Sleep > Exercise

This week, it's sleep and strength training for a better brain, plus your recommendations.

The Rundown

Sleep > Exercise. Regular exercise leads to a healthier brain but a new study out of University College London has found that the full cognitive benefits of physical activity may be undermined if you’re not getting sufficient sleep.

The researchers examined data from the English Longitudinal Study of Aging which featured nearly 9,000 people aged 50 and over. Their cognitive abilities were assessed through memory and verbal fluency tests over a ten-year period. (Previous work in this area has primarily been cross-sectional or only focused on a snapshot in time).

At the start of the study, exercise was linked to better cognitive function regardless of how many hours of sleep the participants got each night. But as time went on, those who got less sleep (less than six hours per night) performed worse on cognition tests despite being very active.

The team found the biggest impact of poor sleep affected those in their 50s and 60s. After 70, exercise helped maintain brain heath despite this group reporting less sleep.

Co-author, Professor Andrew Steptoe, points out that while physical activity is already recognized as a way to maintain cognitive function “interventions should also consider sleep habits to maximize long-term benefits for cognitive health.”

Resistance Training & Alzheimer’s. A growing number of exercise science studies have shown that resistance training, even in moderate amounts, can offset cognitive decline and delay the symptoms of age-related dementia.

The latest study to add to this body of work comes from scientists at the Federal University of São Paulo and the University of São Paulo. Their research has shown that resistance training counteracts sporadic Alzheimer’s, which is not caused by an inherited gene mutation and is the most common form of the disease. The most plausible reason for resistance training’s effectiveness is its anti-inflammatory effect.

For the study, the scientists attached various weights to healthy mice and to those with a mutation that predisposed them to a build-up of beta-amyloid plaques in the brain.

After four weeks of training, the mice with cognitive mutations that had the heaviest weights attached while doing physical activity had normal levels of corticosterone, the same as the healthy mice, and fewer beta-amyloid plaques in their brain tissue.

Corticosterone is the mouse equivalent of human cortisol. Elevated cortisol levels in response to stress increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s and have been shown to negatively impact overall cognitive function in middle age.

Extra Point

Watch

Goliath. This three-part documentary series explores the life, career and impact of basketball great Wilt Chamberlain. It uses archival footage, and interestingly, AI to recreate Chamberlain’s voice to narrate his own words. Goliath premieres on Friday, July 14 on demand and on streaming platforms for Paramount+ with Showtime subscribers before debuting on Showtime, Sunday, July 16 at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

Listen

Champion’s Mind. This skills training app focuses on mental performance. Think of it as Headspace or Calm for sport psychology. It provides guidance on key topics like mental toughness, self-confidence, and performing under pressure along with visualizations, affirmations, and breathing and muscle relaxation exercises.

Read

Overtime Elite – A Private School, Basketball League and Media Conglomerate – Just Sent Two Players to the NBA. In this article for The Conversation, Jabari Evans talks about “the transformative potential of Overtime Elite, which offers young athletes a new path to maximize their earning potential outside of the NCAA and propel them to professional stardom.” While he sees potential in the organization, he also wonders if its players, despite being compensated, are “just as prone to exploitation as NCAA basketball players.”