After a restless night, 20 minutes of exercise can improve brain function.
It is advised that individuals need between seven and nine hours of sleep every night in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle. However, new analyses show that 40% of people worldwide don’t receive enough
Chronic sleep deprivation can lead to depression, obesity, neurological diseases and cardiovascular disease. Short-term cognitive performance (CP) reduction from sleep deprivation affects your emotional mood, emotional stability and attention span.
University of Portsmouth researcher says moderate-intensity exercise enhances cognitive function regardless of oxygen saturation or sleep quality.
Research has shown that exercise preserves or enhances cognitive function even in the presence of low oxygen levels. This is according to Dr. Joe Costello of the University’s School of Sport, Health & Exercise Science. However, this is the first study to demonstrate that it also improves cerebral palsy following hypoxia in addition to sleep deprivation, whether total or partial.
The results strengthen the notion that movement is a form of treatment for the body and the brain and greatly advance our understanding of the connection between these stresses and exercise.
The research, which was published in Physiology and Behavior, comprised two trials with a total of 24 individuals (12 per experiment). The first studied how partial sleep deprivation affected an individual’s cognitive function, while the second looked at the combined effects of hypoxia and complete sleep deprivation. After 20 minutes of cycling in both cases, cognitive performance improved for every participant.
The research, which was published in Physiology and Behavior, comprised two trials with a total of 24 individuals (12 per experiment). The first studied how partial sleep deprivation affected an individual’s cognitive function while the second looked at the combined effects of hypoxia and complete sleep deprivation. After 20 minutes of cycling in both cases, cognitive performance improved for every participant.
We chose to do a moderate intensity program as advised by the literature since we were considering exercise as a good intervention. Dr. Costello said that Exercise length or difficulty might have increased the negative effects and turned it into a stressor in and of itself.
In the first trial, people were only permitted five hours of sleep every night for three days. They would be given seven tasks to do each morning, first while at rest and then while pedaling. They were also asked to assess their drowsiness and mood prior to performing the activities.
The findings demonstrated that there were erratic effects on executive functioning following three nights of partial sleep. The study suggests that one possible explanation for this might be that certain individuals may be more tolerant of a modest to moderate sleep deficiency. Regardless of sleep condition moderate-intensity exercise enhanced performance across all activities.
