Research has shown that we benefit from short-term cognitive boosts in the hours after we exercise, but now, new research of 76 participants wearing activity trackers led by University College London (UCL) published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity shows that the benefit to cognitive performance improvement persists throughout the following day.
Cognitive Boosts From Exercise
After adjusting for a variety of factors and accounting for levels of activity and sleep quality across the 8-day study period, the researchers found that on average those between the ages of 50 to 83 years old who did more moderate to vigorous physical activity than usual on a given day experienced cognitive boosts, performing better on memory testing the following day. Additionally, less time spent sitting and getting 6 or more hours of sleep was also linked to better performance on memory tests the following day.
“Our findings suggest that the short-term memory benefits (cognitive boosts) of physical activity may last longer than previously thought, possibly to the next day instead of just the few hours after exercise. Getting more sleep, particularly deep sleep, seems to add to this memory improvement,” said lead author Dr Mikaela Bloomberg (UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care).
“Moderate or vigorous activity means anything that gets your heart rate up — this could be brisk walking, dancing or walking up a few flights of stairs. It doesn’t have to be structured exercise,” explained Bloomberg adding that: “This was a small study and so it needs to be replicated with a larger sample of participants before we can be certain about the results.”
Increases Blood Flow
Exercise increases blood flow to the brain and stimulates the release of neurotransmitters like dopamine and norepinephrine which help cognitive functions by providing cognitive boosts. These changes can last up to a few hours following exercise, however, other cognitive boosts from these neurochemical changes in other brain states can be more long-lasting such as mood enhancement for up to 24 hours.
A previous study conducted in 2016 had similar results regarding cognitive boosts, finding more synchronized activity in the hippocampus for 48 hours after participants engaged in (HIIT) high-intensity interval training cycling.
Maintaining Cognitive Function
“Among older adults, maintaining cognitive function is important for good quality of life, wellbeing, and independence. It’s therefore helpful to identify factors that can affect cognitive health on a day-to-day basis,” said co-author Professor Andrew Steptoe (UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care). “This study provides evidence that the immediate cognitive benefits of exercise may last longer than we thought. It also suggests good sleep quality separately contributes to cognitive performance.”
“However, we can’t establish from this study whether these short-term boosts to cognitive performance contribute to longer-term cognitive health and though there is plenty of evidence to suggest physical activity might slow cognitive decline and reduce dementia risk, it’s still a matter of some debate,” added Steptoe.
According to the researchers, “..more moderate or vigorous physical activity compared to a person’s average was linked to better working memory and episodic memory (memory of events) the next day. More sleep overall was linked to improved episodic and working memory and psychomotor speed (a measure of how quickly a person detects and responds to the environment). More slow-wave sleep was linked to better episodic memory. Conversely, more time spent being sedentary than usual was linked to worse working memory the next day.”
*Slow-wave sleep was given this name based on characteristic brain waves observed during this stage of sleep. This deep, restorative sleep is where a person’s heart rate slows and blood pressure decreases.
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References/Sources/Materials provided by:
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2024/dec/short-term-cognitive-boost-exercise-may-last-24-hours
