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As you are taking care of your elderly loved one, one of the things that you will need to think about is their memory. There are many things that can impact your elderly loved one’s memory. Everything from the sleep they get, to how much exercise they get, to the things they eat and drink, will affect their memory. Today you can focus on learning more about how exercise can improve your elderly loved one’s memory.

Positive Side Effects of Exercising

There are many positive side effects of exercising. Be sure that you share these side effects with your elderly loved one. They include the following:

• Increase in heart rate
• Increased insulin sensitivity
• Perspiration
• Less inflammation
• Improved ability for the brain to make new cells
• Better mood
• Better sleep
• Reduced anxiety and stress

When all of the side effects occur together, your elderly loved one will start experiencing improvements in their memory. Learning more about each one of these effects can help you to learn more about how exercising improves your loved one’s memory.

Reduced Inflammation

As previously mentioned, exercising helps reduce inflammation. If your elderly loved one has inflammation in their brain, it can lead to many issues. The brain isn’t able to send messages or form memories that well. Sometimes the inflammation is a result of stress. If this is a concern that you have for your elderly loved one, you should encourage them to dance, run, or take walks regularly. All of these things can help to reduce the inflammation in their body and brain. Remember, less inflammation means improved memory.

New Brain Cells and Blood Vessels

If your elderly loved one exercises, the blood flow to their brain will improve. When this happens, new brain cells and blood vessels can form. This growth causes the hippocampus to grow, improving learning and memory. One of the main parts of memory that is improved by this growth is memory storage.

Improved Mood

Exercising can help to improve your elderly loved one’s mood, as well. It might not seem like one’s mood has anything to do with their memory. However, have you ever been really upset and stressed? If so, when that happened, did you start forgetting things? It is very likely that you did. This happens the same for elderly people. If you or caregivers can encourage your loved one to exercise regularly, it can improve their mood and their memory.

Conclusion

These are some of the key elements to how exercising improves memory. If you or caregivers are taking care of your elderly loved one, help them make an exercise plan. Even 10 to 20 minutes of exercise a day could make all the difference in your elderly loved one’s memory.

Sources
https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/moderate-exercise-may-improve-memory-older-adults