Women’s brain health is a powerful yet often overlooked key to unlocking creativity, focus, and overall well-being. Whether you're looking to sharpen your thinking, improve your mood, or simply learn more about how your brain works, understanding its unique needs is the first step toward a healthier, more creative life. Let's dive in and unlock your brain's full potential!

As human beings, we all have an innate understanding of what the brain is and why it’s important. It controls bodily functions of which we are unaware and have little control over - like heartbeats, breathing, and digestion. It’s also the command center for our intentional actions - chewing, movement, and speech.

But it’s something deeper than that, right? It’s our essence, our thoughts, feelings, and personality. It’s what generates our creativity.

Engaging in creativity improves the health of your brain and working to improve your brain health sets the stage for creativity. It's foundational  not only for creativity itself, but also creating a life you love.
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​Check out episode 3 of The Everyday Creative podcast to learn more about the benefits of creativity and we also have a post about the link between physical activity and creativity.

Brain health is especially important for women. Women have unique brains. Our brains are not defective or weaker than men's. They are just different.
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​Here are a few statistics about the state of brain health in women to illuminate the importance of the issue. They aren't meant to scare - simply to inform.

Women over the age of 50 make up almost 70% of all clinically diagnosed cases of dementia and Alzheimer's - a rate twice that of men.
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​This disparity has been largely ignored by the medical community until recently. Now, there are dedicated organizations studying the female brain and why it's more susceptible to this disease. The most prominent is The Women's Alzheimer's Movement. Started by Maria Shriver and now part of the Cleveland Clinic, it is the first Alzheimer's prevention center designed specifically for women. Pretty exciting!​

Women are twice as likely to be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder or depression than men. And women over the age of 50 have 2-4 times the incidence as compared to men of the same age.

For the catch-all category of Common Mental Disorder, which includes anxiety and depression as well as OCD, panic disorder, PTSD, and others, the rates are 1 in 5 for women compared to 1 in 8 for men. There are multiple factors at play outside of simply being female, one being that men may be less likely to seek help. Nonetheless, the stat is concerning.

A stroke is when the blood supply to the brain is blocked, either by a physical block or from a blood vessel tear. Stoke is the leading cause of serious long-term disability. When it comes to stroke, women are more likely to be killed. Out of the 140,000 Americans who die each year from stroke, 60% are women. Women also have more strokes each year (this is in part because women live longer). But, after age 75, when compared to men, the strokes are more severe, and the outcomes are worse.

Women are 3-4x more likely to get migraines than men and the symptoms are more severe.

Women over the age of 50 are twice as likely as men to experience reduced sleep quality as well as increased insomnia and restless leg syndrome compared to men.

Women are three times more likely to develop an autoimmune disorder, including those that affect the brain, such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

Women are more likely to develop brain tumors such as meningiomas.

You may be thinking, "Well, this only happens to old women. I'm in my 20s, 30s, 40s - whatever. This isn't affecting me." And, while it is true that these things may not be happening to you right now, but you may be unknowingly laying the groundwork that increases the likelihood of these things happening.

Before we get into how to avoid the brain health car crash, let's do a quick Brain Anatomy 101 lesson.

We'll start from the outside and work our way in.
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​Cerebral Cortex (gray matter): the outer most layer, responsible for language, reasoning, and planning. The more surface area the better, which is why when you see the brain it has all the folds and crevices that make up its topography.
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​White matter: this gets its color because the brain cells are wrapped in myelin (an insulating material comprised of mostly fat and cholesterol). They connect sections of gray matter with each other and form an electrical grid allowing for communication across the brain.
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​Cerebrospinal fluid: this is what your brain is floating in.
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​Meninges: the protective membrane around the brain. It keeps the brain in place and cushions it from injury.
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​Blood-brain barrier: microscopic capillaries all across the brain. They allow in certain nutrients and prevent other molecules from cross, like toxins and infectious organisms.
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​Brainstem: responsible for basic functions like breathing and pumping blood.
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​Cerebellum: coordinates movement and balance.

Hippocampus: a seahorse-shaped region where learning and memory take place (one of the first parts to malfunction in Alzheimer’s).

Hypothalamus: releases hormones involved in regulating appetite, metabolism, and reproductive cycles. The hypothalamus and the pituitary, in the brain, oversee the endocrine system’s work. The hypothalamus sends out hormones that carry releasing signals to the pituitary to make it release hormones. The pituitary is considered the master gland, sending out critical hormones that carry stimulating messages to the rest of the endocrine system.

Ventricles: reservoirs deep within the brain filled with cerebrospinal fluid

Neurons: produce neurotransmitters
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​Glial cells: protect and serve the neurons
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​Whew! That was a lot. Luckily, there's no test!

