Watching what you eat, getting enough sleep, and managing stress levels isn’t only good for your physical health but your brain health as well. Natural methods include oral storytelling, learning new skills, and engaging in brain teasers like Sudoku or chess can also help. Getting active is another memory enhancer tactic. In fact, new research indicates that moderate exercise can give you a 24-hour memory boost and strengthen your attention span—here's how many minutes you need to clock in per day.
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A routine workout schedule can sharpen your memory.
A new peer-reviewed study published in the journal International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity found that “a lifestyle including MVPA [moderate-to-vigorous physical activity] alongside healthy sleep habits may contribute to supporting daily cognitive function for older adults.” More specifically, maintaining a steady workout schedule can be an “intervention” for promoting longevity.
“Our findings suggest that the short-term memory benefits of physical activity may last longer than previously thought, possibly to the next day, instead of just the few hours after exercise,” said lead study author Mikaela Bloomberg, a senior research fellow at the University College London Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care, in a press release.
Daily moderate exercise is linked to higher "working memory scores."
A total of 76 British adults between the ages of 50 and 83, without a history of memory impairment or dementia, participated in the study. For eight days, participants wore fitness trackers and completed daily brain tests that assessed their attention, memory, psychomotor speed, executive function, and processing speed. With that data, researchers evaluated the following variables:
- Physical activity levels (moderate-to-vigorous, light, or sedentary)
- Minutes spent in each physical activity level
- Sleep characteristics (overnight sleep duration, time spent in rapid eye movement [REM] sleep, and slow wave sleep [SWS]
Although small in scope, researchers saw a noticeable difference in memory performance among participants who logged at least 30 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise. These individuals earned higher “working memory scores.” Additionally, clocking six or more hours of sleep per night boosted next-day cognitive function, including attention span.
Conversely, low working memory scores were associated with sedentary lifestyles. “Getting more sleep, particularly deep sleep, seems to add to this memory improvement,” added Bloomberg.
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How to increase your moderate-to-vigorous activity levels.
“Moderate or vigorous activity means anything that gets your heart rate up,” explained Bloomberg in the press release. “This could be brisk walking, dancing, or walking up a few flights of stairs. It doesn’t have to be structured exercise.”
According to the American Heart Association (AHA), moderate-intensity forms of exercise include:
- Water aerobics
- Gardening
- Tennis, doubles
- Biking (slower than 10 miles per hour)
What’s the difference between moderate and vigorous exercises, you ask? With vigorous activity, “you won’t be able to talk much without getting out of breath,” says the AHA. Some examples include:
- Hiking uphill
- Running
- Swimming laps
- Vigorous aerobic dancing
- Tennis, singles
- Cycling (10 miles per hour or faster)
- Jumping rope
The science behind it.
“Exercise also promotes neuroplasticity, the brain's ability to form new connections and reorganize itself,” added Vernon Williams, MD, sports neurologist and founding director of the Center for Sports Neurology and Pain Medicine at Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute in Los Angeles.
The takeaway.
Evidence suggests that increasing the length and intensity of working out can improve memory performance for 24 hours. However, more research is needed to fully understand the relationship between exercise and sleep with cognitive function. “This was a small study and so it needs to be replicated with a larger sample of participants before we can be certain about the results,” said Bloomberg.
