Can Post-Study Workouts Boost Memory? A Doctor Explains

Did you know that strategically timing your exercise after studying can significantly boost the amount you remember? While exercise is often considered with an eye to physical health, increasing evidence shows that moderate exercise a few hours post-study greatly boosts learning and memory recall.

The Science Behind the Memory Boost

Dr Kunal Sood, an anesthesiologist and interventional pain medicine specialist, uncovered the intriguing link between post-study exercise and increased memory in a recent video on Instagram. In Dr Sood's view, a simple exercise of 20 to 30 minutes, done a few hours following study, can assist the brain in remembering more content the next day.

The trick is in brain chemistry, blood circulation, and a strong molecule called BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor). BDNF is a neurotrophin that helps neuron growth and linking, resulting in the strengthening of synapses. Aerobic exercise at a moderate pace, such as brisk cycling or jogging, boosts the level of this protein.

This boost in BDNF triggers pathways that enhance the stability of synaptic connections and encourage the integration of new neurons within the hippocampus—the memory centre of the brain.

As Dr Sood puts it, "Learning and then some moderate exercise a few hours later aids the hippocampus in storing memories better. Exercise not only energises the body, it re-wires the brain to learn more effectively."

 

 

 

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A post shared by Kunal Sood, MD (@doctorsoood)

The Importance of Timing

Dr Sood points out that timing is of the essence, adding that exercising immediately after learning isn't as good. The best window needs a delay.

"The brain takes a few hours to consolidate initial memory traces before exercise amplifies them," he explains. Waiting gives the initial consolidation process a chance to start.

As consolidation proceeds, practice reinforces it by increasing oxygen supply and neurochemicals such as BDNF, dopamine, and noradrenaline that all serve to make the new neural connections stronger.

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What Research Suggests

There is evidence from controlled studies to support this hypothesis. Dr Sood referenced a controlled trial with 72 subjects where subjects who exercised four hours after being taught recalled much more two days later than participants who exercised immediately or not at all. Brain scans also validated this, identifying greater reactivation of memory patterns in the hippocampus in the delayed exercise group.

Further evidence suggests that a year of moderate aerobic exercise in older adults increased the size of the hippocampus by approximately two percent and raised circulating BDNF levels. Animal studies confirm similar pathways, linking exercise to improved learning and neurogenesis (the formation of new neurons).

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Image courtesy: Freepik

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