In this article, Dr. Williams comments on evidence showing the benefits of optimizing sleep for improved cognitive function.
Article Links: Moderate, vigorous exercise boosts cognitive abilities for 24 hours
Brain boost from exercise and deep sleep lasts through the next day, recent research shows.
- Regular exercise is good for brain health.
- Past studies show the ‘boost’ the brain receives from physical activity normally peaks within the first 10 to 20 minutes.
- Researchers from University College London have now found that the exercise-caused improvement to cognitive performance may actually last for 24 hours.
- Scientists also linked sitting less and getting 6 or more hours of sleep to better memory test scores the next day.
Evidence points to the fact that regular exercise is good for overall health, including brain health. Past studies show that physical activity can possibly help lower a person’s risk for dementia — including Alzheimer’s disease — and cognitive decline, more broadly.
Previous research shows that the “boost” the brain receives from exercise typically peaks within the first 10 to 20 minutes.
Scientists also linked sitting less and getting 6 or more hours of sleep — especially additional REM sleep and deep sleep — to better memory test scores the next day.
MNT spoke with Vernon Williams, MD, a sports neurologist, and the founding director of the Center for Sports Neurology and Pain Medicine at Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute in Los Angeles, about this study.
Williams, who was not involved in the research, commented that the findings add to the data that seem to support mounting evidence of the benefits of activity and exercise to the brain.
“The fact that the study suggests longer duration — not just hours, but evidence of improvement into the following day — is […] noteworthy,” he told us.
“It seems very clear that the more we look and the more it’s formally studied, the more we find evidence that optimizing sleep and physical activity /exercise are beneficial — not just for physical health, but for cognitive health and function as well. Anything we can do to improve the brain’s functions — including how we think, act, and behave — key aspects of who we are and how we interact with our loved ones and the world in general — is important.”
– Vernon Williams, MD
Williams also said he would “like to see this kind of study replicated and findings confirmed in larger numbers or participants.”
He added: “I’d like to see how we can educate and inform the public (and physicians) in ways that change behavior — and result in the benefits suggested by the study. There are a host of questions and opportunities for research that can benefit individuals and society as a whole around the concept of the effects of sleep and exercise on cognition. It’s exciting!”
Read the full article here.
