Practical, research-based tips from our clinicians to help you protect your memory, notice change early and reduce your future risk, whatever your age.
You don’t need to change everything at once. Pick one or two that feel most relevant, and build from there. The World Health Organization’s 2026 guideline points the same way: healthy habits and well-managed health conditions, tackled together.
Build fitness, strength and balance, and sit less.
A varied, mostly unprocessed diet rich in plants, fibre, healthy fats and enough protein.
Treat it as essential. Loud snoring, pauses in breathing or poor sleep need attention.
Protect relationships, community and purpose. Isolation is a recognised risk.
Keep learning: music, languages, dancing, new skills, reading, travel or study.
Make real time to switch off. Stress affects sleep, metabolism and recovery.
Look after your hearing, eyesight and head. Use hearing and vision support if you need it.
Know your blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol and other relevant markers.
If something changes and stays changed, don’t dismiss it as ageing.
Personalise rather than moralise. Poor appetite, digestive problems or a deficiency need addressing first.
Possible sleep apnoea or another sleep disorder should be properly assessed.
Hearing and vision loss are recognised risk factors, and can be mistaken for memory problems.
A single result never tells the whole story, but patterns over time can show a change in direction long before disease is obvious. A result inside the normal range may still be worth discussing if it has moved a lot from your usual baseline.
Know the number, know the trend, and know what it means for you.
See how our Cognoscopy looks deeper| Area | Examples | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Blood sugar | HbA1c (average blood sugar over about three months), fasting glucose; fasting insulin where useful | Metabolic problems and diabetes affect blood vessels and the brain |
| Heart and circulation | Blood pressure, cholesterol; ApoB and Lp(a) for some people | The brain depends on healthy vessels and blood flow |
| Inflammation | hsCRP and other markers where appropriate | Ongoing inflammation may point to an underlying problem |
| Nutrients | B12, folate, vitamin D, iron and others as needed | Deficiencies can affect the nervous system and resilience |
| Homocysteine | Read alongside B-vitamin status | A useful clue, linked to vascular risk |
| Thyroid and hormones | Tailored to age, symptoms and history | Can affect energy, mood, sleep and thinking |
There’s more than one window in which to act, and no age at which it stops mattering.
Know your numbers. Protect heart and metabolic health. Build muscle. Take sleep seriously, and deal with hearing, mood and nagging health problems.
Keep an eye on blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, weight and fitness. Menopause, poor sleep and body changes can shift the picture.
Keep prioritising heart and metabolic health while protecting strength, balance, hearing, vision and your social life.
Activity, good care, sensory support, nutrition, sleep and staying connected all help maintain independence.
Once a year, on your own or as a family, tick what applies. The most useful question is: what is moving in the wrong direction, and can we do something about it now?
Tick the statements that are true for you.
Talk it through on a free callNothing you tick here is saved or sent anywhere.
Everyone forgets a name or why they walked into a room. What matters is a lasting change from someone’s usual self.
It isn’t always dementia. Depression, hearing or sight loss, some medicines, sleep disorders, thyroid problems and low nutrients can all affect thinking. For gradual but lasting change, see your GP, or talk to us.
Our 12-page guide covers everything on this page in more depth, with worksheets to map your family history, track your numbers and plan your next 90 days.
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Or read our latest articlesClinically reviewed by Charmaine Shepherd, Functional Medicine Practitioner, and Jean Dow, Medical Herbalist. Last reviewed: October 2026. This page is for information and does not replace advice from your GP.
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