Study: Lack of sleep negates the benefits of physical exercise on the brain
Exercising is one of the most important ways to keep your body healthy, as it has been shown to help prevent chronic disease, prolong life, stave off dementia and slow cognitive decline, and much more.
However, the amount of sleep you get may be just as important, at least when it comes to the benefits of exercise and how well your brain works, as you age, according to CNN.
In a new study, researchers discovered that people who get more frequent and intense physical activity, and who sleep less than 6 hours per night on average, experience faster general cognitive decline than people who sleep for a shorter period of time and who exercise infrequently.
“Our study suggests that getting enough sleep may be required for us to gain the full cognitive benefits of physical activity,” said the study’s lead author, Dr Michaela Bloomberg, a researcher in the Institute of Epidemiology and Healthcare at University College London.
“This shows how important it is to think about sleep and physical activity together when talking about cognitive health,” she said in a statement.
A man exercising on the beach (AP)
A 10-year study
Researchers followed nearly 9,000 adults over 10 years who were part of the English Longitudinal Study of Aging, a longitudinal study of people over the age of 50 funded by the UK government and the US National Institute on Aging. In addition to the initial work, participants undergo a follow-up interview and knowledge test every two years.
Anyone with dementia, or with test scores indicating cognitive decline, was excluded from the study.
Building on evidence from previous research, the new study found that people who had higher levels of physical activity and also slept between 6 and 8 hours each night had better cognitive function as they got older.
At the same time, less physical activity and poor sleep were independently associated with worse cognitive performance over time. In addition, sleeping less than 6 hours per night was associated with a faster rate of cognitive decline over time.
The more physically active group was less likely to smoke, drink, have depression or chronic disease, and had higher levels of education and wealth than the less active group.
With these benefits, at the end of 10 years, highly active people in their 50s and 60s who slept an average of less than 6 hours a night lost the benefits of regular exercise, they deteriorated more quickly and they had the same cognitive levels as people who didn’t exercise. Sports.
“We were surprised that regular physical activity may not always be enough to counteract the long-term effects of poor sleep on cognitive health,” Bloomberg said.
In addition, short sleepers in their 50s and 60s experienced faster cognitive decline than better sleepers, but only at a certain age. In people over the age of 70, the benefits of exercise on the brain were maintained, despite the lack of sleep.
“By age 70, the cognitive benefit associated with higher physical activity was preserved over the 10-year follow-up period,” the authors explain, without explaining why.
The researchers concluded, “Our findings indicate the importance of considering physical activity and sleep together, as these factors may combine in complex ways to influence cognitive pathways from the age of 50 onwards.”
2023-07-07 10:21:00
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