Your brain peaks at the age of 30. That’s right. Your memory, critical thinking skills, motivation, energy, and brain volume begin to degrade 0.5 to 2% every year after briefly experiencing adulthood. Fortune brought attention to this topic last year, and the response has been volatile. In 2023, the National Institutes of Health BRAIN Initiative saw its budget increase by $60 million. Soon after, in March 2024, Congress approved an additional $100 million towards reducing memory cognition and brain volume decline. In this article, we’ll describe exactly how mental decline works, what causes it, and the recent innovations that not only limit mental decline, but reverse it.
Here’s what you can expect:
By your late 20s and into your 40s, maintaining concentration will become more challenging. Getting distracted becomes easier, and staying focused on tasks requires more effort.
As you move into your mid-30s and beyond, your decision-making becomes slower. This isn’t just a matter of being more cautious—it’s your brain processing complex information more slowly.
Between your 30s and 50s, you might start noticing small lapses in memory. This could be forgetting where you placed your keys or struggling to remember a new name. While these slips may seem minor, they’re often the first sign that your brain is beginning to change.
What maintains our neurons and brain?
Our brains are like delicate ecosystems, where neurons (the brain’s messengers) work together to keep everything running smoothly. But what connects and protects neurons? Those two properties are called myelins and synapses.
- Myelin: Think of myelin as the rubbery wrap around wires. It’s the fatty layer that wraps around the long threads of neurons. This helps electrical signals travel quickly and efficiently across nerve fibers—the brain’s communication highways.
- Synapses: If myelin is the rubber around the wire, then synapses are the wires connecting neurons together to communicate. These connections are vital for learning, memory, and everything else our brains do.
Why do our neurons fail?
Your myelin and synapses—essential for protecting and connecting neurons—begin to fail because the very system that maintains them, your nervous system, also begins to fail.
See, your nervous system controls the speed and efficiency of the electrical signals that your brain operates under (which is your mood). When the nervous system communicates through slower signals, you feel relaxed or sleepy; when it uses faster signals, you’re focused or energized. But as you age, the nervous system’s signal speed becomes inconsistent, breaking down 0.5 - 2% every year, disrupting your brain's operating speed and killing off your neurons, myelin, and synapses’ ability to function.
Learning becomes harder, distractions come easier, anxiety creeps in, sleep quality deteriorates, and feeling “young” and “resilient” slowly becomes obsolete. While everyone experiences varying symptoms, the gradual result of an aging brain remains the same.
What’s the solution?
Billions of dollars are being spent annually to solve one question: How can we make the nervous system naturally maintain itself to maximize total brain performance and recovery? In the last few years, an apparent answer started to emerge.
By simply copying and replicating the “correct” and “efficient” speed through a third-party stimulation, our brain and nervous system begins to naturally maintain and boost itself. A great example? Music. If we want to dance and feel energized, what do we do? We listen to fast and intense music! If we want to relax and settle down, what do we do? We listen to classical or meditative music. A recent study finding that attending music concerts adds 9 years to your life span aligns with this cognitive principle.
Is sound good enough?
No, a collective paper in 2022 analyzing hundreds of controlled audio stimulation experiments found that audio stimulation is effective at reducing the decline of memory cognition and brain volume loss, as well as boosting total neuroplasticity (vital for better mood, learning, and memory). Although the numerical improvements maintained between 5–15%, it wasn’t good enough to be considered revolutionary, playing a similar role to other healthy cognitive habits like eating healthy, exercising, working, or socializing. This is because the auditory cortex in the brain is weaker at encouraging neural blood flow, losing intensity as it passes through the thick skull and tissues.
Combining sound and light together
Scientists began layering soundscapes with other stimulation methods in an attempt to multiply the positive effects: magnetic stimulation, electrical impulses, lasers, pharmaceuticals (drugs), and more. In these observations, only one other sensory method had a significantly higher impact over others when combined with soundscapes: Light! By accurately combining the pace of light and sound together (like at a music concert), users began experiencing significantly better outcomes.
