A scientific study revealed that practicing physical exercises activates memory and mental abilities for 24 hours.
The study, conducted by a research team from the University of Oxford and University College London, included 76 men and women aged between 50 and 83 years. As part of the experiment, they wore devices to measure physical activities for 8 days and were subjected to a series of memory and thinking tests.
The study, which was reported in the scientific journal Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, showed that volunteers who performed moderate to vigorous exercise more than usual recorded better results in memory tests until the next day after completing the exercises.
It has also become clear that sleeping for 6 hours or more at night, especially deep sleep, as well as spending less time resting and relaxing also helps improve mental abilities.
Researchers in the study reported by the website “Health Day”, which specializes in medical research, say that exercise increases blood flow to the brain and activates the secretion of some chemicals such as dopamine and norepinephrine, which enhance a series of cognitive functions of the brain.
The researchers stressed the need to conduct more studies to determine the extent of the effect of exercise on mental activities and brain health in the long term.