A new study from Dartmouth College researchers has found that when it comes to intense gym workouts and mental health, less can be more. Study participants who exercised at low intensity performed better on some memory tasks than those who exercised intensely. And men and women who did intense workouts, as measured by their Fitbits, reported higher stress levels than those who exercised less intensely.
According to Study Findingsthe researchers expected that the more active participants would have a stronger memory and show better mental health, but the results were more complicated.
“Mental health and memory are central to almost everything we do in our daily lives,” said the study’s lead author, Jeremy R. Manning, an assistant professor of psychological and brain sciences at Dartmouth. “Our study is trying to build a foundation for understanding how different intensities of physical exercise affect different aspects of mental and cognitive growth.”
According to a Dartmouth college Press releasePrevious research has studied the effects on memory over a short period of time, but the Dartmouth team wanted to examine the effects over a much longer period of time. They analyzed data on daily step counts, how long spent in different heart rate zones as measured by Fitbits, and other information collected over a year.
The more active participants tended to show better memory overall. But those who exercised moderately tended to perform better on episodic memory tasks, recalling autobiographical events, such as what they ate yesterday. Those who exercised intensely scored higher on spatial memory tasks, the type of memory you use to remember location, like where you parked your car.
Participants who reported anxiety and depression tended to perform better on spatial and associated memory tasks, the ability to recall connections between concepts, and other memories. Participants who reported higher levels of stress tended to perform worse on tests of associative memory.
In addition to high-intensity exercises reporting higher stress levels, men and women who exercised regularly at lower intensities were found to have lower rates of depression and anxiety.
“When it comes to physical activity, memory and mental health, there’s a really complicated dynamic at play that can’t be summed up in simple sentences like ‘walking improves memory’ or ‘stress impairs memory,'” Manning said. “Instead, specific forms of physical activity and specific aspects of mental health appear to affect each aspect of memory differently.”
According to Study Finds, the researchers acknowledge that more work is needed to understand how their findings can be applied to real-life problems.
“For example, to help students prepare for an exam or reduce their symptoms of depression, specific exercise regimens could be designed to improve their cognitive performance and mental health,” Manning said.
© 2022 NewsmaxHealth. All rights reserved.
.
