lifestyle, extra support is helpful. God’s pharmacy, especially herbs, spices, and plants, offers compounds that protect neurons, balance stress hormones, and sharpen mental clarity.
Ashwagandha (especially the type called KSM-66, in dosages of about 600 mg/day) is one of the most studied adaptogens for coping with stress and remaining balanced. Research shows it lowers cortisol, reduces anxiety, and improves sleep, all of which protect brain cells from chronic stress damage.
Rhodiola rosea is another adaptogen that's known for boosting resilience to stress and reducing fatigue. A study in Phytomedicine found it improved focus and reduced mental exhaustion in just two weeks. Especially useful for “tired but wired” brains.
Lion’s Mane mushroom can help stimulate nerve growth factor (NGF), which encourages the repair and growth of brain cells. Both supplements and the whole mushroom can be effective.
Ginkgo biloba improves blood circulation in the brain, supports memory, and is often used in clinical settings to help with early dementia symptoms
Essential oils (like lavender and rosemary) can be inhaled to help calm stress and improve sleep. Rosemary has also been shown in studies to improve memory and alertness when diffused or inhaled.
How to do it:
Start with one adaptogen at a time so you can notice effects, such as ashwagandha at night, rhodiola in the morning, and Lion’s Mane in meals (such as taken in powder form or as tea/extract).
Use a Ginkgo biloba supplement if memory or circulation is a concern (but consult with your doctor, especially if on blood thinners).
Diffuse lavender oil before bed for calm, and rosemary oil while studying or working for sharper focus.
Final Thoughts on the Best Habits to Slow Brain Aging
Our biblical ancestors lived in sync with the rhythms of creation, resting when it was dark, working with their hands, eating God-created foods, breathing clean air, and staying connected to community and purpose.
Brain aging is not something to dread but rather an invitation to live more intentionally. Prayer, purpose, learning, movement, nutrition, and natural remedies together form a path to a sharper, stronger brain, one that can carry you into your 80s, 90s, and beyond.
References:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK298903/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7210535/
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2023.1070808/full
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11298280/
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/human-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2018.00353/full
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1286457920300800
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3582325/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9641984/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0753332223000100
https://nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu/antioxidants/
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Choline-HealthProfessional/