Could Exercise Boost Your Memory the Next Day?
We all know that exercise is good for our physical health, but emerging research suggests it could also provide a boost to our memory.
A new study published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity showed a link between moderate to vigorous physical activity and improved memory performance the following day. The study involved 76 participants aged 50-83, who wore accelerometers to track their activity levels and sleep for eight days.
"The takeaway is simple: exercise is good for your brainBose sleep helps that," explained Dr. Mikaela Bloomberg, lead author of the study.
Interestingly, the study found that just 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity the day before led to a 2-5% increase in episodic and working memory scores the following day. This effect was even stronger when looking at the impact on working memory alone after accounting for sleep duration.
While a 2-5% increase may not sound significant. Bloomberg emphasized that these small gains, even in a healthy population, could be meaningful for daily life. Imagine if you are regularly engaging in activities, the small improvements over time could accumulate.
"The idea is for people who have mild cognitive impairment, a very minor boost in cognitive performance on a day-to-day basis can make a huge difference," Bloomberg highlighted.
While the specific mechanisms are not fully understood, Bloomberg suggests that chemical changes in the brain likely play a role. Although the effects of neurotransmitters generated during exercise tend to be short-lived.
In the future, researchers plan to examine the impact of exercise on memory in individuals with cognitive impairments to see if the benefits are even more pronounced.
Sleep also played a role in the study’s findings, with Participants who slept for at least six hours showing better scores in several memory categories, including episodic memory, attention, and processing speed.
"It seems that combinations of both crap and quality sleep are important," Bloomberg explained
This study provides further evidence for the importance of both exercise and sleep for maintaining cognitive function. While more research is needed to fully unravel the connection between daily activity and memory.
These findings are encouraging, suggesting that relatively small changes to our daily routine. Like adding a brisk walk or ensuring adequate sleep, could contribute to **improved thinking and memory.