Having a healthy brain is essential for overall well-being and functioning. We’ll talk about several signs that indicate you have a healthy brain. It’s not an all-or-nothing binary. If you can’t check all the boxes or misplace your keys, it doesn’t mean your brain is failing. This is not a diagnostic tool. It is more like a check-in. How are you doing? What is your current state? And where can you improve - because all of these areas can improve. So here we go:

This includes short and long-term memory, which is the ability to remember details like appointments, special dates, and memories from childhood. Cognitive function includes problem-solving skills, thinking critically, and the ability to adapt to new challenges.

In this category, we have emotional stability, resilience to stress, and a positive outlook and motivation.

Emotional stability is the ability to regulate emotions effectively and handle frustration and emotional situations without getting overwhelmed. A healthy brain is also resilient to stress, meaning you can manage your stress without it significantly impacting your mental wellbeing. Note that we didn’t say eliminate stress. Eliminating all stress is not a thing.

Having a positive outlook and motivation is also a sign of a healthy brain. When you can maintain a positive or at least a balanced mood, even in difficult situations, and have a drive to pursue personal or professional goals, you are on the right track.

This one is a struggle for almost everyone in the face of social media, smartphones, and endless news feeds. This area in particular is one that if you feel like you’re lacking, it may be a function of your environment, rather than a sign your brain is in decline. Ideally, you can focus on tasks, avoid distractions, and maintain attention when you need to. And you’re able to stay present in conversations, meetings, or while completing tasks.

When your brain is healthy, you can absorb new information and pick up new skills relatively easily. You are flexible in your thinking, which allows you to consider different perspectives, smoothly shift between tasks, and pivot when you encounter unexpected situations.

This includes verbal fluency and the ability to understand others. You can communicate effectively, articulate your thoughts clearly, and find the right words easily. Plus, you can follow conversations, instructions, or written content without difficulty.

A healthy brain helps you make sound decisions based on logic and reasoning rather than impulsive reactions. You also can assess risks by weighing pros and cons, foreseeing potential consequences, and avoiding unnecessary risks.

We’re talking about all five senses here - vision, hearing, smelling, tasting, and touch. You can process this information, detect changes, and respond appropriately. You can also process multiple types of sensory input without confusion or overwhelm.

Self-control is a sign of a healthy brain. You can regulate behaviors like eating, drinking, and other habits, avoiding overindulgence or addiction, which is a sign of good executive function. A healthy brain also allows you to resist impulsive actions and think through consequences before acting.

Lastly, and we would argue, most importantly, a healthy brain is creative and curious. You have an active curiosity about the world, a desire to learn, and creative problem-solving abilities. Openness to new experiences, hobbies, or intellectual challenges suggests that your brain is thriving and adaptable.

And remember, you don't need to check all the boxes, simply check-in with where you are. It's about bringing awareness to how your brain is functioning. If you think something is off, it may be time to do something about it.

Issues with mental health and brain health are signals that something is going on with the body. The brain and body are connected, and it is likely that you’ll notice that something is going on with your body before you notice signs in the brain. Plus, in our traditional medical system, tests and preventative screens are conducted to identify problems in our bodies - not our brains.

These signals can be traced back to three major issues:

Our gut and brain have been connected since Day 1. As we were developing fetuses, the cells that make up the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) migrated to form the enteric nervous system of the gut.

There is also a physical connection between the brain and the gut. The vagus nerve starts in the brain and travels all the way down to the gut. It actually penetrates the gut wall, aiding in digestion and carrying info back and forth between the brain and the gut.

Up to 60% of people with anxiety also have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and IBS patients show brain changes in the region of the brain that help us with managing daily tasks, feeling emotions, and managing pain. There is a similar correlation with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which includes Crohn’s Disease and ulcerative colitis. As much as 40% of people with IBD also have anxiety.

ADHD also has a gut-brain connection. In people with ADHD, there is less diverse gut bacteria, and this is relevant because the building blocks of neurotransmitters are made in the gut. People with ADHD also experience more constipation and gas.

Hormones are your body’s communication tool, and insulin is a hormone. Insulin has many jobs, but one of its primary functions is to tell the body’s cells to intake glucose (or sugar) to use for energy production. It’s like a ticket to a concert. The sugar molecule goes up to the cell, scans the ticket, and gets let in.

The problem comes when there is too much sugar that wants to go to the concert. Your body’s whole goal is to remain in balance (also called homeostasis). Too much blood sugar causes damage to the body. So, in response, the amount of insulin your body produces increases. Increased insulin is by itself a problem because insulin is a growth hormone. Unwanted growth in the body means things like extra body fat, inflammation, and cancer.

