Behind the Brain

We’ve all heard that exercise can reduce our stress, and give us more focus, and concentration. But how does all of this work? What are the direct impacts of exercise on the brain?

What is exercise?

Exercise is “activity requiring physical effort, carried out to sustain or improve health and fitness.” This can be anything from playing a sport such as soccer or tennis, to doing cardio like running, or lifting weights at the gym. Common physiological effects of exercise include muscle growth, increased heart rate, stronger blood vessels, and increased stamina. Along with these physiological benefits, exercise also offers neurological benefits as well.

Benefits of Exercise for the Brain

1. Increased Blood Flow: Exercise increases heart rate, thus also increasing blood flow. Since the brain has a high metabolic demand, it requires a lot of oxygen to function. Increased blood flow helps the brain and provides more oxygen and nutrients.
2. Increased Memory Retention: Exercise increases reception of BDNF( brain-derived neurotrophic factor), a neurotransmitter that increases synaptogenesis (formation of synapses), improving long-term memory formation. The amount of BDNF, is directly correlated to memory power.
3. Stress Relief: Stress is caused by neurotransmitters such as adrenaline and cortisol. By reducing these neurotransmitters, exercise helps provide stress relief. But that seems counterintuitive. Doesn’t exercise actually increase adrenaline? In the short-term, during the exercise, adrenaline levels are increased but after a couple hours, adrenaline levels decrease to below average. Why? During exercise, the increased cortisol and adrenaline levels make their respective receptors in the hypothalamus more sensitive. This increased sensitivity, over time, decreases the amount of adrenaline, and cortisol our receptors bind to.
4. Runner’s High: Runner’s high is a type of feeling that athlete’s feel quite commonly. It occurs due to the increase in dopamine released during exercises such as running.

So in conclusion, make sure to keep exercising. Because, not only will you improve you body, but you’ll also remove stress from your brain, feel happier, retain information better, and have better memory.