2023-07-07 20:30:01
It’s well known: practicing physical activity promotes better quality sleep. The problem? This bad habit negates the benefits of exercise on the brain, according to a new British study.
Regular physical activity is the key to staying healthy. But its many positive effects on the brain are undermined by a bad habit. In any case, this is what British scientists from Imperial College London (UCL) say.
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In a news study, the latter looked at the benefits of exercise on the brain. Over the course of their research, they found that a precise dose of sleep is essential to protect against cognitive decline. It should be noted that this study concerns middle-aged people.
To carry out their study, the scientists analyzed data from the English longitudinal study on aging (Elsa), specifies Femme Actuelle. In total, the specialists evaluated for 10 years the cognitive functions of nearly 9000 people aged 50 and over.
Participants were tested for memory and verbal fluency. For their part, the authors of the study provided information on their sleep duration and their level of physical activity.
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Sleep and exercise go hand in hand
Result: people practicing sports regularly had better cognitive functions even if they slept little. However, some of them lost this characteristic at the end of the study.
Thus, very active people between the ages of 50 and 70 who slept an average of less than six hours a night ended up with the same cognitive levels as participants who did not do any physical activity, notes Femina magazine.
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“Our study suggests that getting enough sleep may be essential to reaping the full cognitive benefits of physical activity,” said the lead author of the study, which was published in The Lancet Healthy Longevity journal.
Before adding: “Our study shows how important it is to take into account both sleep and physical activity when thinking about cognitive health”.
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