10 Habits That Damage Your Brain (and one that helps it!)

Robert Frost once quipped that:

“The brain is a wonderful organ; it starts working the moment you get up in the morning and does not stop until you get into the office.”

And while Robert of course meant it as a joke, he was right about one thing — the brain is a wonderful organ. It’s one of the most complicated objects known to man, with 86 billion neurons and hundreds of billions of nerve fibers.

However, despite the delicate and complex nature of our brains, we often don’t do much to make sure it’s functioning properly, or to make sure we’re setting it up for long term health. In fact, you may have some habits that, left unchecked, could have serious consequences. These habits could actually damage your cognitive ability and increase your chances of developing complications like Alzheimer’s or dementia later in life.

So, if you’re wondering whether you’re setting your brain up for a long, healthy life, here are ten habits that might be causing your wonderful organ harm — and one habit that might actually be doing it quite a bit of good: