Blood pressure belongs on your brain-health checklist

When people think “brain health,” blood pressure rarely tops the list. It should. The World Health Organization lists high blood pressure among the things that raise dementia risk, and managing it, especially in midlife, is one of the better-supported ways to protect the aging brain.

The mechanism is intuitive: chronically high pressure damages the small blood vessels the brain depends on, which contributes to vascular cognitive impairment and compounds other pathology. For carriers already watching brain and vascular risk, it’s a high-leverage target.

Better still, blood pressure is measurable and treatable, through exercise, diet, weight, alcohol moderation, sleep (including ruling out apnea), and medication when needed. Start by knowing your numbers. More in the deep dive on blood pressure and brain health.