Why exercise is needed not only for your body, but also for your brain

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Five good reasons to get active today.

Scientists predict A Potential Decline in Life Expectancy in the United States in the 21st Century that sedentary lifestyles will lead to fewer and worse lives for future generations. And it's not just about physical health: lack of movement also negatively affects the functioning of the brain.

However, there is a chance to change everything with aerobic exercise: running, jumping, cycling and swimming. They contribute to the influence of physical fitness and exercise upon cognitive functioning: a meta-analysis to improve cognitive functions and protect against age-related diseases associated with their decline. We figure out what exactly happens in our head during sports.

1. Brain activity increases

Nerve cells communicate Action potentials and synapses with each other chemically and electrically. Sometimes electrical impulses can excite entire networks of neurons at the same time - this is how brain waves are formed. They vary in frequency and are associated with our emotional state and type of mental activity.

Low-frequency waves occur when we do something automatically: brush our teeth, ride in a vehicle, or just sleep. High frequency waves, or beta waves, appear when we are engaged in vigorous mental activity. They are associated with attention, memory and information processing.

The researchers found that aerobic exercise caused a shift in the amplitude and frequency of brain waves. There are more beta waves, which means that the person is more focused and focused at this moment.

It turns out that exercise puts you on high alert: the more active you are, the more attentive and smart you become. Therefore, after training is the best time to learn, make decisions and generate ideas.

2. The brain becomes more receptive to information

This fact was verified by studying the effect of aerobic exercise on the activity of the visual cortex of the brain. It accepts and processes information about the environment, allows you to focus on its most significant characteristics - for example, those that may indicate the presence of danger - and discard anything less important and distracting.

Studies have shown Acute Exercise Modulates Feature-Selective Responses in Human Cortex that cycling enhances this brain's ability to filter and discriminate.

Also, after training, the subjects passed several cognitive tests. For example, scientists have measured the flicker flicker frequency - this is the rate at which light blinks at which it begins to look like a constant continuous radiation. It turned out that a person's visual perception really improves and after exercise he is able to recognize more frequent flickering.

This means that sport helps us to be more attention to detail and not lose concentration. An active person focuses better on the task without being distracted by background noise, but at the same time he can notice the problems that have arisen and respond to them faster.

3. Balance of brain functions is maintained

During exercise, the brain absorbs glucose or other carbohydrates. Scientists have discovered Acute Modulation of Cortical Glutamate and GABA Content by Physical Activity that it uses some of this "fuel" to create neurotransmitters, or neurotransmitters, chemicals that transmit impulses in the nervous system.

Thus, the brain replenishes its reserves, which it would need to function properly in an emergency - in the event of a long period of hunting, flight from danger or war.

Exercise increases levels of glutamate and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). These are two of the most important neurotransmitters in the brain that it needs to function optimally. Glutamate is an excitatory neurotransmitter, and its deficiency is accompanied by lethargy, absent-mindedness and apathy. Lack of GABA, on the other hand, leads to anxiety, headache and insomnia. It is an inhibitory neurotransmitter responsible for composure, focus, and calmness.

In addition, during physical activity, the number of neurotransmitters increases in areas of the brain where they are usually low in people with depression. This means that exercise can help you fight depression and look at life in a more positive way.

4. The brain is getting younger

In the brain of a person involved in sports, several processes take place that postpone aging.

First, exercise increases the production of substances that fuel new neurons and help existing ones survive. They also promote Insulin-like growth factor I is required for vessel remodeling in the adult brain to increase the number of blood vessels through which nutrients are delivered to young cells. Active people have more strong and healthy vessels. The effect of exercise on the cerebral vasculature of healthy aged subjects as visualized by MR angiography, therefore, the brain is usually younger.

These structural changes usually take several weeks. But they do lead to lasting improvements in areas of the brain associated with solving cognitive tasks. For example, aerobic exercise stimulates neurogenesis - the process of making neurons - in the hippocampus. And the hippocampus is responsible for memory.

In addition, in older people who play sports, the volume of gray matter in areas associated with general intelligence and the most important function of the brain - executive, increases. And in active adults, there is a more coherent white matter in the basal ganglia, which are responsible for coordination.

This means that sports reduce a multicenter controlled study for dementia prevention through physical, cognitive and social activities - GESTALT-kompakt the risk of developing dementia, Alzheimer's disease and other memory and thinking impairments that may accompany aging of the brain. If you want to keep a clear mind with age - go in for sports.

5. New connections appear between neurons

Over time, exercise can not only increase the number of neurons in the brain, but also change the way they communicate. One study, Differences in Resting State Functional Connectivity between Young Adult Endurance Athletes and Healthy Controls, found that cross-country athletes had stronger connections between brain regions involved in memory, attention, decision-making, multitasking, and sensory processing. information. In the same areas, with an inactive lifestyle, neural connections are usually severely damaged with age.

The connections between neurons, which are activated when a person runs - chooses a route, tries not to stumble and maintain a pace - are gradually strengthening. They remain strong even at rest. In addition, scientists have found that runners have weakened connections in the area of the brain associated with loss of attention, which means that their concentration skills increase.

It turns out that sports have a long-term positive effect: you not only can better solve mental problems immediately after training, but become smarter in principle. And if you are active enough, this ability only improves over the years.

Sports are not a magic pill to make you smarter. But it will help your brain become healthier and more active, and you will be more attentive, judicious and happier.