Phone Service Interruption Notice – FOR EXISTING PATIENTS ONLY
We are currently experiencing intermittent issues with our phone system and apologize for any inconvenience.
If you are unable to reach us by phone, please email connect@amenclinics.com and put the clinic you are trying to get ahold of in the subject line. One of our Patient Care Coordinators will respond as soon as possible.
Have you become more forgetful lately? Has your mood been off, or your thoughts slower, even when you haven’t experienced any major change? Your brain could be trying to tell you something.
It may be a sign that an important part of your brain called the hippocampus is under stress or—even worse—starting to shrink. But how does that happen?
The truth is that certain everyday issues and habits have been found to have the potential to slowly shrink hippocampus volume. A lot of people don’t know that emotional pain, lack of enough sleep, or poor diet can cause physical changes in the brain.
The good news? Brain shrinkage doesn’t have to be permanent. In this blog, we discuss seven brain-draining habits as well as brain-boosting alternatives.
Certain everyday issues and habits have been found to slowly shrink hippocampus volume, potentially impacting mood, memory, and learning.
The hippocampus is a small but powerful region of the brain that plays a major role in memory, learning, and emotional regulation. In fact, the hippocampus isn’t a single structure. Rather, it’s a pair of thumb-sized structures located on the inside of the temporal lobes.
These are very special brain structures, because they house stem cells that can help produce new hippocampal cells under the right circumstances.
Research has suggested we can produce up to 700 new cells a day if we put the brain in a nourishing environment—meaning consuming good nutrition, taking omega-3 fatty acids, and getting adequate oxygen and blood flow to the brain. Findings in a 2025 study that used AI machine learning confirms that the human brain can indeed create new cells in the hippocampus.
Other than clouding your mood, long-term depression can trigger real, measurable changes in your brain, especially in areas critical to emotional balance and memory.
Research shows that people with untreated major depressive disorder often have a smaller hippocampus than those without depression. This helps explain the strong link between depression and memory problems.
When you’re depressed for a long time, your brain is repeatedly exposed to elevated levels of cortisol (the body’s primary stress hormone). Over time, this hormonal imbalance can damage brain cells, shrink the hippocampus, and interfere with the growth of new neurons.
The longer it goes untreated, the more damage may occur. That said, you can protect and restore your brain health through timely brain-based treatment designed to reduce shrinkage and support recovery.
If you’ve been dealing with ongoing stress, your brain is most likely flooded with cortisol. When elevated for long periods, the stress hormone can weaken the connections between your brain cells, reducing function in the hippocampus.
The way stress and brain function interact is deeper than most people realize. Chronic stress doesn’t just affect how you feel; it physically changes how your brain works and impacts your memory. It’s a slow, silent process that often goes unnoticed until it starts to impact your focus, memory, or emotional stability.
One study highlights that even moderate, persistent stress such as work burnout or relationship tension can cause forgetfulness, mood swings, and brain fog. That’s why managing stress through simple daily practices like deep breathing and mindfulness is key to protecting and restoring your brain’s memory center.
Sleep might just be the most underrated brain healer out there. While you sleep, your brain sorts through memories, calms emotional noise, and does a bit of internal clean-up that you don’t even notice.
According to research, when you consistently cut short your sleep, especially getting fewer than six hours a night, your brain’s memory centers can begin to suffer.
This isn’t always obvious at first, but the effects tend to build quietly over time. Chronic lack of adequate sleep leads to memory loss, mood instability, and the gradual reduction of hippocampal volume over time.
You need to make consistent, restful sleep a priority. This isn’t only to boost your energy but also to protect and strengthen your brain.
Press Play to See What Stress and Bad Habits Can do to Your Brain
In this video, Dr. Daniel Amen shares his first SPECT brain scan from when he was 37 years old and living in a high-stress environment. He shows how stress and some unhealthy habits can impact the brain, and how seeing his brain made him develop what he calls brain envy.
Click the link below to tune in:
If you like sugary snacks and ultra-processed foods, you might want to stop. A high-sugar, heavily processed diet won’t just affect your waistline. Research shows that, diets high in sugar, heavily processed foods, and trans fats can trigger oxidative stress in your hippocampus.
They can spike your blood sugar levels, fuel inflammation, and deprive your brain of the key nutrients it needs to function effectively. Over time, this contributes to brain shrinkage, damaging brain cells, and disrupting the growth of new neurons.
That’s how you may end up with a shrunken hippocampus, learning difficulties, and challenges in regulating your mood.
Embrace a brain-healthy diet that’s rich in whole foods, healthy fats, and antioxidants to preserve and strengthen your memory.
Related: Alzheimer’s is a Lifestyle Disease
If you haven’t made movement part of your daily routine, then your brain could be paying the price. Spending too much time inactive can shrink the hippocampus, which can slow your thinking, weaken your memory, and lower your mood.
A sedentary lifestyle has been shown to shrink memory centers in the brain, making it harder to retain information, stay focused, and regulate emotions. The hippocampus thrives with activity, more so in aerobic movement like cycling, brisk walking, or dancing.
When you engage in physical activity it stimulates the release of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein that aids the growth of new neurons and protects existing ones—especially in the hippocampus.
Research shows that even short but consistent bursts of exercise have been shown to support emotional balance, improve focus, and preserve brain volume over time. Making movement a regular part of your day isn’t just good for your body; it’s one of the most effective ways to keep your brain sharp, resilient, and emotionally steady.
