Most of us check our phones before we check in with ourselves. A late-night scroll becomes a 1 am habit, a stressful week becomes a stressful year, and lunch is eaten at the desk. We rarely connect these small habits to the brain. However, they do have an impact. I learnt this early during my general surgery training which I was fortunate to complete as a gold medalist. It taught me that no organ works alone. Today as a neurosurgeon in Vadodara, I see the brain as part of one larger system; the heart, blood vessels, sleep and everyday habits all feed into it. 

Sleep Is When The Brain Cleans House

Researchers believe the brain has a waste-clearing system that works best during deep sleep, washing away proteins linked to memory loss. A 2025 study about MRI scan by Cambridge University found that weaker clearance of brain fluid was linked to a higher chance of dementia over the next 10 years, with blood pressure and diabetes playing a part. In plain words, poor sleep and poor heart health may be hurting the same organ.

Loud snoring with tiredness on waking is not just a family joke. Sleep apnoea, where breathing repeatedly pauses at night, fragments sleep and lowers oxygen to the brain. It has been linked with higher dementia and stroke risk, yet it can be tested and treated often with simple measures like a night-time breathing device or by losing weight. 

If snoring comes with persistent headaches, memory lapses or unusual drowsiness, do not wait. A brain specialist can examine you, order the right tests and involve other doctors only where needed. Keep an eye on blood pressure and sugar too as both strain the brain's blood supply.

Stress Is Not 'Just In The Mind'

A 2025 study published in the journal Neurology. looked at people aged 18 to 49 who had a stroke without any visible underlying cause. Stress in the month before the stroke was linked to higher risk in the women but not in the men. It shows an association, not proof. Many women carry work, home and caregiving together, and stress that stays for months keeps blood pressure high and pushes us towards skipped sleep and other stressful habits, all of which strain the brain's blood vessels.

In around two decades of practice, I have performed around 500 endovascular procedures where a blocked or weak brain vessel is treated through a thin catheter. Those years have shown me that vessels which fail suddenly have usually been under strain for a long time.

The rare cases taught me how easily serious symptoms hide behind everyday explanations. In 2015, I described a slow-growing tumour at the base of the skull whose main sign was drop attacks (sudden falls without warning) which could have been easily blamed on tiredness or worry. In 2014, I reported a spinal condition in which an abnormal blood vessel was linked to a tethered spinal cord. Hours bent over screens do cause neck and back pain, and most of it is due to bad posture. In 2013, I described a lung cancer that had spread to the lower end of the spinal cord. Sudden falls, a headache that keeps worsening, vision changes or memory lapses deserve a proper check. Most turn out to be harmless. The few that are not are far easier to treat early.