Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/JUoQWSUNjuA

 

Moderate intensity aerobic exercise improves your working memory in a manner similar to caffeine.   Exercise physiologists from Canada’s Western University and the University of British Columbia tested 59 participants half of whom never drank caffeine and half of whom drank it regularly

 

A 20 minute session of moderate aerobic exercise on a treadmill conferred a statistically similar working memory benefit as a cup of regular coffee for non-drinkers. For regular coffee drinkers, adding exercise triggered even greater accuracy improvements. 

 

 Exercise also curtailed caffeine withdrawal symptoms in those regular consumers who were deprived of their java.

 

 Aerobic exertion improves brain function by boosting blood flow to these vital tissues.  Do it often!

 

Morava, A., Fagan, M.J. & Prapavessis, H. Effects of Caffeine and Acute Aerobic Exercise on Working Memory and Caffeine Withdrawal. Sci Rep 9, 19644 (2019) doi:10.1038/s41598-019-56251-y

 

#exercise #caffeine #memory #cognition