That glass of wine may feel relaxing at the moment, but over time, alcohol can quietly reshape your brain in harmful ways. Chronic drinking causes significant hippocampal damage by destroying neurons, disrupting the formation of new brain cells, and interfering with how your brain stores and retrieves memories.
Studies show that even moderate regular use can lead to shrinkage in memory-related areas of the brain, like the hippocampus, one of the few areas in the brain capable of growing new cells throughout life. Alcohol also impacts sleep quality and increases inflammation in the brain, both of which compound the damage over time.
The cumulative effect is a brain that ages faster and struggles to stay strong and sharp. If protecting your mental clarity is a priority, choosing herbal teas and proper hydration over alcohol can make a powerful difference.
Related: 5 Scary Ways Alcohol Damages the Brain
You may never have thought of loneliness as a brain health concern, but sadly, it is. Being in a situation where you lack meaningful connection over time can cause your hippocampus to shrink and weaken its cognitive function.
Social interactions aren’t just comforting. They stimulate your memory, and emotional processing, and allow mental flexibility. As you engage in healthy conversations, share experiences, or feel truly seen, your brain lights up in a way that helps it to preserve memory and balance your emotions.
Studies show that there is a connection between social isolation and a higher risk of cognitive decline. Building and maintaining close connections isn’t just good for your heart. It’s important for keeping your brain sharp and your hippocampus strong.
The idea of your brain shrinking can feel scary—but it’s not a life sentence. The human brain is remarkably adaptable and resilient. With the right support, your hippocampus can recover, regenerate, and even grow stronger.
Under nurturing conditions—like regular exercise, restful sleep, a nutrient-rich diet, and emotional support—your brain can produce new cells and create healthier neural connections.
That means every positive choice you make today, from managing your stress to spending time with loved ones, has the power to protect your memory, lift your mood, and strengthen your brain for years to come.
Yes. In many cases, you can reverse it. Your hippocampus is one of the few areas in your brain that is capable of generating new cells throughout life in a process known as neurogenesis. With the right support, such as regular aerobic exercise, brain-healthy nutrition, treatment for depression, and brain-directed therapies, you can stimulate this growth and even restore lost volume.
No. While you can expect some natural slowdown with age, significant memory loss is not inevitable. Many of the factors that contribute to memory problems, like poor sleep, chronic stress, depression, and inactivity, are preventable and treatable.
With the right lifestyle changes and brain-healthy habits, it’s possible to maintain sharp memory and cognitive function well into your later years.
At Amen Clinics, we use brain SPECT imaging to evaluate blood flow and activity in the hippocampus and other regions of the brain. This technology allows us to see how well this vital area is functioning, which helps guide personalized, brain-directed treatment plans for better memory, mood, and overall brain health.
Memory loss, depression, and other mental health conditions can’t wait. At Amen Clinics, we provide personalized, science-backed treatment plans designed to target the root causes of your symptoms. Our 360-approach includes brain SPECT imaging, clinical evaluations, innovative therapeutic techniques, medications (when necessary), and holistic lifestyle recommendations to promote the health of your brain, body, and mind. Speak to a specialist today at 888-288-9834 or visit our contact page here.
Spalding, Kirsty L et al. “Dynamics of hippocampal neurogenesis in adult humans.” Cell vol. 153,6 (2013): 1219-1227. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2013.05.002
Dumitru I, et al. Identification of proliferating neural progenitors in the adult human hippocampus. Science, 389,58-63 (2025). DOI:10.1126/science.adu9575
Sheline, Y. I., Gado, M. H., & Kraemer, H. C. (2003). Untreated depression and hippocampal volume loss. American Journal of Psychiatry, 160(8), 1516–1518. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.160.8.1516
Khammissa, R. A. G., Nemutandani, S., Feller, G., Lemmer, J., & Feller, L. (2022). Burnout phenomenon: Neurophysiological factors, clinical features, and aspects of management. Journal of International Medical Research, 50(9), 03000605221106428. https://doi.org/10.1177/03000605221106428
Sexton, C. E., Zsoldos, E., Filippini, N., et al. (2019). Poor sleep quality is associated with smaller hippocampal volume in older adults. The Journal of Neuroscience, 39(33), 650–660.
Molteni, R., Barnard, R. J., Ying, Z., Roberts, C. K., & Gomez‑Pinilla, F. (2002). A high‑fat, refined sugar diet reduces hippocampal brain‑derived neurotrophic factor, neuronal plasticity, and learning. Neuroscience, 112(4), 803–814. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0306-4522(02)00123-9
Killgore, W. D. S., Olson, E. A., Weber, M., & Porta, M. (2015). Low-intensity daily walking activity is associated with larger hippocampal volume in older adults. Hippocampus, 25(10), 1348–1351. https://doi.org/10.1002/hipo.22397
Varma, V. R., Chuang, Y.-F., Harris, G. C., Tan, E. J., & Carlson, M. C. (2015). Low‑intensity daily walking activity is associated with larger hippocampal volume in older adults. Hippocampus, 25(5), 605–615. https://doi.org/10.1002/hipo.22397
Meda, Shashwath A et al. “Longitudinal Effects of Alcohol Consumption on the Hippocampus and Parahippocampus in College Students.” Biological psychiatry. Cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging vol. 3,7 (2018): 610-617. doi:10.1016/j.bpsc.2018.02.006
Cardona, Margalida, and Pilar Andrés. “Are social isolation and loneliness associated with cognitive decline in ageing?.” Frontiers in aging neuroscience vol. 15 1075563. 23 Feb. 2023, doi:10.3389/fnagi.2023.1075563
