A 20-minute exercise can reduce the effects of insufficient sleep on the brain. The research was published in the journal Physiology and Behavior.
It is recommended that adults get seven to nine hours of sleep a night, but recent research shows that 40% of the world’s population suffers from sleep deprivation. Consequences of chronic sleep deficiency include cardiovascular disease, obesity, neurodegenerative disorders and depression. In the short term, lack of sleep can negatively impact a person’s ability to reason and concentrate.
24 people participated in the new study. In the first experiment, participants slept for five hours over three consecutive nights, similar to the living conditions of shift workers or parents with young children. In the second experiment, people were sleep-deprived for a day and then placed in oxygen-deficient conditions; Mountaineers and skiers often encounter similar situations.
In both cases, all participants experienced improvements in cognitive function after stationary cycling for 20 minutes. Scientists say heavier exercise can worsen stress from sleep deprivation and further reduce mental performance.
Interestingly, reducing sleep duration to five hours a night for three days had different effects on participants’ brain function. This may mean that some people are more resilient to mild to moderate sleep deprivation. However, moderate exercise improved the performance of all participants.
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