Do These Five Things Right Now To Prevent Dementia Later

About this episode

Dr. Tommy Wood discusses strategies to protect brain health and prevent dementia through lifestyle changes and cognitive challenges.

In this episode, I talk with Dr. Tommy Wood about how to protect and strengthen brain health across the lifespan—how overstimulation, chronic stress, and not giving your brain time to rest and recover undermines focus and productivity, and why restructuring your workday, prioritizing sleep, and building in real cognitive breaks can help you think more clearly and perform better. We discuss how the balance of stimulus, supply, and support shifts as we age, why retirement and prolonged illness can accelerate cognitive decline without ongoing challenge, and how physical activity, deep work, and continued learning help maintain function and even build “crystallized intelligence”—wisdom—later in life. We also get into genetic risk and why it’s largely a probability game where lifestyle can stack the deck in your favor; the powerful role of social connection and helping others in reducing dementia risk; how to use digital tools for real connection instead of passive consumption; and the cognitive effects of substances like nicotine, alcohol, cannabis, and stimulants. Dr. Tommy shares practical strategies—from structuring your day around focused…

People in this episode

Host: Brad Kearns

Guest: Dr. Tommy Wood

Topics covered

• brain health
• dementia prevention
• cognitive function
• lifestyle changes
• mental wellness

Keywords

• dementia
• brain health
• cognitive decline
• lifestyle
• mental wellness
• social connection
• physical activity

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