How moving a little or exercising changes brain activity and stress chemicals
Acute effects of physical activity patterns on plasma cortisol and brain-derived neurotrophic factor in relation to corticospinal excitability.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Scientists wanted to see how different ways of sitting or moving affect brain activity and stress chemicals in adults who don’t exercise much. They tested three routines: just sitting, sitting with short walks every 30 minutes, and sitting followed by a 25-minute walk. Then they gave a small brain zap and measured how the brain responded.
Surprising Findings
Frequent short activity breaks allowed cortisol to enhance brain responsiveness, while a single exercise bout did not—even though it raised cortisol more.
Common belief holds that moderate exercise improves brain function via BDNF and stress regulation. Here, the highest cortisol came from exercise, yet only moderate cortisol during frequent breaks helped brain plasticity.
Practical Takeaways
Take short walking breaks every 30 minutes during long sitting periods to potentially improve how your brain responds to stimulation.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Scientists wanted to see how different ways of sitting or moving affect brain activity and stress chemicals in adults who don’t exercise much. They tested three routines: just sitting, sitting with short walks every 30 minutes, and sitting followed by a 25-minute walk. Then they gave a small brain zap and measured how the brain responded.
Surprising Findings
Frequent short activity breaks allowed cortisol to enhance brain responsiveness, while a single exercise bout did not—even though it raised cortisol more.
Common belief holds that moderate exercise improves brain function via BDNF and stress regulation. Here, the highest cortisol came from exercise, yet only moderate cortisol during frequent breaks helped brain plasticity.
Practical Takeaways
Take short walking breaks every 30 minutes during long sitting periods to potentially improve how your brain responds to stimulation.
Publication
Journal
Behavioural brain research
Year
2022
Authors
M. Ekblom, E. Bojsen-Møller, V. Blom, O. Tarassova, M. Moberg, M. Pontén, R. Wang, O. Ekblom
Related Content
Claims (4)
Exercise can change how your body handles stress by rewiring the system that controls cortisol, the stress hormone.
If you're a middle-aged adult who doesn't move much, your stress hormone levels go up more after sitting all day and then doing a 25-minute workout, compared to just sitting or breaking up your sitting time with short walks every half hour.
If you're a middle-aged person who doesn't move much, your body's stress hormone levels might help your brain become more responsive when you take regular movement breaks—but not if you just sit all day or go for one workout.
In middle-aged people who aren't very active, the level of a brain protein called BDNF in their blood doesn't tell us whether their brain's ability to control muscles will change — no matter if they sit all day, take regular movement breaks, or do some exercise afterward.