The One Thing a Neurologist Is Begging You to Stop Doing In 2025

Beth Ann Mayer

3 December 2024 at 10:25 am·6-min read

Exercise is a common New Year's resolution, with people often desiring to lose weight and build muscle. Yet the mind is frequently called the "strongest muscle," helping you build resilience and boost work and exercise performance. The mind requires strengthening, too, and certain habits can boost brain health.

"Developing good brain health habits is a key way to keep your brain healthy and improve individual health and well-being throughout your life," says Dr. Jasmin Dao, MD, Ph.D., a pediatric and adult neurologist at Miller Children's & Women's Hospital.

The reverse is also true: Poor habits can negatively affect your brain and overall health and well-being.

Whether you're coming here in December 2024 or June 2025, there is still time to rethink your habits and routines. Dr. Dao shared one habit that's particularly bad for brain health and practical tips for ditching it. She also shared a few brain-boosting habits to weave into your life.

The No. 1 Habit to Break for Brain Health This Year

Time to rip off the band-aid: The answer is constant screen time.

"Get off the screen," Dr. Dao says. "Reduce screen time on smartphones, computers, tablets and playing video games." While Dr. Dao didn't give a precise amount—and it varies from person to person—she says excess screen time is a poor habit. No, it's not just "the kids these days" who are "always on their phones and playing video games."

Yes, younger generations like Gen-Z and millennials generally spend more time on their screens than their parents and grandparents. However, Pew Research Center survey results from 2019 found that Americans 60 and older spent at least half their daily leisure time (more than four hours) on screens—a half an hour longer than the previous decade. Meanwhile, younger generations' screen habits remained the same.

Oh, and studies show that older generations spent more time on screens in 2020 during the early days of the pandemic. While little is known about how screen time habits have changed since in-person interactions have resumed overall, you can do a personal gut check on your individual time watching TV, scrolling and playing games.

First of all, no shame if you're uncomfortable with your screen time habits

"It’s addicting," Dr. Dao says. "Neurologically, screen time triggers surges of dopamine inside your brain, stimulating a pleasure-reward cycle that reinforces screen addiction."

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Unfortunately, short-term gratification may contribute to long-term health issues.

"Studies have shown that excessive screen time among young adults can increase the risk of dementia, stroke or Parkinson’s disease," Dr. Dao says.

You'll notice Dr. Dao said, "young adults," and there's a reason for that. While poor screen time habits aren't limited to kids, much of the research and attention (culturally and scientifically) is on the digital era's effects on younger generations. That said, risks for diseases and health events like dementia and stroke increase as we age, so it's essential to be mindful of how habits might contribute to them.

Additionally, the research we do have on brain health and older people supports Dr. Dao's concerns. For instance, a 2023 study of people ages 40 and older in China suggested that high screen time was associated with an increased risk of stroke. Another study using data from more than 500,000 people ages 39 to 72 linked moderate computer use with lower dementia risk, but different TV times were shown to possibly influence brain structure.

"It can also lead to early neurodegeneration, causing thinning of the cerebral cortex, the outer layer of the brain responsible for memory and cognitive processes, such as motor control, language and problem-solving," Dr. Dao says. "Lights from screen displays can also impact sleep, disrupting melatonin release and the body’s circadian rhythm."

Dr. Dao says less screen time frees up time in your schedule for better brain health habits, such as exercise, socializing, time outside and sleep.

How to Reduce Screen Time

1. Rise, but don't grind (at least not right away).

Are you tempted to check your phone before you even get out of bed? Roll over and get up on the opposite side of the bed from your phone.

"Spend the first 30 minutes after waking up without touching or grabbing your phone," Dr. Dao says. "Instead, engage in activities that promote brain health, such as exercise, reading a book, meditation or eating a mindful breakfast. See if you can increase the time interval without screens to one or two hours. Set a positive tone to the start of the day that optimizes our brain health."

2. Remove your phone from your room.

You may have a better chance at keeping habit No. 1 (not checking your phone first thing) if it's out of sight, out of mind. Ditto for making screen time a part of your nightly routine. Also, keep in mind that our phones aren't the only screens we use.

"Keep phone devices and TVs outside of your bedrooms and avoid using them for one hour before bedtime," Dr. Dao says. "Backlit screens can disrupt your quality and duration of sleep."

3. Take screen breaks.

Morning and night? Check and check. However, what if you have a desk job and stare at a computer all day? You don't need to quit it, but control what you can. For instance, you can schedule micro-breaks into your workday and set reminders to walk away from the screen. If you're retired, Dr. Dao still suggests setting reminders (ironically, on your phone) to put screens down. Notifications can make it more challenging to unplug.

"Turn off notifications from messages or social media platforms to reduce disruption from work or school and allow you to finish other activities," Dr. Dao says.

Better Brain-Health Habits

Now that you're on your way to ditching your 4+ hours per day of screen time, what else can you fill your day with? Dr. Dao suggests:

Regular exercise
Getting a good night's sleep
Challenging the mind by doing puzzles, reading or learning something new

"The brain is similar to a muscle and needs exercise to help improve brain function and memory," Dr. Dao says.

Up Next:

Sources:

Dr. Jasmin Dao, MD, Ph.D., a pediatric and adult neurologist at Miller Children's & Women's Hospital
Americans 60 and older are spending more time in front of their screens than a decade ago. Pew Research Center.
Bedtime screen use in middle-aged and older adults growing during pandemic. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.
Digital dementia in the internet generation: excessive screen time during brain development will increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias in adulthood. Journal of Integrative Neuroscience.
Association Between Excess Leisure Sedentary Time and Risk of Stroke in Young Individuals. Stroke.
Association between daily screen time and risk of stroke among middle-aged and elderly people: research based on China health and nutrition survey. Frontiers in Sports & Active Living.
Different types of screen time, physical activity, and incident dementia, Parkinson’s disease, depression and multimorbidity status. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity.