HOW DOES EXERCISE IMPROVE COGNITIVE FUNCTION IN AGING PEOPLE?
We usually think a lot before deciding to commit to
exercising, because you know that exercising is good for you, but do you know
how?.
We have to
think again about how important exercise is not only to get fit, lose weight,
or even change the shape of the body but also to reap its mental benefits.
It is well
known that your mind controls your body and directs it to perform most of its
actions.
In order to
boost your mood and improve your cognitive ability, find out how exercise can
improve that.
What is cognition?:
cognition is
the brain's processing of information that comes from the senses, so the
complex central nervous system determines, organizes, and interprets information
to understand the world around us.
This
processing takes place outside the awareness of the human being, and this
sensory process is considered individual, so many people face the same
situation, but they perceive it in a different way from the other.
cognition
and sensation are closely related, and they can never be separated because
they are part of a single and continuous process.
Why does memory begin to weaken in menopause?
Over the
years, the nerve cells gradually diminish and the blood supply to the brain
decreases due to the general deterioration of the blood circulation. These two
factors speed up the death of brain cells and reduce the activity of cells that
did not die. The brain begins to decline, intellectual capacity declines, and
memory is damaged.
In addition,
the part of the brain responsible for memory - the hippocampus - begins to
shrink with age, causing damage to memory and the ability to spatial
orientation.
How does physical activity improves cognitive function?:
There is a
close link between regular exercise and improved brain function in old age, this
is the conclusion of a new study that confirmed that the regular, intense
practice of sports in children and adults led to an improvement in cognitive performance after fifty, it also showed that exercise, albeit at a
low pace, is able to be of benefit in improving cognition at an advanced age.
According to
Alex Dregan, Professor of Epidemiology
and Public Health at King's College London Exercise is an essential component
of a lifestyle to prevent cognitive decline, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer, as well as to reduce the social and personal burden associated with
these diseases that have become so prevalent in the modern era.
In elderly
people who exercised for a year, the researchers found that the hippocampus
renewed its growth and stopped contracting, which led to the strengthening of
memory and concentration.
The study,
published in the Journal of Psychiatry, is one of the first to measure the
impact of lifelong exercise on the brain. Nine thousand people aged between
eleven and fifty years participated in the study, while the data were collected
through face-to-face interviews to mitigate the possibility of inaccurate
statistics. The researchers used memory and brain function as a predictor of
cognitive awareness.
The study
concluded that the participants who exercised weekly, whether young or old,
performed better in tests of memory, learning, attention, and reasoning,
especially those in their fifties, compared to their counterparts who exercised
two or three times a month.
The bottom line:
Even though
our brain is not a muscle, new studies show that being physically active can
help boost memory and focus a lot in middle age.
That's why
health programs recommend that adults between the ages of 19 and 64 get at
least 150 minutes of exercise a week.
As you know
a healthy mind resides in a healthy body, but not everyone can do 150 minutes
per week of physical activity. For them, any level of activity may benefit
their cognitive long-term.
0 comments:
Post a Comment