Exercise as an anti-ageing intervention to avoid detrimental impact of mental fatigue

Retired people who habitually exercise are more able to fight the impacts of mental fatigue, new research suggests.

In a paper published in the Journal of Aging and Physical Activity, a team of researchers from the University of Birmingham and the University of Extremadura in Spain worked with groups of adults to find out whether age would increase, and regular exercise would decrease the impact of mental fatigue on a series of cognitive and physical performance tests.

In the first study, sedentary men between 65 and 79 performed worse in cognitive and physical tests compared to 52-64 year olds, with these impairments greater when they were tested in a state of mental fatigue.

A second study with retired men and women aged 66-72 found that performance when mentally rested and fatigued was better in the physically active older adults than their sedentary peers.

Professor Chris Ring from the University of Birmingham and corresponding author of the study said:

“This study shows how important physical activity is for adults as they get older, and in general for avoiding the worst impacts of mental fatigue on cognitive and physical performance. 

“This research from our ongoing international collaborative venture confirms that regular physical activity has a host of benefits, with increased physical fitness associated with improved cognition, increased exercise capacity, and greater mental fatigue resilience.

“For older adults in particular, regular exercise represents a simple but effective means to stave off the effects of age in a host of areas, including avoiding the negative effects of feeling mental fatigued after a particularly taxing task.”

The research team also noted that the research confirmed that mental fatigue impaired performance in older adults and showed that performance when in states of fatigue and relaxation were worsened by aging and inactivity”.

Professor Ring suggests the following three active steps can be taken by older adults wishing to perform better in demanding situations:

“First, people can increase their levels of regular physical activity.

“Second, people can warmup using a combination of cognitive and physical tasks to better prepare them for upcoming physical performance overcome, especially when feeling mentally fatigued.

“Third, people can train using a combination of cognitive and exercise tasks – a method called Brain Endurance Training or BET – to improve their mental fatigue resilience and enhance their physical performance”.