How to Rewire Your Brain at Any Age: Dr. David Bardsley on Beating Cognitive Decline (S3:E6)

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About Dr. David Bardsley

Dr. David Bardsley is a neuroscientist, author, and sought-after speaker on cognitive performance and brain health. His journey began at age 58 after a “senior moment” in a grocery store and just weeks after his mother’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis. Since then, he’s dedicated his life to understanding and teaching how lifestyle factors like sleep, movement, gut health, and stress management can dramatically improve mental clarity, memory, and long-term cognitive function.

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Episode Highlights:

What do you do when your brain starts slowing down, your memory slips more often, and stress, sleep, and age begin to dull your edge? If you're Dr. David Bardsley, you don’t accept decline as inevitable. You study it, overcome it, and teach others to do the same.

In this episode of Business Unchained, Bobby Mascia sits down with Dr. Bardsley for a fascinating and incredibly relatable conversation about brain health, memory, and how we can all stay mentally sharp well into our later years. It all started with a moment in a grocery store when Dr. Bardsley forgot a simple five-digit number. It felt small at the time, but it hit him hard. Especially since just two weeks earlier, he was sitting with his mom as she received a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s. That moment sent him on a journey that hasn’t stopped since.

[01:31] “You want your health span, wealth span, and lifespan to all be the same. You don't want your health span to last until you're 95 and your money runs out at 85." — Dr. David Bardsley

Dr. Bardsley breaks down why so many of us start to lose our edge in our thirties and forties, and how the latest neuroscience is proving that we can actually improve brain function at any age. He shares what really affects your brain on a day-to-day basis, like sleep, stress, exercise, even the temperature of your bedroom, and why most people underestimate how much control they actually have.

[14:07] "If you don't get adequate sleep, you're not as smart the next day. It's just that simple." — Dr. David Bardsley

[36:45] “The No. 1 cause of suicide in adult males in the U.S. is financial crisis. And it all starts with unaddressed stress.”— Dr. David Bardsley

Whether you’re running a business, managing a family, or just trying to keep your edge in a high-pressure world, this episode gives you a ton of insight and real-life tools you can start using right away. Let’s dive in.

In this episode:

• [00:00] Introduction
• [02:21] Memory lapse and motivation
• [05:00] Cognitive decline is not inevitable
• [10:05] Alcohol’s effect on the brain
• [13:08] Sleep and cognitive performance
• [20:16] Caffeine, adenosine, and sleep pressure
• [22:13] Afternoon fatigue: naps vs. movement
• [33:55] Stress management and social support
• [36:31] Depression, stress, and suicide risk
• [41:02] Gut health, microbiome, and cognitive function
• [48:45] Probiotics vs. prebiotics
• [51:30] Identifying gut imbalance symptoms
• [53:46] Frequency of gut microbiome testing
• [56:03] Protecting your brain