The best solution for maximizing brain performance and recovery
In 2019, MIT discovered that syncing light with soundscapes had near-revolutionary benefits for users. Audio-visual study results found an outstanding 76% reduction in the decline of memory cognition and a 69% decline in brain volume loss—a 40% increase over other methods. This was because light targets the visual cortex, the most active and high-processing part of the brain.
The leading organization, Cognito Therapeutics, very quickly received breakthrough designation by the FDA and has since completed two FDA sessions, passing over 40,000 sessions with 0 unanticipated adverse effects to users. Since then, several new discoveries have been made: Not only was light great at preventing mental decline, but it’s also been recorded to boost memory, thinking, and concentration by 20%, increase total neuroplasticity (your brain's ability to make new connections), and amplify the neurological benefits of existing healthy habits like exercise, working, and more by nearly 2x. New data estimates suggest that audio-visual stimulation could potentially save people an extra 20 years of mental aging if started early enough—ultimately maximizing the brain's total natural ability to perform and recover.
The Healyan System - The most advanced wearable for maximum performance and recovery.
At Healyan, we’ve taken the groundbreaking discoveries of light and sound to create a system designed to seamlessly integrate cutting-edge innovation into everyday life. The Healyan system is not just another wearable—it’s a carefully engineered experience that combines light and immersive soundscapes to elevate your focus, thinking, energy, relaxation, and sleep to the exact levels you’re seeking.
How does Healyan work?
The Healyan Glasses, designed by engineers, neuroscientists, and artists, combines the proven benefits of light stimulation with soundscapes — where fast flickering light boosts your focus, energy and physical performance, and slower lights keep you relaxed, sleepy, and physically recovering.
Headphones and soundscapes: The Healyan system allows you to use your own headphones so you maintain control over your experience.
When you use the Healyan system, it enhances your current state. If you’re trying to sleep, you sleep better. If you’re trying to focus and think better, you perform better. If you want to relax, get ready for mind-body balance. The Healyan Glasses and App host numerous playlists that specialize in fine-tuning you to your natural rhythms.
Why choose Healyan?
Unlike traditional methods that rely on sound or other isolated techniques, the Healyan System uses advanced controls and efficient design to accurately combine the power of light and sound for unmatched results. It’s not just about feeling better—it’s about seeing tangible improvements, including:
- Enhanced memory: Develop your long-term recall and stay effortlessly organized.
- Sharper focus and decision-making: Stay resilient to your goals, learn new skills with ease, and thrive under pressure.
- Faster, high-quality sleep: Fall asleep quickly, stay asleep longer, and wake up feeling fully restored.
- Improved relaxation: Recharge faster, lower stress levels, and enjoy feeling at ease.
- Better eye wellness: Reduce strain and fatigue while enhancing visual clarity and long-term eye health.
Are you sensitive to light?
If you’re sensitive to light, the Healyan System includes adjustable brightness levels from 0 to 100% to ensure you receive the most enjoyable and effective experience possible.
See what it’s like to use Healyan
The Healyan system is your gateway to a future where losing your edge isn’t an option. By investing in yourself now, you’re paving the way for a lifetime of sharper thinking, sleeping, seeing, relaxing, better decisions, and greater adaptability.
Visit the Healyan Homepage to see how Healyan can transform your life.
Sources
Payton, L. T. (2024, June 14). Your brain starts shrinking after 30. what you need to do next to Keep your mind sharp and clear. Fortune Well. https://fortune.com/well/2023/06/03/brain-shrinking/
Silva, M. (2023, December 27). Attending a concert every 2 weeks will add 9 years to your life, study finds. Digital Music News. https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2018/03/28/music-concert-gigs-nine-years/
Ito, E., Nouchi, R., Dinet, J., Cheng, C.-H., & Husebø, B. S. (2022, August 3). The effect of music-based intervention on general cognitive and executive functions, and episodic memory in people with mild cognitive impairment and dementia: A systematic review and meta-analysis of recent randomized controlled trials. Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland). https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9408548/
Basu, S. (2024, November 17). Visual Entrainment Improving Working Memory of Children With and Without ADHD/ASD: Preliminary Observations. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/09731342241252533
