Lack of sleep has been linked to issues ranging from impaired concentration and memory loss to weight gain, depression, and even dementia. Sleep is crucial, so our standing advice is to get your head down.
On days when you can't get your full eight hours and brain fog makes even simple tasks feel challenging, you might think that a quick nap could help. New research, however, suggests that instead of hitting the hay, you might be better off hitting the bench press.
In a study recently published in the journal Physiology and Behaviour, researchers looked at the effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive performance. The participants were broken down into groups: those who had been partially deprived of sleep for three nights in a row, and those who had been completely deprived of sleep in the preceding night. All participants completed tests measuring their executive functioning skills (science talk for your brain's ability to perform tasks such a decision making, reasoning and maths problems, as well as reaction times).
The subjects were tested three times: once when fully rested, once after sleep deprivation, and finally in a sleep deprived state but following 20 minutes of moderate activity.
The Results
The study concluded that while sleep deprivation greatly diminished the participants' cognitive abilities, a bout of short, moderate intensity exercise was able to significantly improve executive functioning, bringing cognitive skills back up, despite the lack of sleep.
Scientists are unsure of the exact mechanism, as common wisdom might dictate that exercising should simply make you feel more tired, but the evidence suggests that 20-30 minutes of moderate exercise — such as a steady run, a bike ride or a bodyweight circuit — could be the perfect tool for shaking off brain fog and getting your mental skills back up to baseline. This could be vital, not just for getting you through the work day, but in helping you to make better decisions and manage your emotions, two of the key aspects of executive functioning.
Of course, prioritising healthy, natural sleep should be your first course of action. Exercise based interventions should be seen as a handy back-up plan, not your first port of call, but this research is definitely a big win for lunchtime workout warriors who have long championed the idea that they do their best work post-gym.
If you’re looking for an easy way to incorporate brain-boosting exercise into you daily regime, check out our article on ten-minute ‘micro-workouts’, which includes a training plan that allows you to dip in and out of the gym in less than fifteen-minutes. Perfect for a post-lunch pick me up on those sleepy days.
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THE RESEARCH
- The effects of sleep deprivation, acute hypoxia, and exercise on cognitive performance: A multi-experiment combined stressors study
- Association of sleep duration in middle and old age with incidence of dementia
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-22354-2
With almost 18 years in the health and fitness space as a personal trainer, nutritionist, breath coach and writer, Andrew has spent nearly half of his life exploring how to help people improve their bodies and minds.
As our fitness editor he prides himself on keeping Men’s Health at the forefront of reliable, relatable and credible fitness information, whether that’s through writing and testing thousands of workouts each year, taking deep dives into the science behind muscle building and fat loss or exploring the psychology of performance and recovery.
Whilst constantly updating his knowledge base with seminars and courses, Andrew is a lover of the practical as much as the theory and regularly puts his training to the test tackling everything from Crossfit and strongman competitions, to ultra marathons, to multiple 24 hour workout stints and (extremely unofficial) world record attempts.
You can find Andrew on Instagram at @theandrew.tracey, or simply hold up a sign for ‘free pizza’ and wait for him to appear.
