Physical exercise improves memory, according to a study
Although we know that physical exercise has multiple benefits that apply to the cardiovascular system, the endocrine system, the skeletal muscle ... little is known about the relationship between sport and the cognitive system. Now a recent study by the Radboud University, The Netherlands, has discovered another benefit of sports practice: the improvement of memory.
Improve your memory with physical exercise
To demonstrate the benefits of physical exercise in memory, a sample of 72 volunteers was taken and they were made to learn 90 associations between images and locations during a time of approximately 40 minutes. Subsequently the members of this study were randomly assigned into three groups: some practiced a sport immediately, another four hours later after learning and the last one did not do any kind of activity.
Said physical exercise consisted of 35 minutes of cycling activity at an intensity of up to 80% of the maximum heart rate of the participants. At 48 hours after the practice of this sport the members of the study had to demonstrate what they remembered of those associations while their brains were scanned with an MRI.
More memory after exercise
The results of this small examination 48 hours after the practice of the exercise showed that those who did some physical activity four hours after their learning session conserved the information better two days later than those who did exercise immediately or remained sedentary.
The magnetic resonances also showed that exercise four hours after the learning occurred, was related to more precise representations in the hippocampus, an important area of the brain when it comes to assimilating knowledge and retaining it. In short, performing some type of sport in the hours after the study contributes to the improvement of long-term memory.
However, as stated by Sinc Fernández, one of the responsible for this study, these data must be collected with caution since "more research is required to better verify the relationship of the study and the exercise, and to understand how they can be benefit more memories. " In fact, although in some way it has been shown that sport favors the development of memory, we still do not know the way in which this mechanism acts or which is the process that explains it.
Other tricks to improve memory
While physical exercise can help develop a better memory, it is not the only way to do it. There are other techniques that can favor the retention of contents and help in the study. Here are some of these tips for your brain that can help you in this regard:
- Attention first: If you do not attend to what you are learning, it will hardly stay in our memory. Avoid elements that can distract the mind as mobiles and other objects that turn our attention away from what is being learned.
- Divide the study sessions: Trying to learn everything in one sitting can suppose a didactic embarrassment for our memory. Dividing learning into several sessions over time will help long-term content retention.
- Rest: Like any other machinery, our mind requires maintenance. This supposes that it has to rest after long sessions so as not to be saturated with contents and end up working badly. Sleeping enough hours and getting distracted in other less serious matters after the study is a good idea.
Damián Montero
