Science Says That 20 Minutes of Exercise Can Improve Your Memory and Combat Caffeine Withdrawal
It's a well-known fact that regular exercise has many positive impacts on your health, but recent research from the Exercise and Health Psychology Lab at Western University found that working out can positively impact your memory and help reduce your dependency on caffeine. The best part? According to Mindbodygreen, the new study, which was published in Nature Scientific Reports, found that you don't need to log hours at the gym to start seeing the benefits. As it turns out, just 20 minutes of exercise can help you boost your memory and break up with your favorite energy-inducing drink for good.
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The researchers conducted the study by analyzing working memories—which is the brain function that allows people to remember everyday activities like reading—of about 30 participants that did and 30 did not regularly consume caffeine. Test subjects then either had a caffeinated beverage or went for a 20-minute walk. After 12 hours, the researchers tested the participants' memories again and found that both exercise and caffeine helped their working memory, but only those test subjects who exercised were better able to fight the effects of caffeine withdrawal.
The findings from the study prove that regular exercise can help you improve your memory, and that's true whether or not you typically reach for a caffeinated beverage as a way to focus on tasks at hand. Other research linked to caffeine and health can impact people that suffer from conditions related to joint inflammation. According to Texas Orthopedics rheumatologist Robert Koval, high amounts of caffeine, or over two cups each day, can negatively affect those that live with ailments like arthritis. To keep health at the forefront, exercise can now be a healthy alternative to boost your energy in replacement of daily doses of caffeine in your life.