In response to increased insulin, cells continue to let sugar in until they can’t and stop listening to insulin signals. Insulin levels are still high, but now blood sugar levels are also starting to rise. In our medical system, we don’t routinely check for insulin levels. We check for blood sugar levels. In the beginning stages of insulin resistance, blood sugar remains normal because sugar is still getting into the cells, so it looks like nothing is wrong.

The problems become evident (to the medical community, at least) once we have enough excess sugar floating around to trigger labs for a pre-diabetes or diabetes diagnosis. Along with the damage caused by high levels of insulin, excess blood sugar causes damage to the body. It starts with the smallest blood vessels, the capillaries, blocking blood flow.

But it’s not just the body, the brain can become insulin resistant, too. Your brain needs glucose to function, but it might not be as much as you think. You only need 62g of glucose to perform well. But when you become insulin resistant, it is challenging for your body and, thus, your brain to access that glucose, regardless of how much you eat. Your brain is essentially starving from a lack of energy.

Alzheimer’s Disease is now often referred as Type 3 Diabetes because of the prevalence of insulin resistance in those suffering from Alzheimer’s. 81% of those with Alzheimer’s have insulin resistance or Type 2 Diabetes. When you have high levels of insulin in the blood, the brain receptors that allow insulin to cross the blood-brain barrier become insulin resistant, meaning they do not allow insulin to cross. So, now there is less insulin in the brain. Without insulin, the brain cannot take sugar and turn it into energy, but your brain is still absorbing sugar. The hippocampus - the learning and memory center - is the first to be affected. In short, it stops functioning, and the cells begin to die, resulting in Alzheimer’s.

High blood sugar also affects other mental health conditions. People with diabetes are 2-3 times more likely to have depression than those without diabetes. And two different studies (2002, 2019) found a perfect correlation between people who ate sugar and depression. Meaning that the more sugar you eat, the more likely you are to be depressed.

During normal cell functions (or metabolism), free radicals (also called Reactive Oxygen Species) are a natural byproduct. Another source of free radicals comes from external sources like pollution, radiation, smoking, and toxins.

Regardless of source, the action of free radicals is the same. They are highly reactive molecules with unpaired electrons and roam around the body looking for an electron to pair up with.

This is where antioxidants come in. We’ve all heard of antioxidants and know they are good, but may not know why. Antioxidants are molecules that neutralize free radicals by donating an electron without becoming unstable themselves. The body is able to produce its own antioxidants, plus we get them through food.

The problem is when the amount of free radicals in the body exceeds the antioxidants, thus creating oxidative stress. Free radicals can damage lipids, proteins, and DNA, leading to cell malfunction, cell death, or mutations.

Oxidative stress is believed to contribute to visible signs of aging (like wrinkles and sagging skin. And it’s also linked to chronic diseases like cancer, cardiovascular disease, and neurodegenerative diseases (e.g., Alzheimer's, Parkinson's) - see there’s your brain health connection.

To address all aspects of brain health and its connection to creativity, we have developed the BrainWAVES protocol. It is a step-wise program that we work through to get your brain functioning optimally. And running throughout the entire program as the foundation (or undercurrent, if you will) is mindset and strategies for behavior change.

Let's go through it!

In the first phase, we are establishing a baseline for everything that currently makes up your life. It's the obvious things like what you're eating, physical activity, and sleep habits. And we also look at the not-so-obvious things like your daily schedule, where you live, how you like to cook (or not cook), perceived limitations, personality traits, and so much more.

It's almost always easier to add than to remove - especially when it comes to food. We start with the low-hanging fruits - the things that are so easy, you can do it on your most challenging day. The additions are based on what we uncovered in phase one.

This is where we take a look at things that are a part of your life that are detrimental to brain health and find ways to eliminate or reduce them. It is something that we approach with sensitivity, as letting go of things and habits is always hard. It’s never an all-or-nothing approach (unless that strategy legitimately works for you), and it’s not an overnight switch. It’s a process.

We take what you are currently doing or not doing and tweak it. We firmly believe that the human body is meant to move, and it’s a matter of finding a way to move that you enjoy and that fits your schedule, and your abilities. With that said, there are evidenced-based “right” ways to incorporate physical activities based on the goals you are trying to achieve. For example, the quote-unquote best time to lift heavy weight is in the afternoon. But guess who is at work at that time? Almost everyone. So, it really doesn’t matter. Plus, most of this research is based on men, so once again, does this really matter? In a word, no. The goal of this step is to get you up and moving.

Last but not least, the steps are rounded out with the three S’s - arguably more important than diet and exercise. In this step, we work on optimizing these three areas with small actionable steps and gentle behavior change.

And there you have it, The BrainWAVES Protocol. It’s laid out as a linear process, but it’s more iterative. Some steps will continually be revisited, and we do a “where are we at” check-in periodically. And that’s particularly helpful so you can see how far you’ve come.