20 minute bike ride could be enough to boost energy levels

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Swap the espresso for exercise: Just 20 minutes boosts energy levels after a bad night sleep 

  • Just 20 minutes of moderate exercise could help boost brain power and energy
  • It increases blood to the brain and could also boost arousal and motivation 

We’re all familiar with that groggy feeling you experience after a bad night’s sleep.

But just 20 minutes of exercise could help boost your brain if you’ve not been getting enough shut-eye, a study suggests.

A team led by researchers at the University of Portsmouth ran two experiments involving 12 people in each.

In the first, participants were only allowed five hours of sleep a night over three days.

Each morning they were given seven tasks to perform while resting, and then asked to repeat the tasks after 20 minutes of moderate-intensity cycling.

The study showed each person’s performance on the tasks improved after they had been exercising on the bikes

Analysis revealed that having little sleep affected each person differently – possibly because some people may be more resilient to being tired.

However, each person’s performance on the tasks improved after they had been exercising on the bikes.

In the second experiment, participants went an entire night without sleep and then were put in a hypoxic – low levels of oxygen – environment.

They underwent the same tests and, even though oxygen levels had been lowered, still improved their performance after exercise.

Writing in the journal Physiology and Behaviour, the researchers wrote: ‘We have demonstrated that moderate intensity cycling for 20 minutes improves executive functions after three nights of partial sleep deprivation and one night of total sleep deprivation, regardless of hypoxic status.’

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The team suggested that exercise could affect the release of brain-regulating hormones and the rate at which blood is delivered to the brain.

It could also boost arousal and motivation, they added.

Co-lead author Dr Thomas Williams said: ‘One potential hypothesis for why exercise improves cognitive performance is related to the increase in cerebral blood flow and oxygenation.

‘However, our findings suggest that even when exercise is performed in an environment with low levels of oxygen, participants were still able to perform cognitive tasks better than when at rest in the same conditions.’

Sleep is fundamental to maintaining a healthy lifestyle, with adults recommended between seven and nine hours per night.

However, studies suggest that 40 per cent of the world’s population don’t get enough.

In the short term, a lack of sleep can reduce cognitive performance which can affect attention span, judgement and emotional state.

But over time, it can lead to the likes of cardiovascular disease, obesity and depression.

Dr Joe Costello, who also worked on the study, said if the exercise was any longer or harder it may have amplified the negative effects of sleep deprivation.

‘The findings significantly add to what we know about the relationship between exercise and these stressors [lack of sleep], and helps to reinforce the message that movement is medicine for the body and the brain,’ he added.

The researchers called for further research into the mechanisms behind how exercise boosts cognitive function, as it could help anyone who experiences broken sleep or low oxygen – including shift workers, parents of young children and even climbers and skiers.

HOW MUCH EXERCISE YOU NEED

To stay healthy, adults aged 19 to 64 should try to be active daily and should do:

  • at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity such as cycling or brisk walking every week and
  • strength exercises on 2 or more days a week that work all the major muscles (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms)

Or:

  • 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity such as running or a game of singles tennis every week and
  • strength exercises on 2 or more days a week that work all the major muscles (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms)

Or:

  • a mix of moderate and vigorous aerobic activity every week – for example, 2 x 30-minute runs plus 30 minutes of brisk walking equates to 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity and
  • strength exercises on 2 or more days a week that work all the major muscles (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms)

A good rule is that 1 minute of vigorous activity provides the same health benefits as 2 minutes of moderate activity.

One way to do your recommended 150 minutes of weekly physical activity is to do 30 minutes on 5 days every week.

All adults should also break up long periods of sitting with light activity.

Source: NHS 

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