Neurologists and other members of the medical community are paying special attention to emotional wellness as their understanding of its role in disease deepens. In my practice, I see many people with neck pain, back pain, and tension-type headaches, and I often speak to them about the mind-body connection. Many of them have already made the association and tune in to how their bodies feel through meditation, mindfulness, biofeedback, and other tools, all of which may help minimize stress and control pain.

The subject of emotional well-being has become more important in the past few years as reported cases of anxiety and depression have increased significantly worldwide during the COVID-19 pandemic, spurring a global conversation about the role of stress in daily living. Emotional Wellness Month, observed in October, reinforces the idea that psychological health is a vital component of brain health—a message we always aim to convey.

One feature in this issue focuses on getting sufficient sleep as a way to ease stress. While you may already appreciate the value of shut-eye, you may not know how daylight saving time (which ends this year on November 6 at 2 a.m.) disrupts it. In “Sleep Experts Explain How Daylight Saving Time Affects Health,” sleep neurologists and other experts explain how the change from standard time to daylight saving time contributes to a higher incidence of heart attacks, mood disorders, and car accidents. They also note that daylight saving time's misalignment with human circadian biology (the body's internal clock) is associated with greater risk of cardiovascular disease and other health concerns. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine's official position on the matter is that seasonal time changes should be abolished.

Indeed, sleep has been added to the American Heart Association's “Life's Essential 8” campaign, as was announced at the recent Brain Health Summit convened by the American Academy of Neurology (AAN). This inaugural event was held in Washington, DC, on September 15, which was also designated as National Brain Health Day by the U.S. Congress in a resolution the AAN worked to introduce. Experts came together to discuss, among other topics, the link between psychological and physical health and how social determinants like access to education and medical care, economic stability, and environment affect brain health.

Several members of the Brain & Life editorial board attended, including associate editor Sarah Song, MD, FAAN, who spoke about the effectiveness of interventions, rehabilitation, and recovery in preserving the brain health of older adults. Daniel J. Correa, MD, MSc, FAAN, co-host of the new Brain & Life podcast, shared ways to maintain independence and achieve fulfillment later in life. If you have not yet subscribed to our podcast series, visit BrainandLife.org/Podcast. Dr. Correa and co-host Audrey Nath, MD, PhD, recently aired a timely episode about sleep hygiene and how it contributes to brain health. Other episodes have featured celebrity guests such as Soledad O'Brien, whose son has hearing loss, and Marilu Henner, who has an exceptional memory.

Our magazine continues to emphasize good lifestyle habits and their role in preventing neurologic disease. In this issue's Healthy Living, we review the latest research on intermittent fasting and look at how best to use patient portals to communicate with your neurologist. We also profile a cyclist with peripheral neuropathy who rode cross-country last summer to educate the public about the disease and raise funds for research. In our cover feature, former U.S. representative Gabby Giffords describes how music is part of her speech therapy for aphasia. I loved seeing her on PBS NewsHour in March playing Simon and Garfunkel's “The Sound of Silence” on the French horn with cellist Yo-Yo Ma in memory of lives lost to gun violence.

We will update you on the AAN's brain health initiative in future issues and online. We also will continue to include stories and advice on how to enhance and safeguard brain health.

Wishing you a healthy fall,

Orly Avitzur, MD, MBA, FAAN, Editor-in-Chief