Harvard experts warns four common habits could be shrinking our brains

It's natural for our brains to begin shrinking as we age, but there are four certain habits which could be speeding up the process.

As we reach out 30s and 40s, the brain begins to slowly atrophy - in other words, waste away because of degeneration of the cells.

Our daily habits can play a crucial role in this happening though, highlighting once more just how important it is to take care of our health.

Harvard University previously rounded up the four most damaging things we can do which contribute to our brains shrinking. And unfortunately, they're all pretty common - particularly in our world of modern technology.

Here's a test you don't want to score full marks on...

A number of factors can contribute to our brain 'shrinking' (Maskot/Getty Images)

Lack of sleep

Around a third of adults in the US fail to get the recommended seven to eight hours of sleep a night, the CDC reports.

Worryingly, a study published in the 2018 December issue of Sleep found that cognitive skills, including problem solving, reasoning and memory, decline when we get less than seven hours of sleep a night.

A University of California San Francisco 2024 sleep study has also found that difficulties in sleeping appeared to contribute to atrophy of the brain.

Explaining the study, published in Neurology, a press release from the university stated: “To estimate the effects of sleep quality on the brain, the researchers surveyed approximately 600 adults on how well they slept.

“The participants were asked the same questions five years later and underwent brain scans 10 years after this.

"They found that even after adjusting for age, sex, education, health and lifestyle factors, the brains of those participants who slept poorly were more atrophied than those who slept well.

“Compared to the 70 percent of the sample who reported having little trouble sleeping, those with moderate difficulty (22 percent) had brains that were 1.6 years older, while those with the most difficulty (8 percent) had brains that were 2.6 years older.”

Sitting down for too long

Both our bodies and our brains suffer from long periods of sitting (10'000 Hours/Getty Images)

A 2024 Harvard study found adults spend around 10.4 hours a day sitting down - that's more time than they're asleep (7.7 hours).

Meanwhile, a 2018 study in PLOS One found sitting too much is actually linked to 'changes in a section of the brain essential to memory,' Harvard reported in 2022.

Researchers used MRI scans to examine the medial temporal lobe (MTL), the part of the brain responsible for forming new memories, in adults aged 45 to 75. They compared these images to how many hours each person typically spent sitting each day.

The results showed that people who sat for longer periods tended to have a thinner MTL.

Since thinning in this brain area is linked to early signs of memory problems and dementia, the researchers suggest that too much sitting might increase the risk of cognitive decline.

Stress

Ah yes, we already know that stress can damage our mental health - as well as our bodies, in some quite unusual ways.

So I guess it's not all too surprising to learn that chronic stress can contribute to brain shrinkage. Not only this, but stress can shrink the prefrontal cortex, the area responsible for memory and learning, Harvard reports.

This makes de-stressing activities like exercise, meditation and even socializing with friends all the more important.

Speaking of which...

Not socializing enough

Socializing is good for our brains (Maskot/Getty Images)

Turns out, yapping is good for your health - and don't let anyone tell you otherwise!

A July 2021 study published in The Journals of Gerontology: Series B discovered 'less socially active people lose more of the brain's gray matter'.

So that water-cooler conversation with your co-worker was more than justified...

In 2023, Harvard reports a five-year study of 1,100 adults - who were 80 years old on average - found that 'the people who were the most socially active had 70 percent less cognitive decline compared with those who had the lowest rates of social activities.'

What's more, is that loneliness is linked to depression, and also a higher risk for Alzheimer's.