Dr Sui H. Wong MD FRCP
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Award-winning Neurologist (Medical Doctor for 25years) | Bestselling Author | Holistic
🍫 How to eat chocolate so it works for your brain, not against it
I’m a Neurologist and Medical Doctor of 26 years.
Here’s what I do to protect my brain.
📍 Why eat cocoa/chocolate
Cocoa is rich in something called flavanols, which relaxes the blood vessels feeding your brain.
This is like widening the roads so more oxygen reaches the cells doing the thinking! (Gratton 2020).
In adults aged 50–69, three months of high-flavanol cocoa even improved a memory test (Brickman 2014).
📍 How to avoid the downsides
1️⃣ Sugar
Go dark, 70%+ cocoa.
Over 70% cocoa = more flavanols (the good parts for the brain) + less sugar.
That way, you get the hit from a square or two — not a whole bar of candy.
2️⃣ Mindless Eating
Slow down and let one square melt on your tongue.
This turns a snack into a small nervous-system reset! Savouring → nudges you toward “rest and digest”.
3️⃣ Bad timing
Chocolate contains caffeine and theobromine.
A late-night square can affect deep sleep, which is foundational for brain resilience.
Important note: for some people chocolate is a migraine trigger, and caffeine sensitivity varies a lot. Notice your own response and adjust.
Which tip is most useful for you: the dark swap, slow savouring, or timing?
Comment NEWS to sign up to my Thursday Tips newsletter for more bitesize brain health tips
Also, enjoy it! 🍫🙌
Dr Sui Wong
Neurologist · Brain Health Advocate • creator of the BRA(i)NS® Method
Helping people build a brain health ecosystem for sustained energy, focus and peak performance.
References: Gratton et al (2020); Brickman et al (2014) PMID: 33235219, 25344629
Educational content. Not medical advice.
23/05/2026
🛌 The weekend lie-in might be working against you.
You wake at 6:30 all week. Saturday comes, you sleep till 10. Feels like catching up.
But to your brain, you’ve just flown several time zones west. And on Monday, you fly back. No airport required.
There’s a name for this: social jet lag.
The gap between your weekday and weekend sleep timing, linked to mood dips and metabolic strain.
📍The brain science bit
At the base of your brain sits your master clock, the suprachiasmatic nucleus, a conductor keeping your gut, hormones and metabolism playing in time.
Give it a steady beat and everything synchronises. A different wake time every day, and the music falls apart.
Regularity matters as much as total hours (Phillips 2017).
📍3 ways to close the gap
1️⃣ Keep one wake time, weekends included.
Within ~30 min of your weekday time.
Still tired? A 20–30 min nap before 2pm beats a lie-in, because lying in is what shifts the clock.
2️⃣ Get morning light early.
10–20 min outdoors within an hour of waking sets the rhythm and lifts alertness, partly via a healthy cortisol rise (Leproult 2001).
3️⃣ Guard your wind-down.
Dim the lights from around 8pm. Steady both ends, and the rhythm holds.
Important note: one ragged weekend won’t harm your brain — your body recovers well, and the worry costs more than the lie-in.
But if poor sleep is a persistent pattern, or you snore heavily or wake gasping, please see your doctor to rule out sleep apnoea.
So, what time did you wake last Saturday — and how far was it from your weekday alarm? 👇
Dr Sui Wong
Neurologist · Brain Health Advocate • creator of the BRA(i)NS® Method
Helping you build brain resilience and balance your nervous system, through science you can actually use.
References:
Phillips et al. (2017) PMID: 28607474
Wong et al. (2015) PMID: 26580236
Leproult et al. (2001) PMID: 11231993
Educational content. Not medical advice.
👉Join my Free BRA(i)NS® Clarity Community for more brain health tips. Link in comment.
3 steps to a healthy snack for brain energy, enjoy!
20/05/2026
Support Danielle’s fundraising for myaware - incredible inspiring woman, a fantastic and wonderful charity for people living with Myasthenia Gravis.
Danielle’s justgiving: https://www.justgiving.com/page/danielle-tobias-12
20/05/2026
Support Danielle's fundraising for myaware - incredible inspiring woman, a fantastic and wonderful charity for people living with Myasthenia Gravis.
Danielle's justgiving: https://www.justgiving.com/page/danielle-tobias-12
❓ Wired, tired, slow, or in flow? Most high achievers cycle through all four in a week.
There are two games behind sustained flow:
👉The Physical Game (the biological foundations your brain runs on)
👉The Mental Game (how well your nervous system regulates). Most people are only playing one well. That's the gap.
📣 Free live masterclass: Your Peak Performance Brain Masterclass. Plus a show-up bonus for those who join live: my Sleep Anchor Method™ audio guide.
💬 Comment “CLASS” to secure your free seat now, limited places.
15/08/2024
A few simple changes can make a big difference!
Here are some tips to help you create a sleep-friendly space:
🛏️ Make your bedroom cool, dark, and quiet for a peaceful night’s sleep.
💤 Choose comfortable bedding that supports restful sleep.
📱 Try to unplug from screens before bedtime to help your body wind down naturally.
🌿 Consider aromatherapy with calming scents like lavender or chamomile.
As I share in my book:
“Managing migraines requires a multifaceted approach: This involves lifestyle modifications, dietary changes, stress management techniques, and environmental adjustments.”
These approaches can play a significant role in improving both sleep quality and migraine management.
Link to my book in the bio.
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