Movement, proper sleep crucial for brain health

Winter in Winnipeg has a way of forcing us indoors.

Short days. Long nights. More sitting. More screens. Less movement. More “I’ll get back on track in spring.”

That seasonal slowdown doesn’t just stiffen joints and pad waistlines. It quietly affects the brain, too.

When most people think about Alzheimer’s or dementia, they picture something that shows up late in life — 70s, 80s, maybe a parent or grandparent.

The uncomfortable truth is this: the groundwork for cognitive decline often starts much earlier. In your 30s. Your 40s. Sometimes sooner.

Not because your brain has an expiration date, but because of how we live. Compound interest works in both directions.

Grey matter demands energy

Your brain accounts for about two per cent of your body weight, yet it uses roughly 20 per cent of your energy. That’s a demanding organ.

Every thought, memory, reaction time and decision depends on energy production inside brain cells. When that system works well, you feel focused and sharp. When it doesn’t, you feel foggy, forgetful and mentally drained.

Over time, that energy problem becomes more than an annoyance. It becomes structural.

Poor sleep, chronic stress, inactivity and unstable blood sugar all interfere with how efficiently the brain produces and uses energy. Think of it like a power grid that keeps flickering. At first, it’s just inconvenient. Over years, it starts experiencing full-on outages.

Sitting is not neutral

One of the most overlooked threats to brain health is prolonged sitting.

Winnipeg winters don’t help. Desk jobs, commuting, streaming shows in the evening and scrolling on the couch all add up. Many people spend the majority of their waking hours seated.

Here’s the issue: movement drives blood flow. Blood flow delivers oxygen and nutrients to the brain. When movement drops, circulation drops with it.

A single workout does not erase 10 hours of sitting. Research shows long uninterrupted periods of sitting reduce blood flow to the brain, even in people who exercise regularly.

That helps explain why daily movement matters more than occasional intense workouts. Walking, standing, light activity between meetings and moving often throughout the day all matter. They’re not just good for your back and hips. They’re feeding your brain.

Sleep not luxury, it’s maintenance

Sleep is often treated like a reward for surviving the day. From a brain perspective, it’s more like overnight maintenance.

During deep sleep, the brain activates a waste-clearing system that removes metabolic byproducts, including proteins associated with Alzheimer’s disease. When sleep is consistently poor or shallow, that clean-up job isn’t done effectively. Over time, waste accumulates.

Late-night screens, alcohol, stress, irregular schedules and even some medications all interfere with deep sleep. You may still get seven hours in bed, but quality matters far more than quantity.

Good sleep doesn’t just help you feel better tomorrow. It protects the long-term structure of your brain.

Muscle is brain protection

Muscle is usually discussed in terms of strength, appearance or metabolism. It turns out it’s also strongly connected to brain health.

Resistance training improves insulin sensitivity, reduces inflammation and increases the production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, a protein that supports neuron health and resilience.

In plain language, lifting weights sends “stay strong” signals to your brain. It lights it up in a good way. People with more muscle mass and better strength tend to experience slower cognitive decline as they age. This isn’t about bodybuilding. But a weak body creates a weak brain.

Blood-sugar swings hit brain first

Long before someone is diagnosed with diabetes, the brain often feels the effects of poor blood-sugar control.

The brain relies heavily on glucose, but it needs a steady supply. Repeated spikes and crashes damage blood vessels and impair how neurons function. Insulin resistance often shows up in the brain before it shows up on a lab report.

This is one reason metabolic health and cognitive health are so closely linked. Type 2 diabetes is linked to a higher risk of dementia overall. Big meta-analyses show roughly a 40-70 per cent higher risk of “any dementia” in people with diabetes versus non-diabetics.

You don’t need extreme diets or to become a triathlete to support this. You need balanced meals. Enough protein. Enough fibre. Regular movement.

Creatine not just for gym culture

I’m sure you’ve heard about this by now (I wrote on it a few months ago), so it’ll just be a footnote in this column related to cognitive health.

At its core, creatine supports cellular energy production, including in the brain, not just your biceps.

When energy supply falls short, cognition suffers. This is why creatine has drawn attention from neuroscientists studying aging, stress and sleep deprivation.

Creatine appears to make the brain more resilient when energy demand is high or sleep is limited.

This does not mean creatine prevents Alzheimer’s disease. It means it supports systems that fail early in cognitive decline, particularly brain-energy metabolism.

Evidence thus far shows it’s helpful during short-term periods of sleep deprivation (at a dose exceeding 10 grams per day). There will be more to come as the research picture gets clearer.

Take control

The goal isn’t to scare people into thinking dementia is inevitable. It’s the opposite.

Cognitive decline is not just a matter of age or genetics. Most diagnoses are not the result of genetics. It’s deeply influenced by how you sleep, move, eat and recover over the decades.

Move daily. Lift weights. Sleep deeply. Eat in a way that supports stable energy. Sit less. Manage stress like it matters, because it does.

Those habits don’t just help you feel better today. They quietly protect your brain from aging faster than it needs to.

And in a city where winter encourages us to slow down, it’s a reminder that it’s worth doing the opposite every chance you get.

Mitch Calvert is a Winnipeg-based fitness coach. Visit mitchcalvert.com for more information.