Morning Exercise Improves Brain Blood Flow in Older Adults

Morning exercise improves brain blood flow in older adults. The findings come from researchers at the University of Western Australia and The Baker Institute in Melbourne. The researchers found that morning exercise helps reduce the detrimental impact on blood flow patterns caused by prolonged sitting in overweight or obese seniors.

It is urged to maintain steady blood flow to the brain, as it can help ward off stroke and dementia.

Previous research has uncovered that exercise is linked to a reduction in stroke incidence and a delay in dementia progression.

The study looked at 12 men and women aged 55 to 80 who were tested in three laboratory sessions. The first session involved sitting uninterrupted for eight hours and the second session involved sitting for an hour, then performing 30 minutes of moderate-intensity walking on the treadmill followed by 6.5 hours of uninterrupted sitting.

The third session involved sitting for an hour, exercising for 30 minutes (walking on the treadmill), and sitting for an additional 6.5 hours. This sitting time was interrupted by three minutes of light intensity treadmill walking every 30 minutes.

Lead researcher Dr. Michael Wheeler explained, “What we found was that during uninterrupted sitting, there was a pattern of decline in brain blood flow over eight hours. However, when participants performed a morning bout of exercise with or without subsequent breaks in sitting, brain blood flow improved in the afternoon, several hours after exercise. Interestingly, the afternoon recovery seemed to occur more quickly when exercise was followed by subsequent breaks in sitting. Since preventing declines in brain blood flow is important in maintaining brain health as we age, these findings are relevant from a clinical and public health perspective.”

How to Increase Blood Flow to Brain?

Increasing blood flow to the brain is important because it boosts alertness, reduces memory fog, and may help reduce the risk of stroke while slowing down dementia progression. It isn’t hard to boost blood flow to the brain. With these simple tips, you can start reaping the benefits of blood flow to the brain.

• Exercise regularly
• Go for short walks throughout your day
• Stretch throughout your day
• Perform yoga
• Use breathing techniques
• Meditate
• Quit smoking
• Eat more dark chocolate
• Drink beet juice
• Add more superfoods into your diet such as avocados, nuts, and berries

These tips can easily be incorporated into your daily life and aren’t just good for your brain, but your health overall.

Also read:

• 25 Best foods to increase brainpower
• 19 foods that increase blood flow
• What causes blood clots in the brain?