How Does Rebounding Affect The Brain?
When we talk about exercise, we usually think of better sleep, more energy, a healthy weight and better heart health. These are all true, but we ignore the effects of exercise on the most critical organ of the body, which is the brain.
So how how does rebounding affect the brain? Researchers have found that activity like rebounding is one of the most transformative things that can be done to improve cognitive abilities, such as learning, thinking, memory, focus and reasoning — all of which can help you become more competent and live longer.
Long-term stress can be toxic to multiple systems in the body leading to medical concerns like high blood pressure, weak immune system, and mental health issues like anxiety and depression. Physical stress like exercise can help the body to manage general stress levels.
This kind of stress makes the body more resilient. Studies show that while exercise initially spikes the stress response in the body, people experience lower levels of cortisol and epinephrine after bouts of physical activity.
The more sedentary we get, our bodies respond to stress less efficiently. Which can lead to things like hair loss. This blog helps us understand the effects of rebounding on the brain and certain aspects that need to be considered, as rebounding might not be suitable for everyone.
Is Jumping On a Trampoline Good For The Brain?
Research confirms a more substantial and profound connection between the brain and the body. Did you know that rebounding stimulates nerve cells to produce chemicals (neurotrophic factors) that act like brain fertilisers?
These proteins stimulate new brain cell growth and encourage the brain cells to connect with other neutrons. Furthermore, the up and down motion circulates oxygen to all the tissues, which creates more robust nerve pathways between the left and the right brain.
While rebounding, your eyes focus on a fixed point; this improves visual coordination. Moving the body up and down and in all directions helps stimulate better brain activity.
According to Dr Alfhild Akselsen, PhD, of Austin, Texas, “When you are rebounding, you are moving and exercising every brain cell just as you are exercising each of the other body cells.”
Dr Akselsen strongly advocates rebounding exercise as a treatment option for individuals suffering from neurological disorders. He has observed improvement in his patient’s brain coordination, memory and overall mental health.
Does Rebounding Help Brain Fog?
Brain fog is commonly described as a range of symptoms like poor concentration, confusion, lack of clarity in thoughts, forgetfulness, lost words and mental fatigue. Brain fog can happen to anyone and may be caused by various factors.
Brain fog is usually caused by lack of sleep, stress, hormonal shifts, or dietary issues like poor gut health or food sensitivities. Brain fog symptoms can be similar to sleep deprivation or stress, though it doesn’t come under a specific medical condition.
It’s not the same as dementia, as there is no structural damage to the brain, and people recover from it within days. Similar symptoms are observed after other infections, minor head injuries, or menopause.
Some people experience brain fog while recovering from a COVID-19 illness. Brain fog is a standard part of long COVID.
It has been reported that sometimes it takes months to recover from brain fog caused due to covid. Anxiety, low mood and fatigue all play an essential role in how your brain functions.
Slowly with time, people recover from it completely.
According to a study, a measurable hippocampus increase occurred in patients with high physical activity levels.
Research suggests that rebounding exercise also promotes neuroplasticity, i.e. the brain’s ability to form new neural connections and adapt throughout life. The region of the brain where this happens is the hippocampus.
Can Rebounding Cause Brain Damage?
Rebounding can harm you if you had a few jumps, landed wrongly, and experienced a headache or neck ache. Does that mean rebounding is detrimental to the brain?
On the surface, it isn’t, but injuries happen as people try to do more strenuous exercises on the trampoline.
Your brain and other organs will bounce up and down as you jump on the trampoline. The meninges surround the brain, and the fluid in the meninges helps the brain move around in the skull (in this case, it is a disadvantage because of the bouncing on the trampoline).
The blood vessels might burst, resulting in bleeding, or the brain tissue might get injured as the brain collides with the skull bones. On the trampoline, bouncing forcefully is a significant risk. One must be careful and consider the fitness levels and age before trying to do rebounding exercise.
Is Rebounding Good For Brain Health?
Imagine that your brain is a muscle: the more it works out, the stronger it gets. Studies in humans suggest that regular exercise helps increase the size of the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex.
These parts of the brain are more susceptible to neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer’s. Exercising consistently helps reduce or delay the onset of cognitive decline due to ageing.
In people who have been diagnosed with memory-related diseases, exercise is a commonly recommended intervention.
Rebounding stimulates the release of endorphins that act on opiate receptors in the brain to create the blissful feeling of a workout. This feeling of exhilaration can be felt during or after any activity. This reduces feelings of anxiety and depression.
Doctors have observed that one year of activity interventions increased the volume of the hippocampus — the part of the brain that deals with learning and memory — by one per cent. This observation testifies that rebounding is an activity that boosts brain health.
Rebounding and the brain
Rebounding increases the flow of blood to the brain. Due to its high metabolic demand, good circulation is a must, and exercise aids in better circulation. Increased blood flow is not only beneficial, but it is essential.
Exercise induces good blood flow, delivering all the nutrients required for the brain to function optimally whilst increasing the production of molecules vital to brain function, including memory.
The brain starts losing tissue after the age of 30. Scientists have uncovered that aerobic exercises may slow tissue loss and improve cognitive performance. Fifty-five older adults submitted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans.
The scans were evaluated, and their health, including aerobic fitness, was assessed. Adults with higher fitness levels showed fewer reductions in the brain’s frontal, parietal, and temporal areas. Overall, their brain tissue was quite robust.
The key takeaway here is that rebounding is good not only for our physical health but also for our mental well-being. Our brain has billions of nerve cells working harmoniously to coordinate your movements, behaviour, thoughts, memories, and emotions.
Although your focus might be on building better biceps or improving your fitness, rebounding helps build a healthier brain.
