Doing physical exercise, or even simply moving more, would on the contrary preserve memory.
- Every minute of physical exercise, carried out during confinement, would limit memory problems.
- The World Health Organization has previously stated that reduced physical activity is a risk factor for dementia and cognitive decline.
- Memory problems are also part of the symptoms of Covid long.
Do you feel like you are forgetting more things than usual? Whether it’s things to do or objects, this symptom could be one of the consequences of the various confinements. The website ScienceFocusmagazine specializing in health BBC, relays a British study, carried out by Catherine Loveday, a neuropsychologist from the University of Westminster. Early results indicate that 80% of participants in his research said they had impaired memory during the pandemic.
Frequent memory loss
To reach this first conclusion, the scientist asked several questions to the participants. For example, they were asked if they forgot to say something important to someone or if they happened to read a sentence only to realize that they had already read it. One of the most common signs of memory loss was forgetting an event: this affected 55% of respondents. Many also had difficulty finding the right word.
Links to physical exercise
Another study, carried out in Brazil, also looked at the links between memory and social distancing measures. This time, the researchers found that physical exercise reduced memory loss. People who remained active during the Covid-19 restriction periods reported less forgetting or memory problems than others. The British neuropsychologist has also taken this factor into account in her research: she finds that a minimum of physical exercise is enough to limit the decline of memory. People who regularly moved between rooms or buildings had less memory loss.
Sport, an asset for memory
Several studies have previously focused on the effects of sport on memory. In May 2020, American researchers studied the impact of aerobics on people aged 60 and over. After a year of study, the group that practiced the sport regularly improved their memory test scores by 47%. A year earlier, other researchers demonstrated that physical activity strengthens the memory capacity of the brain. I’World Health Organization recommends adults to practice between 2h30 and 5h of moderate intensity endurance activity each week or 1h15 to 2h30 of sustained intensity endurance activity.
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