According to recent research, the quality of our sleep and sporting activity can have long-term effects on our brain.
There was no doubt that sport and sleep were fundamental for our psycho-physical well-being, but today further confirmation comes from science.
In a rare longitudinal study, researchers from Aalto University and the University of Oulu monitored a person’s brain and behavioral activity for five months using brain scans and data from wearable devices and smartphones.
The study found that our brain does not respond to daily life in an immediate and isolated way. Instead, brain activity evolves in response to sleep patterns, physical activity, mood, and breathing rate over many days. This suggests that even a training or a restless night could affect your brain and therefore your attention, cognition and memory.
The research also revealed a strong link between heart rate variability – a measure of the heart’s adaptability – and brain connectivity, particularly during rest.
This suggests that impacts on our body’s relaxation response, such as stress management techniques, could shape our brain’s wiring even when we are not actively focused on a task. It was also discovered that thePhysical activity positively influences how brain regions interactpotentially affecting memory and cognitive flexibility. Even the smallest changes in mood and heart rate leave lasting impressions for up to fifteen days.
The study
The research is unusual in that few brain studies involve detailed monitoring over days and weeks.
The researchers identified two distinct response patterns:
- a short-term wave that lasts less than seven days
- a long-term wave of up to fifteen days.
The first model reflects rapid adaptations, such as how concentration is affected by poor sleep, but recovers quickly. The long wave suggests more gradual and long-lasting effects, particularly in areas related to attention and memory.
The researchers hope their innovative approach can inspire future studies that combine brain data with everyday life to help personalize mental health treatment.
We need to bring data from everyday life into the lab to get a full picture of how our habits shape the brain, but surveys can be laborious and imprecise.
The study is also evidence for patient research: Monitoring brain changes in real time could help detect neurological disorders earlyespecially mental health conditions where more subtle signs may go unnoticed.
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